INGLEWOOD, Calif. — Shohei Ohtani could have pursued a 15-year contract through age 44 in Major League Baseball, the player’s agent said Thursday, explaining the two-way superstar didn’t want to risk a decline in his skills while under the big deal.
Nez Balelo pulled back the curtain that shrouds Ohtani a bit when he spoke at Sportico’s Invest West conference featuring decision makers in sports, entertainment and finance at the new Intuit Dome, home of the NBA’s Los Angeles Clippers.
Ohtani’s $700 million, 10-year deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers that he signed in December 2023 was the largest in professional sports, and he didn’t disappoint in 2024. He won the third MVP award of his MLB career — this one as National League MVP after two as American League MVP during his first six seasons in the majors with the Los Angeles Angels — and first World Series title last fall.
A year after Ohtani made his deal, Juan Soto went even bigger. The left fielder landed a $765 million, 15-year contract with the New York Mets in which none of the money will be deferred.
“We wouldn’t do anything different,” Balelo said afterward. “He won a championship. He went to the right team. No regrets.”