The biggest fish in this year’s free-agency has found his new pond. Per his Instagram announcement Saturday, two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani is joining the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The deal is for 10 years and $700 million, a record-breaking contract across all major professional sports.
The deal also contains massive deferrals that include the majority of Ohtani’s salary — $680 million, to be exact — at the player’s request. There are reportedly no opt-outs in the deal.
Yankees add Soto in 7-player swap
The biggest and arguably only major splash of this year’s winter meetings happened late Dec. 6, with the Yankees completing a trade to acquire Juan Soto from the Padres.
The news came one day after the Yankees traded for former Red Sox outfielder Alex Verdugo on Dec. 5, rebooting their outfield for 2024.
In return for Soto, the Padres received Michael King, Drew Thorpe, Jhony Brito, Randy Vásquez and Kyle Higashioka. The Yankees also acquired outfielder Trent Grisham in the swap.
The Orioles needed a new closer, with flamethrower Felix Bautista out for the 2024 season, and they’ve found it, signing Craig Kimbrel to a one-year, $13 million contract on Dec. 6.
Kimbrel doesn’t have the same magic he had as the Braves’ young hurler, but he logged 23 saves and a 3.26 ERA with the Phillies in 2023. He was also the team’s lone All-Star representative.
The St. Louis Cardinals are overhauling essentially their entire rotation ahead of the 2024 MLB season. After signing both Lance Lynn and Kyle Gibson, the team added Sonny Gray with a three-year, $75 million deal on Nov. 27.
Gray, 34, posted a 2.79 ERA over 184 innings with the Minnesota Twins in 2023.
He ranked seventh on Zach Crizer’s top-25 free agents list and marks a positive new direction for the Cardinals’ pitching staff.
Phillies bring back Aaron Nola on seven-year deal
The Philadelphia Phillies ended a couple of weeks of relative quiet early in MLB free agency when the team and pitcher Aaron Nola came to terms Nov. 19 on a seven-year, $172 million contract.
Nola was the third-ranked free agent on Crizer’s top-25 list.
