LOS ANGELES — It wasn’t a press conference Thursday afternoon at Dodger Stadium.
It was a spectacle.
He’s gone from being a stunt double to a Hollywood star with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
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Ohtani talked over and over about the importance of winning.
The Dodgers talked endlessly about what he means for the iconic brand.
Nez Balelo, Ohtani’s agent, spoke about the need to remain private throughout the free-agent process.
And, yes, just in case you were wondering, Ohtani revealed his dog’s name: Decoy.
Ohtani may have been courted everywhere from Toronto to San Francisco to Chicago, but Los Angeles is the place he always wanted to be.
This is a Dodgers franchise that has dominated the National League West the last 11 years, and one that views every year that ends without a World Series title a failure. Now, they have Ohtani wearing their uniform.
“When I heard that,’’ Ohtani said about the Dodgers’ World Series-or-bust expectations, “I knew they were all about winning.’’
They’re also brilliant businessmen, knowing that Ohtani’s global brand will pay dividends, and that his 10-year, $700 million contract will pay for itself, particularly with $680 million deferred.
“I wouldn’t have had the guts to propose it,’’ said Andrew Friedman, the Dodgers’ president of baseball operations. “But as Nez walked me through it, and laid it out, it was terribly consistent with everything he said throughout the process.’’
The reasoning for the historic deferrals, Ohtani said, was simply to help the Dodgers build around him. Sure, there’s a massive tax break if he moves out of California after his contract expires, but he didn’t want to be a burden to the Dodgers’ payroll, preventing additional signings.
“I figured if I defer as much money as I can,’’ Ohtani said, via longtime translator Ippei Mizuhara, “that’s going to help the CBT (collective bargaining tax) and it’s going to help the Dodgers be able to sign better players and make a better team.’’
Ohtani even included a provision, believed to be the first for a MLB player, that provides an out-clause if Friedman or Dodgers chairman Mark Walter leave the organization before his contract expires.
‘Everybody has to be on the same page in order to have a winning organization,’ Ohtani said. ‘I feel like those two are at the top of it and they’re in control of everything. And I feel almost like I’m having a contract with those two guys.
‘I feel like if one of them are gone, things might get a little out of control so I just wanted a safety net.’’
Friedman was embarrassed, but certainly flattered that Ohtani included the unique clause. He said he has no plans to leave the Dodgers anytime soon.
They have a few World Series championships to win.
“I know people think I put that in,’’ Friedman said, laughing, “but it’s really flattering. It’s also a non-factor for me. I love being here and being part of what we’re building and continuing to be.’’
Certainly, the Dodgers are a better team today than the one that ended the season. Ohtani won’t be able to pitch again until at least 2025, but he’s the best power-hitter in the game, and vows that he’ll be ready by Opening Day.
The Dodgers plan to use the deferred money, which saves them $24 million a year in their luxury tax, accounting for $46 million instead of $70 million, to acquire more talent. They are trying to sign Japanese pitching star Yoshinobu Yamamoto with the price tag soaring past $300 million. They also reached a tentative agreement to acquire Tampa Bay Rays ace Tyler Glasnow.
Simply, they plan to keep surrounding Ohtani with as much stardom as possible.
“It was important to Shohei that this was not the one move we were going to make,’’ Friedman said. “He made an incredible pledge to us. We are making a pledge to him.’’
The press conference, in front of about 300 media members, lasted just 30 minutes.
There were no secrets unveiled. Ohtani says that his elbow surgery at the end of the season was completely different than his Tommy John surgery five years ago. He said he was impressed by every team that made presentations.
And, he only made up his mind where to play on Friday evening, about 12 hours before he announced his decision on Instagram.
Balelo apologized to reporters for being secretive, but this is the way Ohtani wanted it handled, and just like the press conference, everything was professional. Ohtani thanked the Angels for believing in him in the first place, and the teams that recruited him along the way.
The Dodgers, meanwhile, trumpeted the signing as one of the franchise’s greatest historical feats alongside the signing of Jackie Robinson and Sandy Koufax.
“Shohei is arguably the most talented player who’s ever played this game,’’ Friedman said. “Since joining Major League Baseball, he has continued to improve and sharpen his talents, en route to becoming the most dynamic player in the game.
“The ability on the field is obvious, but as we went through this process to get a sense for just how passionate he is about this game, (it) really stood out to us. You can feel the importance of winning. And we knew that winning a lot was going to be a really important thing to have as he came down to making his final decision.’’
There were times this past week that Friedman and the Dodgers were pessimistic and they got nervous when manager Dave Roberts publicly confirmed that Ohtani visited with their front office at Dodger Stadium. But in the end, one of the iconic franchises in baseball got the game’s best player.
“I’m still in the pinch-me phase to be quite honest,’’ Roberts said. “This is what we dream of. It’s a great day in baseball, Dodgers history, and this is where the center of the sports world flashed.
“What a day.’’
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