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Ohtani pitched for Japan in the World Baseball Classic earlier this year.
CNN
—
Of the Los Angeles Dodgers has won the race to reach terms with Shohei Ohtani, the biggest star in baseball, on one of the richest contracts in professional sports.
The two-time American League MVP announced on Instagram that he “chose to pick the Dodgers” as his next team; their historic deal is for 10 years and $700 million, according to ESPN, MLB.com and other ads mentioning Ohtani’s agent, Nez Balelo.
The deal will see the Japanese pitcher, who is batting like a designated hitter, heading to the city from the Los Angeles Angels of the American League to the Dodgers, winning 10 of the 11th place in the National League West.
The Dodgers declined to comment on the situation. CNN has reached out to Ohtani’s representatives to confirm the terms of the deal.
The star’s free agency has been the subject of feverish speculation in recent weeks, and his contract is reportedly the most expensive in North American history. He confirmed the agreement with a Instagram posts Saturday.
In his Instagram post, Ohtani said, “To all the fans and everyone involved in the baseball world, I apologize for taking so long to make a decision. I have decided to choose the Dodgers as my team. next.
“First of all, I would like to convey my sincere thanks to all the people involved in the Angelu organization and the fans who have supported me in the past six years, as well as to all the people who involved in each team that was part of this negotiation process. Especially to the Angels who supported me up and down, the support and happiness of your guys was very important to me. The six years I spent with Angel will remain in my heart forever.
“And to all the Dodgers, I promise to always do what’s best for the team and continue to give my all to be the best example for myself. Until the last day of my career, I want to continue to try not only for the Dodgers but for the baseball world.
“There are some things that cannot be expressed in writing, so I would like to talk more about this in a later press conference.
“Kind regards”
Ohtani has been playing for the Los Angeles Angels since he first moved to the MLB in 2017. Ahead of his free agency, many teams have lined up to secure the services of the 29-year-old Japanese star, the remained- talking about the future of his work.
After undergoing elbow surgery, he won’t pitch again until 2025 and will only be a designated hitter in 2024.
If completed, the deal would be one of the largest contracts in sports history.
“It’s a unique, historic contract for a unique, historic player,” said Ohtani’s agent, Nez Balelo, according to the USA Today’s Bob Nightingale.
“He is happy to start this partnership, and he structured his contract to reflect a real commitment from both parties for long-term success,” said Balelo..
Steph Chambers/Getty Images
Otani faces the Seattle Mariners in April.
According to SpotracKansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes has the most expensive contract in the NFL, worth $450 million over 10 years.
In the NBA, Jaylen Brown (Boston Celtics), Nikola Jokić (Denver Nuggets) and Bradley Beal (Phoenix Suns) all have five-year contracts worth more than $250 million, per Spotrac.
Lionel Messi contract to the MLS team Inter Miami is worth between $50 and $60 million per year, the group manager Jorge Mas told the Spanish publication. El País at the beginning of this year, when the Argentine star on a $672 million contract between 2017 and 2021 while playing for Barcelona.
It is reported that there is a rival of Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo a two and a half year contract estimated by the media to be more than 200 million euros ($220.16 million) to Saudi Arabian club Al Nassr.
CNN’s Zoe Sottile contributed to this report.