Shohei Ohtani ended the self-imposed moratorium on his free agency on Saturday. The announcement that the two-time American League Most Valuable Player would sign with the Los Angeles Dodgers sent everyone into a tizzy. Then came the earth-shattering contract figure:
10 years, $700 million, according to ESPN’s Jeff Passan.
Shohei Ohtani's deal with the Dodgers is for 10 years and $700 million.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) December 9, 2023
The record-setting deal is the most guaranteed money given to a player in Major League Baseball history. Experts almost unanimously agreed that Ohtani was set to become the first half-billion-dollar player. The fact that the figure actually EXCEEDED that is crazy and especially wild to read in print. It’s one thing to suggest it and toss it around, back and forth. It’s entirely another thing to see it legibly written out.
Baseball fans and enthusiasts weren’t alone in having jaw-dropping reactions. Sports media members and otherwise flocked and buzzed over the mega-deal.
Among them? New CBS Sports studio analyst J.J. Watt.
https://twitter.com/JJWatt/status/1733580740548538393
Elsewhere, Mina Kimes, like some others, might make some revisions to their future plans.
brb trying to teach my 10 week old son how to hit and pitch https://t.co/rgc3u7t7uq
— Mina Kimes (@minakimes) December 9, 2023
Raise your kids to be the best baseball player on the planet https://t.co/f6N5piWiEw
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) December 9, 2023
Some, like Adam Schein, declared the move as “great” for the sport.
https://twitter.com/AdamSchein/status/1733581170888077610
Others were ready with jokes, like Kevin Clark.
700 million over ten years is a new North American sports record that will likely stand until the Giants re-sign Daniel Jones.
— Kevin Clark (@bykevinclark) December 9, 2023
And on the other end, as SI’s Richard Deitsch alluded to? How about Toronto right now?
Forever The Plane Ride From Hell for Canada. https://t.co/6GK1jlbjtU
— Richard Deitsch (@richarddeitsch) December 9, 2023
And, of course, Shannon Sharpe and Skip Bayless notably chimed in with their thoughts.
Damn it, played the wrong sport, 10 yrs 700 mil!!!! Congrats Ohtani.. Gotta see him play once. #BaseballMoneyHitDifferent #MLB #Dodgers
— shannon sharpe (@ShannonSharpe) December 9, 2023
Move over, LeBron. You're now the second biggest sports star in Hollywood.
— Skip Bayless (@RealSkipBayless) December 9, 2023
Just couldn’t help yourself there, could you, Skip?
About Chris Novak
Chris Novak has been talking and writing about sports ever since he can remember. Previously, Novak wrote for and managed sites in the SB Nation network for nearly a decade from 2013-2022