<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mets-news-chipper-jones-throws-shade-at-mets-juan-soto-signing-compared-to-shohei-ohtani');   ga('set', 'title', 'Chipper Jones throws shade at Mets’ Juan Soto signing compared to Shohei Ohtani');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Chipper-Jones-throws-shade-at-Mets-Juan-Soto-signing-compared-to-Shohei-Ohtani.jpg"></figure><h1>Chipper Jones throws shade at Mets’ Juan Soto signing compared to Shohei Ohtani</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-17T08:12:22-08:00">December 17th, 8:12am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-17T18:18:13-08:00">December 17th, 6:18pm</time><address><a href="https://letterboxd.com/splooshpuhrty/films/by/your-rating/">Jedd Pagaduan</a>Jedd Pagaduan is a certified Clippers and Gunners fan, which means he's a very sports-traumatized individual. He now writes about sports instead as a form of therapy.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Juan Soto became the belle of the ball in this year’s free agency, and understandably so. Soto entered the open market as a 26-year-old right fielder who has done nothing but produce ever since breaking through to the big leagues in 2019. And the New York Mets handsomely rewarded Soto for his consistent excellence, signing him to a 15-year, $765 million deal that <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mets-news-how-juan-soto-can-reach-805-million-contract-with-new-york">will be worth $805 million</a> for as long as Soto produces in the next five years.</p><p>Soto has been drawing rave reviews all season long, although retired Atlanta Braves third baseman and Hall of Famer Chipper Jones does not appreciate the hyperbole surrounding the Mets right fielder’s name. In fact, Jones <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dLLpWSbZcC0&amp;t=1062s" rel="noopener">wants to reserve the superlatives</a> for Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani, calling the two-way Japanese star the only player that’s befitting of the “generational” descriptor.</p><p>“I’ve heard certain people say that Juan Soto was a generational type hitter. Juan Soto is a very, very good disciplined hitter but we’re throwing around the generational way too much. I mean the guy that is generational, was the guy who signed last year. Like that is a once in a generation type of player, talking about Ohtani,” Jones said in an appearance on the Foul Territory podcast.</p><figure class="op-interactive"></figure><p>Jones, who was a thorn in the Mets’ side throughout his illustrious Braves career that spanned 20 years, chalked up the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/yankees-news-giancarlo-stantons-calming-message-juan-soto-mets">Mets’ decision to sign Soto</a> to a record-setting contract to the headline warfare that they and the Yankees are engaged in.</p><p>“Again the value is in the eye of the beholder and we all know how competitive the back of the New York Post is. Whoever resides on the back page wins the day and the Yankees and Mets they compete for that page non-stop. Steve Cohen and the Mets decided they wanted to own the back page for a little bit and they got it,” Jones added.</p><h2><b>Mets break the bank for Juan Soto much to Chipper Jones’ chagrin</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Juan-Soto-with-NY-Mets-2.jpg"><figcaption>Brad Penner-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>There is indeed some merit to Chipper Jones’ notion that Shohei Ohtani is the one deserving of the “generational” descriptor. After all, no one has ever seen an MLB player be elite both on the hitting and pitching side of the ball, with Babe Ruth having to give up his pitching career (mostly) after 1921.</p><p>The Braves legend believes that if Soto entered free agency before Ohtani and signed for $765 million like he did with the Mets, then the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/shohei-ohtani-already-made-mlb-obscene-amount-of-money">Dodgers may have had to offer</a> the entire franchise just to bring the Japanese star aboard.</p><p>“If Soto signs first and Ohtani comes up a year later and Soto got $765 than there’s no doubt in my mind that Ohtani gets a billion,” Jones said.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Chipper Jones throws shade at Mets’ Juan Soto signing compared to Shohei Ohtani

