The dirt on the deal: Get ready for holiday chit-chat with our Shohei Ohtani primer for non-sports fans

Not everybody follows sports. 

But anybody having a holiday dinner with a sports fan in their life may want to do at least a little bit of homework on a guy named Shohei Ohtani.

The 29-year-old Ohtani was, until recently, the most in-demand free agent in major league baseball.

The three-time all-star and reigning, two-time American League MVP is a superstar player with a rare combination of talents as a top-flight pitcher and a slugger.

Naturally, a lot of teams wanted him on their roster next year. Including the Toronto Blue Jays 

But on Dec. 9, Ohtani announced he'd agreed to terms with the Los Angeles Dodgers for a 10-year, $700-million US contract. He was formally welcomed to the organization the following Thursday, when he spoke at a news conference about his signing

No, that was Robert Herjavec, the Canadian entrepreneur who used to be on Dragons' Den.

But you're not wrong if rampant speculation about a free agent's in-the-air whereabouts sounds familiar.

In July 2019, Toronto Raptors fans were in a fever about whether basketball superstar Kawhi Leonard would re-sign with the Raptors or go elsewhere. 

Like Ohtani, Leonard went to an L.A. team.

Yes, a $700-million US contract. That is in the ballpark — pun intended — of $950 million Cdn at current exchange rates.

It's the most money any MLB player has ever signed for.

Yes, if by "some" you mean "most." Los Angeles will reportedly pay Ohtani $2 million US annually for the next 10 years, after which he'll be paid $68 million annually for the 10 years after that.

Nine-digit deals are not a new development in major league baseball. Alex Rodriguez signed a $250-million US deal with the Texas Rangers almost exactly 23 years ago.

Salary deferrals have also occurred, such