Japanese baseball player Shohei Ohtani signs record $700 million contract

Japanese baseball player Shohei Ohtani has signed a contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers of the Major League Baseball (MLB). As part of the 10-year agreement, he will receive $700 million, the TV channel claims. ESPN. This is definitely the largest contract in the history of North American sports and, as writes Associated Pressperhaps the largest contract in the history of world sports.

Ohtani himself announced the conclusion of the deal on his Instagram page (the social network belongs to Meta, which is recognized as extremist and banned in the Russian Federation). “I apologize for taking so long to come to this decision,” the athlete wrote.

The previous record in North America was set in American football in 2020. Then Kansas City quarterback Patrick Mahomes signed a 10-year deal with the team for $450 million. The contract amount exceeds by 64% the previous record in baseball – a 12-year deal with Los Angeles Angels outfielder Michael Trout ($426.5 million). ). Additionally, the $70 million average annual payout is 62% higher than the previous baseball record.

Ohtani, 29, previously played for the Los Angeles Angels. Three-time MLB All-Star, two-time American League Most Valuable Player. Winner as part of the Japanese team of the World Baseball Classic (the largest national team tournament).

Leonid Uvarchev