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/dodgers-news-shohei-ohtani-very-unlikely-pitch-season-opener-japan');   ga('set', 'title', 'Shohei Ohtani ‘very unlikely’ to pitch in season opener in Japan');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Dodgers-news-Shohei-Ohtani-very-unlikely-to-pitch-in-season-opener-in-Japan.jpg"></figure><h1>Shohei Ohtani ‘very unlikely’ to pitch in season opener in Japan</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-09T15:41:48-08:00">December 9th, 3:41pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-09T16:31:39-08:00">December 9th, 4:31pm</time><address><a>Russell Steinberg</a>Russell Steinberg covers Major League Baseball and the New York Liberty for ClutchPoints. A baseball and basketball lifer, he has written for Boardroom, SLAM, SB Nation, The Next, and more. He graduated from NYU in 2012 and still returns to serve as PA announcer and occasional broadcaster for the school’s basketball and volleyball teams.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Los Angeles Dodgers</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Los Angeles Dodgers will open the 2025 season in Japan, but <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb-rumors-when-shohei-ohtani-expected-pitch-dodgers-again-shoulder-surgery">don’t expect Shohei Ohtani to pitch</a> while the team begins its title defense. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts revealed on Monday that it is “<a href="https://x.com/FabianArdaya/status/1866261084039950357" rel="noopener">very unlikely</a>” that Ohtani will be ready to pitch when LA starts the season against the Chicago Cubs in Tokyo.</p><p>Roberts added that the team will be “nimble” with how it approaches Ohtani as a pitcher while he ramps back up following his 2023 elbow surgery and November 2024 shoulder surgery. The team is confident he will be available as a hitter to start the season.</p><p>Ohtani has yet to pitch for the Dodgers since signing a <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb-rumors-insider-predicts-juan-soto-contract-exceed-real-value-shohei-ohtani-deal">mammoth 10-year, $700 million contract</a> last offseason.</p><p>Fans shouldn’t take Roberts’ admission as a sign that anything is wrong. Ohtani himself told USA Today’s Bob Nightengale last week that <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/dodgers-news-shohei-ohtani-drops-8-word-claim-on-pitching-in-2025">his rehab was going smoothly</a>.</p><p>“So far, so good. Everything is going well,” he said.</p><p>Nightengale added that the Dodgers are still “<a href="https://x.com/BNightengale/status/1854311168804061682" rel="noopener">optimistic</a> he’ll be pitching again in April.”</p><p>“We’re just [keeping the] big picture in mind and making sure that, working backwards, [we’re doing] what puts us in the best position for him to be taking down innings in October,” Dodgers general manager Brandon Gomes said when Ohtani <a href="https://www.mlb.com/news/shohei-ohtani-left-shoulder-surgery" rel="noopener">first had his surgery</a>. “And however that falls out, we’ll be happy with.”</p><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/09-24-24-ohtani-image.jpeg"><figcaption>Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Even as a full-time DH last season, Ohtani was able to win his second straight MVP award and third in four seasons. He accumulated 9.2 bWAR while hitting 54 home runs and driving home 130 RBI. His 59 stolen bases made him the first 50-50 player in baseball history.</p><p>Most importantly for the Dodgers, Ohtani’s monster season culminated in their second World Series championship in five seasons.</p><p>When Ohtani has pitched, he’s been superb. In 86 MLB starts for the Los Angeles Angels since coming over from Japan in 2018, Ohtani has a 3.01 career ERA and 11.4 strikeouts per nine innings.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Shohei Ohtani ‘very unlikely’ to pitch in season opener in Japan

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/largest-contracts-mlb-history-after-juan-soto-765-million-deal');   ga('set', 'title', 'Largest contracts in MLB history after Juan Soto’s $765M deal');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Largest-contracts-in-MLB-history-after-Juan-Sotos-765M-deal.jpg"></figure><h1>Largest contracts in MLB history after Juan Soto’s $765M deal</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-09T09:45:26-08:00">December 9th, 9:45am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-09T09:44:47-08:00">December 9th, 9:44am</time><address><a href="https://thebreakside.substack.com/">Noam Gumerman</a>Noam Gumerman is a current grad student at Davenport University on an athletic scholarship playing Ultimate Frisbee. He grew up in Chapel Hill, NC, which predictably helped develop a deep love of college sports, especially basketball. However, from birth he was indoctrinated by family into a very intense relationship with football, but has recently grown up and developed interests in all major US sports as well as a newfound love for international soccer. When not consuming sports or sports media, Noam is an avid gamer, a topic he has also spent a fair amount of time writing about as well.