Answering inquiries about whether he underwent a second Tommy John surgery was how Los Angeles Dodgers player Shohei Ohtani began his debut press conference.
“We were unsure about our course of action when the announcement was made. That’s why, during my introduction on Thursday, after he was awarded a record-breaking $700 million, ten-year contract, I never disclosed what kind of procedure was going to be done,” Ohtani said through a translator.
Ohtani hadn’t addressed the media since August 9, which was two weeks before to a throwing injury that necessitated surgery on September 19 with Dodgers chief team physician Dr. Neal ElAttrache, and will prevent him from taking the mound until 2025. On October 1, 2018, ElAttrache performed a Tommy John surgery on Ohtani.
“I’m not obviously an expert in the medical field, but it was a procedure,” stated Ohtani. “I don’t know the name of it. I’m not sure what you want to name it because I know it was nothing like the first time. I think you should discuss that with my doctor.”
Ohtani would not disclose which other organizations he had spoken with prior to reaching a deal with the Dodgers last weekend.
“Free agency is still going on and I don’t really want to mess with their plans and I don’t want to say anything wrong, so I don’t want to really talk about what talks I had with other organizations,” he stated via translator Ippei Mizuhara.
He continued by saying he “can’t wait to join the team and get it going.”
When Ohtani made an appearance on MLB Network on November 16 to accept his second MVP award, he did disclose the name of the dog that was sitting on his lap. The dog is known by two names: “Decoy” in American and, depending on the transliteration, “Dekopin” or “Decopin” in Japanese.
While getting courteous applause, Ohtani changed out of his navy business suit, white shirt, and blue tie. He then put on a Dodgers home jersey with the number 17 and the blue cap with the interlocking L&A. Before he could speak, he removed the cap.
“One thing that definitely sticks out in my mind,” he added. “During our meeting with the Dodgers, the ownership group mentioned that, despite winning one World Series ring and making the playoffs every year for the past ten years, they saw it as a failure. And that’s just how I feel, so when I heard it, I knew they were all about winning.”
After six seasons with the Los Angeles Angels, Ohtani was never able to make it to the playoffs.
Above the Dodger Stadium stage, an electronic sign with the words “Welcome to the Dodgers, Shohei Ohtani” flashed in both Japanese and English. Under bright skies, the Centerfield Plaza was packed with media representatives, Dodgers staff, and sponsors, occupying fifteen rows of chairs. A ring of Japanese photographers and media crews surrounded the seating area.
Ohtani expressed gratitude to manager Dave Roberts, general manager Brandon Gomes, president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman, team president Stan Kasten, and controlling owner Mark Walter.
Before Ohtani signed with the Nippon Ham Fighters, the Dodgers had tried to sign him straight out of high school.
With Ohtani and Walter by his side, Friedman declared, “Shohei is arguably the most talented player who has ever played this game.” “One of our goals is to have baseball fans in Japan convert to Dodger blue.”
The 29-year-old Japanese phenomenon, a rare two-way player who can play both pitcher and hitter, signed a free agent contract with the Angels. In a transaction made on Monday, the Dodgers emerged victorious against the opposition, and he is now relocating thirty miles up Interstate 5. On the eve of his announcement, he claimed to have made his choice on Friday night.
During the press conference that started at 8 a.m. on Friday and was broadcast in Japan, Ohtani also expressed gratitude to the Angels.
“Over the previous six years, it was an enjoyable and fantastic journey. All of my memories are things I’ll never forget,” he remarked. “Leaving a team always brings me sadness. The Angels were involved this time, as opposed to the Fighters the previous time.”
The two-time AL MVP is 39-19 with a 3.01 ERA, 608 strikeouts in 481 2/3 innings, and a batting average of.274, 171 home runs, 437 RBIs, and 86 stolen bases. According to Baseball Reference, Ohtani has 34.7 Wins Above Replacement (WAR).
Under the terms of his unique deal, Ohtani will get an annual salary of $70 million, of which $68 million will be deferred interest-free and paid in equal increments on July 1st of 2034–2043. According to Kasten, during the erroneous claims of a potential contract with Toronto last Friday, Ohtani’s agent, Nez Balelo, proposed the deferred money.
Friedman remarked, “I wouldn’t have had the courage to suggest it.”
By reducing the annual penalty to the Dodgers’ luxury tax payroll to approximately $46 million, deferred money was able to lessen their competitive balance tax.
“I figured if I can defer as much money as I can, if that’s going to help the CBT and that’s going to help the Dodgers be able to sign better players and make a better team, I felt like that was worth it,” Ohtani stated.
According to a source who spoke to The Associated Press under the condition of anonymity because the details were not disclosed, Ohtani has the option to opt out of the agreement if either Walter or Friedman leaves the team.
“Everybody has to be on the same page in order to have a winning organization,” Ohtani stated. “Those two seem to be in charge of everything and to be at the top of it all. And I feel as though those two guys and I are under some sort of contract. I simply needed a safety net because I feel like if one of them goes, everything would go a little out of control.”
According to Friedman: “Obviously, it’s really flattering but also it’s a non-factor for me.”