The Shohei Ohtani sweepstakes are over.
The baseball superstar is signing with Dodgers, he announced on his Instagram account.
Ohtani’s deal is for 10-year, $700 million ($A1.06bn), according to ESPN’s Jeff Passan, which comes to an average of $432,098 ($A656,385) per game according to The Athletic.
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The news ends the biggest question of the MLB offseason: Where Ohtani would call home next season.
The dual threat was the biggest name on the market this year and was already expected to command a historic contract from his next team.
The deal with the Dodgers ends Ohtani’s six-year run with the Los Angeles Angeles and begins a new chapter for the Japanese star.
Ohtani’s deal comes after the Yankees landed Juan Soto in a blockbuster trade with the Padres late Wednesday night.
In his six seasons with the Angeles, Ohtani hit .274 with 171 home runs and 437 RBI.
During that same span, Ohtani went 38-19 from the mound with an ERA of 3.03.
Ohtani is coming off a season that was cut short by injury in 2023, but one in which he still took home the American League MVP award in unanimous fashion.
He slashed .304/.412/.654 this season and led the American League in home runs with 44 and led all of Major League baseball in OPS with a 1.066.
From the hill, Ohtani was equally as effective, going 10-5 with a 3.14 ERA and striking out 167 batters over 132 innings.
The 29-year-old phenom, who arrived in the United States and signed with the Angels in 2017, restore his ulnar collateral ligament on Aug. 23 ending his time on the mound, but he kept hitting for several weeks after.
Ohtani underwent Tommy John Surgery in September, making him highly unlikely to be available to pitch this upcoming season.
Ohtani is expected to be ready to hit for the 2024 season and can return to the mound in 2025.
“As far as the rehab — it’s going really great so far, going really well,” Ohtani told MLB Network after winning the AL MVP honours.
“It feels a lot better and faster than the first time I had this surgery. But at the same time, I can’t rush. I have to take everything slow and take all the right steps. My plan is to come back strong next year.”
Ohtani’s statement via Instagram:
“To all the fans and everyone involved in the baseball world, I apologise for taking so long to come to a decision. I have decided to choose the Dodgers as my next team.
First of all, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to everyone involved with the Angels organisation and the fans who have supported me over the past six years, as well as to everyone involved with each team that was part of this negotiation process. Especially to the Angels fans who supported me through all the ups and downs, your guys’ support and cheer meant the world to me. The six years I spent with the Angels will remain etched in my heart forever.
And to all Dodgers fans, I pledge to always do what’s best for the team and always continue to give it my all to be the best version of myself. Until the last day of my playing career, I want to continue to strive forward not only for the Dodgers but for the baseball world.
There are some things that cannot be conveyed in writing, so I would like to talk more about this again at a later press conference.
Thank you very much.”
This article first appeared on The New York Postand was reproduced with permission
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