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Editorials</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Last year, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/dodgers-news-shohei-ohtani-los-angeles-700-million-10-years-contract-mlb-free-agency">Shohei Ohtani blew the world of baseball away when he signed</a> a 10-year, $700 million deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers. It was a contract nearly double as big as the next largest contract in MLB history, and a lot of fans thought it wouldn’t be surpassed for years. That didn’t end up being the case, though, as Juan Soto proved that “baseball money” truly is something special.</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/grading-juan-soto-mets-historic-765-million-contract">Soto just surpassed Ohtani for the largest contract in MLB history</a> with a $765 million deal over 15 years. The historic contract was handed out by the New York Mets, the cross-town rivals of Soto’s last team (New York Yankees). The deal also comes after Soto’s <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/ranking-each-world-series-matchup-yankees-dodgers">Yankees squared off and lost in the World Series against their biggest rival</a>, the Ohtani-led Dodgers. While Soto and Ohtani are now in a world of their own, it is still worth looking at the other largest contract in MLB history.</p><h2><b>1. Juan Soto: $765 million</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Juan-Soto-Yankees-1.jpg"><figcaption>Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>During the start of the 2024 offseason and the months leading up to it, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/imagining-juan-soto-every-mlb-uniform-free-agency">Juan Soto’s free agency</a> was at the top of baseball discussions. After moving on from the Washington Nationals to the San Diego Padres to the New York Yankees, it appeared that Soto found a home in New York.</p><p>Soto proved to be one of the best players in baseball last season, as he ranked fourth in home runs (41), second in walks (129), and sixth in RBIs (109) en route to leading the Yankees to a World Series appearance. Soto was actually only the second best player on his team, though, as Aaron Judge brought home AL MVP honors. New York proved to be Soto’s long-term home, but he jumped ship from the Yankees to sign his new mega-deal with the Mets.</p><p>Now, Soto can stay in the public eye playing for a New York team, but he can go on a quest to become the best Mets player of all time. While the outfielder will be playing for his fourth MLB team, he is still only 26 years old and has plenty of great years left. He will be over 40 years old by the time this record-breaking contract ends, but the Mets are optimistic that his great vision and plate awareness will give him an extended career.</p><h2><b>2. Shohei Ohtani: $700 million</b></h2><p>Shohei Ohtani’s free agency in 2023 was arguably the most famous in MLB history. The two-way superstar was so coveted because of his ability to play both ways. As a member of the Los Angeles Angels, Ohtani had a case as arguably the best pitcher and the best hitter in baseball, and that two-way dominance was something we hadn’t seen in a century-plus.</p><p>It was widely assumed that Ohtani would get a contract north of $500 million, and one that could even push $600 million, but the $700 dollar deal he received from the other team in Los Angeles was more than anybody could have guessed. Considering Ohtani’s deal is a 10-year contract in comparison to Soto’s 15 years, the Dodgers star has an average annual value greater than Soto. His deal is also unique because of <a href="https://www.mlb.com/news/shohei-ohtani-dodgers-deal-deferrals-explained" rel="noopener">the deferrals</a> in his contract that will see him payed out years down the road.</p><p>The deal paid off right away from the Dodgers. Ohtani led them to a World Series victory after becoming the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/dodgers-news-shohei-ohtani-50-50-season">first player ever with 50 home runs and 50 steals in a season</a>. He didn’t even pitch in his first season with the team, either, so his value should only go up from here for Los Angeles.</p><h2><b>3. Mike Trout: $426.5 million</b></h2><p>The biggest deal in MLB history before Shohei Ohtani belonged to his former teammate. Mike Trout was the near-consensus best player in baseball for nearly a decade before the arrival of Shohei Ohtani. Trout signed his deal for 12 years, $426.5 million, starting back in the 2019 season.</p><p>In the better part of the decade prior, Trout had been an All-Star in each of his seven full seasons in MLB. He led the AL in WAR five times, MLB four times, won two MVP awards, finished in the top four in MVP voting every year, and only finished outside the top two once. To the chagrin of many baseball fans, Trout hitched his wagon to the Angels for the rest of his foreseeable career signing this deal.