LOS ANGELES - Japanese baseball superstar Shohei Ohtani confirmed on Dec 9 that he is joining the Los Angeles Dodgers in a record-shattering 10-year, US$700 million (S$939 million) deal - the richest contract in the history of North American sport.
After weeks of frenzied speculation over where the 29-year-old Los Angeles Angels two-way ace would land in free agency, he announced on Instagram that he had opted for his former club's crosstown Major League Baseball (MLB) rivals.
The Toronto Blue Jays were one of the teams who aggressively pursued Ohtani. The San Francisco Giants and Chicago Cubs were also reportedly interested.
"To all the fans and everyone involved in the baseball world, I apologise for taking so long to come to a decision," he wrote on Instagram. "I have decided to choose the Dodgers as my next team.
"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." His agent Nez Balelo said in a statement the deal would be worth US$700 million over 10 years, a historic figure that smashed the previous record baseball contract, as well as bettering the largest deals ever agreed in the National Football League and National Basketball Association.
Last week, golfer Jon Rahm signed a reported US$300 million deal over three years with LIV Golf.
Denne historien er fra December 11, 2023-utgaven av The Straits Times.
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Denne historien er fra December 11, 2023-utgaven av The Straits Times.
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