Shohei Ohtani’s Dodgers choice — and deferrals — all about winning
For Shohei Ohtani, it was all about the chance to compete for World Series titles.
Flanked by Dodgers owner Mark Walter and president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman, MLB’s biggest star slipped into a No. 17 jersey and “LA” cap at a Dodger Stadium press conference Thursday.
The two-way Japanese star, recipient of a 10-year contract worth $700 million (with the vast majority of that total deferred), affirmed his commitment to winning as the largest factor in signing with the Dodgers and deferring most of his payout.
Under terms of the historic deal, the 29-year-old Ohtani will receive just $2 million annually, with the rest deferred.
“Usually when there’s a big contract in MLB, I have heard in the past that deferrals are involved,” Ohtani said through an interpreter. “Not all of the time, but a lot of the time. I was looking into it and did some calculations and figured if I could defer as much money as I can that is going to help the [competitive balance tax] and help the Dodgers sign better players and make a better team, I felt that was worth it.”
Under terms of the deal, Ohtani will receive $68 million annually from 2034-43. For CBT purposes, the contract is considered a $46 million annual value.
Ohtani, speaking to reporters for the first time since Aug. 9, said he reached his decision to sign with the Dodgers on Friday — a day before he announced it on Instagram.
“My contract is 10 years, and I am not sure how long I am going to be able to play the game, so I do prioritize winning,” said Ohtani, who declined to name the other teams he seriously considered.
“One thing that really stands out in my head is when I had the meeting with the Dodgers, the ownership group, they said when they looked back at the last 10 years, even though they made the playoffs every single year, [only] one World Series ring, and they considered that a failure. When I heard that, I knew they were all about winning, and that’s exactly how I feel.”
Ohtani’s deal also includes a “key man” clause stipulating that if Walter is no longer the controlling owner or Friedman leaves the Dodgers, he can opt out from the contract.
“Everybody has to be on the same page in order to have a winning organization,” Ohtani said. “I feel like those two are on top of it and in control of everything, and I feel almost like I’m having a contract with those two guys. I feel like if one of them are gone then we might not be on the same page and things might get a little out of control, so I just wanted a safety net.”
Ohtani won a second American League MVP award with the Angels last season, but only pitched into August after tearing the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow for the second time in his career.
Following subsequent surgery — Ohtani avoided using the words “Tommy John” to describe the procedure when pressed for clarification Thursday — the right-hander won’t pitch in 2024 as he rehabs the elbow.
But he will join Freddie Freeman and Mookie Betts in a lineup that has a chance to produce regular fireworks while elevating the Dodgers to a can’t-miss attraction in professional sports.
Friedman mentioned Hideo Nomo, Hiroki Kuroda and Kenta Maeda as former Dodgers from Japan in whose footsteps Ohtani is following.
“One of our goals is to have baseball fans in Japan convert to Dodger blue,” Friedman said. “And to have Shohei and the rest of his teammates help grow the game and passion for Dodgers baseball all across Japan.”
Ohtani provided the answer to one of the big mysteries of the offseason by revealing the name of his dog that appeared alongside him when he appeared on MLB Network last month as the AL MVP winner.
Ohtani had kept the dog’s name a secret, but on this day revealed it was “Dekopin” or “Decoy.”