</p><p>While there was hope they might be able to become a real team with the addition of Ohtani, the front office still struggled to make a competent team around the two best players in baseball. Trout won his third MVP in the first year of his deal but has struggled with various injuries in many of the seasons since. At least Trout and Ohtani gave birth to one of the best sports memes ever. Long live Tungsten Arm O’Doyle and the Akron Groomsmen:</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">every time I see an Angels highlight it's like "Mike Trout hit three homes runs and raised his average to .528 while Shohei Ohtani did something that hasn't been done since 'Tungsten Arm' O'Doyle of the 1921 Akron Groomsmen, as the Tigers defeated the Angels 8-3"</p><p>— ℳatt (@matttomic) <a href="https://twitter.com/matttomic/status/1394498097254965249?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 18, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><h2><b>4. Mookie Betts: $365 million</b></h2><p>Unsurprisingly, the Los Angeles Dodgers are to thank (blame?) for two of the four largest contracts in MLB history. Back in February 2020, when Betts was in his last year of team control for the Boston Red Sox, they traded him to the Los Angeles Dodgers. Betts signed his 12-year $365 million extension a few months later in July. Betts had been one of the best players in all of baseball with the Red Sox and wanted to be there for a long time.</p><p>The Red Sox were concerned about his impending Free Agency, trying to cut their payroll, and had several extension offers rejected. So <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/red-sox-news-mookie-betts-trade-even-more-embarrassing-with-latest-move">they traded Betts for an underwhelming return</a>. Betts continued his high-level play, and the Red Sox haven’t really recovered since.</p><p>As a Dodger, Betts won the 2020 World Series, has four All-Star game appearances, three Silver Slugger and a Golden Glove, and three top-five MVP finishes. In the four seasons since Betts’ departure, the Red Sox have made the playoffs once. In 2021, they made it to the ALCS. But in every other season since they traded Betts before this year, they finished last in the AL East. Not exactly a successful move, even if the Dodgers had to make Betts the third-highest-paid player in MLB history to keep him.</p><h2><b>5. Aaron Judge: $360 million</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Aaron-Judge-1.jpg"><figcaption>Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>If you put together the greatest offensive season since the height of the steroid era, you’re going to get paid. And when you do it in a contract year, you’ll also set a record for the most money given to a free agent in baseball history. (Obviously, that number now also belongs to Ohtani). Judge’s 2022 was absolutely transcendent. He broke Roger Maris’ AL home run record with 62 home runs. He blew a fully realized two-way Shohei Ohtani season out of the water. And he finished that year leading nearly every major batting stat in the MLB.</p><p>And for his services, the New York Yankees re-signed a free agent Judge to a nine-year $360 million deal. Judge backed up his otherworldly 2022 with a very good 2023 campaign and is off to a good start on his new deal. He again won the MVP in 2024 with yet another historic season.</p><p>In every deal on this list, teams throw a lot of money at players for a long time. Judge’s deal is, of course, no exception. Like many of his well-paid peers, he will be 39 when his deal ends, asking a lot of questions of his (and everyone else’s) ability to play elite baseball well past the standard athletic prime.</p><h2><b>6. Manny Machado: $350 million</b></h2><p>Even in the wild scale of time and money that these modern superstar deals represent, Manny Machado’s 11-year $350 million deal with the San Diego Padres is an exception. Machado’s deal will end when he is 41, meaning that there is an extremely high chance Machado will end up as a dead weight for the Padres or whoever ends up with him in the mid-2030s. You know, old man Albert Pujols style. Machado started his career in Baltimore with the Orioles. After a brief stint in Los Angeles as a Dodger rental, he signed with the Padres as a free agent. He then extended his deal in February for 11 years and $350 million.</p><p>Machado has been very good during his time in San Diego. High MVP finishes, a multi-time All-Star, and the Padres locked down one of the cornerstones of their franchises. They reloaded with the idea of a core of Machado, Juan Soto, and Fernando Tatis Jr. Obviously, that didn’t pan out last year, as Tatis was suspended for PED use, and the Padres never got going. Now Soto is long gone and with a massive deal of his own.