Now that Shohei Ohtani is officially a Los Angeles Dodger (and we know the name of his beloved dog), how did the team land such a superstar?
Well, sure — money helps. And it talked. All record-setting $700 million of it over a decade to land the two-way player.
But it turns out there was a little more incentive from the Dodgers. A request from the late Kobe Bryant.
During their pitch to Shohei Ohtani, the Dodgers had an ace in the hole.
"One of the highlights of the whole meeting," Ohtani said.
It was a 6-year-old video of Kobe Bryant encouraging him to join the Dodgers.
At ESPN+, inside the Ohtani sweepstakes: https://t.co/zEMLrq35cp pic.twitter.com/roCtjty97w
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) December 15, 2023
According to ESPN’s Jeff Passan, there was a six-year-old video from Bryant asking Ohtani to join the Dodgers.
“That was one of the highlights of the whole meeting,” Ohtani told Passan through his interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara. “I was really surprised to see it. It was a strong and touching message.”
When Bryant uttered Ohtani’s name, the three-time All-Star was in shock.
“They never met, but Ohtani marveled at his commitment, to his craft, to his sport, to his team,” Passan wrote.
Ohtani knew how much having the legendary NBA player vouch for the Dodgers meant during the process.
There were reportedly upwards of 300 media members in attendance for Thursday’s introduction press conference when Ohtani put on Dodger blue for the first time.
His contract is an interesting one, however as $680 million will be deferred until 2033.
Ohtani will not pitch in 2024 after undergoing elbow surgery in September, but having him as a designated hitter in an already bolstered lineup will create a lot of attention.
[ESPN]
