Shohei Ohtani joining Dodgers on 10-year, $700M contract - ESPN

The most unique player in baseball history has joined one of the most storied franchises in the world — for more money than anyone could have possibly imagined.

Shohei Ohtani, the transcendent two-way talent who spent the past three years redefining what was possible at his sport's highest level, signed a 10-year, $700 million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers on Saturday, announcing his decision on his Instagram page.

«To all the fans and everyone involved in the baseball world, I apologize for taking so long to come to a decision,» Ohtani wrote. «I have decided to choose the Dodgers as my next team.»

Ohtani's contract is the largest in baseball history by more than $250 million, topping the 12-year, $426.5 million extension given in 2019 to Mike Trout, his now-former teammate with the Los Angeles Angels. It also easily topped the $450 million deal signed by Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes to become the largest in North American professional sports history. The $70 million average annual salary eclipses the previous Major League Baseball record of $43.3 million for Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer and is more than the 2023 Opening Day payrolls of the Baltimore Orioles ($60.9 million) and Oakland Athletics ($56.9 million).

The deal does not include any opt-outs, a source told ESPN. Another source said the «majority» of Ohtani's salary will be deferred in order to mitigate what the Dodgers are charged toward their competitive balance tax payroll on a yearly basis, giving them more freedom to add players over the life of Ohtani's contract. Those deferrals, according to the source, were Ohtani's idea.

«This is a unique, historic contract for a unique, historic player,» Nez Balelo, Ohtani's agent at CAA,