hohei Ohtani has already suited up for the Los Angeles Dodgers and even held his first conference under manager Dave Roberts, but today it came to light that the Japanese unicorn and his agent gave the Los Angeles Angels a chance to match the $700 million offer, but they fell short.
Shohei Ohtani dons Dodgers jersey and cap for first time, new era beginsTwitterShohei Ohtani’s $700 million contract with Dodgers
Shohei Ohtani is already a Dodgers player for the best contract in the history of sports in the United States and that is that $700 million does not even Leo Messi has. But before deciding to sign his signature, the Angels had the opportunity to match the offer but failed to do so.
Shohei Ohtani is the American League Hank Aaron Award winner! pic.twitter.com/4OvkCiKLvG
— MLB (@MLB) December 17, 2023
The LA Times assured that Nez Balelo, the agent of the player, was negotiating for the Angels to keep Ohtani, this before Moreno decided not to accept the offer of Balelo and Shohei.
“It was just an unbelievable sense of accomplishment,” Balelo told USA TODAY Sports in a 90-minute interview. “It’s so surreal. I just took it in, took a deep breath, and detoxed from everything.”
Shohei Ohtani's new contract with the #Dodgers is the largest in American team sports history. Read more: https://t.co/gE1ouaIwIb pic.twitter.com/qIBr0pqF3d
— Forbes (@Forbes) December 17, 2023
“There is no need to defend himself in this,” Balelo said, “because it is the most incredible act of altruism and will to win that I have ever experienced in my life, or ever will experience. He didn’t care at all about present value inflation. And you know what, neither do I.
“He should be commended for this. He didn’t want to tie up a team with his salary. He said, ‘How can I contribute to a team and allow them to remain competitive?’ So he took the most selfless approach possible and deferred everything.” he concluded.
