The New York Mets confirm the capture of Juan Soto after his New York Yankees departure, with 26-year-old to become highest-paid baseball player in history; four-time All-Star and five-time Silver Slugger award-winner’s salary will dwarf LA Dodgers rival Shohei Ohtani
In a city brimming with Hollywood stars, celebrities and wealth, one of the most celebrated and recognizable of them all is sitting in the green room at a Los Angeles production studio Wednesday afternoon, taking a break from a commercial shoot and reflecting on his momentous decision that rocked the sports world.
It was a year ago this week that Shohei Ohtani agreed to a historic 10-year, $700 million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers, the largest in sports history – and 64% more than the highest deal for a baseball player.
It was one of the most lucrative and franchise-altering contracts in baseball history, the gold standard for free agent outfielder Juan Soto and those who follow him for generations.
It instantly created a revenue stream to make the Dodgers the most profitable team in baseball, while sustaining a World Series championship-caliber team for the next decade.
The Dodgers not only won their first World Series in a full season since 1988 in Ohtani’s first year, but he also produced one of the greatest seasons in history with 54 homers and 59 stolen bases, unanimously winning the National League MVP award. The Dodgers drew 3.94 million fans, the second-most in franchise history, averaging a major-league leading 49,067 per game including 37 games of at least 50,000.
