FILE PHOTO: Oct 20, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers two-way player Shohei Ohtani (17) celebrates after beating the New York Mets during game six of the NLCS for the 2024 MLB playoffs at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images/File Photo LOS ANGELES - Shohei Ohtani's unprecedented first season with the Los Angeles Dodgers has brought the Japanese slugger to the brink of achieving his ultimate goal of winning a World Series. Ohtani signed a record 10-year, $700 million contract in December and made the stunning decision to defer collecting $680 million of that to give the team more flexibility to sign top talent for a tilt at the championship.
"The goal was to get this far," Ohtani said after the Dodgers beat the New York Mets in the National League Championship Series. "I also pictured getting this far with the contract that I've signed. I'm just glad we're at this stage.
" Ohtani will reportedly make $2 million a year with the Dodgers until 2034, when he will begin to receive the deferred money in installments of $68 million a year over 10 years. That means the 30-year-old will be on the Dodgers payroll for the next two decades. In late February Ohtani made headlines again by announcing he had got married.
Initially he did not reveal his wife's identity but later made it known that he had wed Mamiko Tanaka, a former professional basketball player in Japan. His first days with the Dodgers were pitched into controversy when his longtime.