Shohei Ohtani is officially a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers.
On Thursday, the Dodgers held a press conference to officially introduce the reigning AL MVP as a member of the team.
Through an interpreter, Ohtani addressed the media and fielded questions about the decision to depart the Los Angeles Angels and join the crosstown rival Dodgers.
As part of the press conference, fans also received a first look at Ohtani’s name on the back of a Dodgers jersey — which is already on sale, and selling fast.
Dodgers owner Mark Walter, President of baseball operations Andrew Friedman and play-by-play man Joe Davis were among those who joined Ohtani at the podium.
Ohtani announced he was signing with the Dodgers in a social media post last Saturday, bringing an end to weeks of speculation regarding one of the biggest free agents in American sports history.
As originally reported by ESPN, the deal is for 10 years and $700 million and is the largest guaranteed contract in sports history. The unique contract also includes significant deferrals on the yearly salary, with the expectation that it will allow the Dodgers to build a more competitive team around the two-time MVP.
As a member of the crosstown rival Los Angeles Angels, Ohtani made three All-Star Game appearances, four All-MLB honors and was named American League Rookie of the Year, in addition to his two MVPs. Despite his brilliance in six seasons as an Angel, the team not only failed to make the playoffs, but never achieved a winning record.
A two-way star who is both a game-breaking slugger and a dominant pitcher, Ohtani led the league in home runs this past season while also notching 10 wins against a 3.14 ERA as a starting pitcher. He is not expected to pitch this season after suffering a torn UCL in his throwing shoulder which required surgery.
While much of the MLB offseason was put on pause while teams waited for the Ohtani domino to fall, significant movement is expected in the coming weeks now that there is increased clarity about the league’s current landscape.
The Dodgers are expected to be active in the trade market in hopes of bolstering a depleted and disappointing roster that was swept by the Arizona Diamondback out of the National League Divisional Series this past summer.
L.A. has been linked to another Japanese phenom, 25-year-old pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who is expected to command one of the largest contracts on the open market this offseason. Ohtani was reportedly among the Dodgers representatives in attendance for the team’s pitch meeting with the free agent right-hander.
The Dodgers are also engaged in active trade talks with the Tampa Bay Rays regarding starting pitcher Tyler Glasnow, who has a career ERA of .389 in the regular season.
It won’t be an entirely new cast of characters for the Dodgers when the 2024 season begins.
“It’s been in Ohio as early as the mid-1850s at least, brought in as an ornamental plant because of its unique foliage and white flowers,” Gardner said. “It was actually planted in people’s landscaping, and it has been spreading.”
The Dodgers have brought back some key veterans from last season’s squad, including outfielder Jason Heyward and pitchers Joe Kelly, Ricky Vanasco and Daniel Hudson. In early November, the team agreed to an extension with starting 3B and two-time MLB All-Star Max Muncy.
The future of J.D. Martinez, an All-Star in his lone season with Los Angeles, and club legend Clayton Kershaw, remains unclear.