</p><h2><b>7. Francisco Lindor: $341 million</b></h2><p>Francisco Lindor signed his ten-year $341 million extension in the spring of 2022 which will last until 2033. The New York Mets will have a long time to make something work with Lindor. The 2023 season wasn’t exactly what the Mets were hoping for. They spent big, and they had to sell some of the biggest parts of their planned core in Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander at the trade deadlines. Lindor was still very good last year, finishing ninth in MVP voting despite the Mets’ disappointment. He will “only” be under contract until 37, so in theory, it may not become as “bad” of a contract towards the end.</p><p>Now, after an improved season, the Mets will add Juan Soto to their forces to team up with Lindor in a hope that the team can compete for years to come. Lindor was excellent during the beginning of his career in Cleveland and then was shipped out in early 2021 as Cleveland began to rebuild. He was coming off a career-worst year in the 2020 shortened season, and it took a bit to get going, but it has been very good for the Mets since.</p><h2><b>8. Fernando Tatis Jr.: $340 million</b></h2><p>The second Padre on this list is Fernando Tatis Jr., but unlike his teammate Manny Machado, Tatis signed a new contract with the team that first gave him a shot in the majors. Tatis one of the most electrifying players in baseball. His speed/power combination is unmatched, and he has a habit of making highlight plays.</p><p>It hasn’t been all pretty post-new contract for Tatis and the Padres, though. The former shortstop has seen a position change that has him in the outfield now, and Tatis has missed way too much time. An injury from a motorcycle accident, as well as an 80-game PED suspension, made some question if it was a mistake to give Tatis all of that money, but the two-time All-Star has seemingly gotten back on track.</p><h2><b>9. Bryce Harper: $330 million</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Bryce-Harper.jpg"><figcaption>Brad Penner-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Bryce Harper has been in the limelight since his amateur days. He built himself up from being one of the most anticipated prospects ever to one of the highest-paid MLB players ever. The former Washington Nationals outfielder now makes his money as a first basemen with the Philadelphia Phillies.</p><p>When Harper signed a $330 million deal over 13 years back in 2019, it was the largest deal for an external free agent across all four major professional sports in the United States. Harper is now an eight-time All-Star, two-time MVP, and four-time Silver Slugger. He plays the game with passion and is one of the most influential MLB players of recent memory.</p><h2><b>T10. Yoshinobu Yamamoto: $325 million</b></h2><p>Shohei Ohtani wasn’t the only Japaneese superstar to sign with the Dodgers in 2023. That offseason, Los Angeles gave out over a billion in contracts as they tried to prove that money is just a number. Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who made a name for himself pitching in the NPB, signed a 12-year, $325 million deal with the Dodgers last offseason.</p><p>It was a deal that actually surpassed Ohtani’s contract in terms of total years. The contract was able to happen because of the deferrals in Ohtani’s deal. It was also the most guarantees in a contract ever for a pitcher. While Yamamoto wasn’t as dominant as expected in his first year in MLB, he still helped the Dodgers win the World Series. The Dodgers’ spending-spree is probably far from over, too, as they seemingly have an endless amount of cash to hand out to whatever big-name superstar they so choose.</p><h2><b>T10. Giancarlo Stanton: $325 million</b></h2><p>Like the Dodgers, the Yankees also have a lot of money. The team was outbid for Soto’s services, but they still have claim to two of the biggest contracts ever. Giancarlo Stanton is a mountain of a man who can hit moonballs well past the limits of the outfield walls at Yankees Stadium.</p><p>He was a better athlete during his days with the Miami Marlins, as he is now limited to designated hitter duty, but the DH spot has never been more prevalent and important in MLB. The middle of the lineup with Aaron Judge and Stanton is scary for any opponent to face, even with the departure of Juan Soto.</p><h2><b>T10. Corey Seager: $325 million</b></h2><p>While the Yankees, Dodgers, and now the Mets have been the talk of baseball as of recent, fans have been quick to forget how incredible Corey Seager and the Texas Rangers were back in 2023. The shortstop was the best player on the Rangers as they won their first World Series last season.</p><p>His incredible postseason play was a big reason why Texas found that success. Seager is one of only four two-time World Series MVPs, and you can expect the Rangers to return to form next season.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Largest contracts in MLB history after Juan Soto’s $765M deal

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/dodgers-news-shohei-ohtani-grinding-struggle-2024-season');   ga('set', 'title', 'Shohei Ohtani gets brutally honest on ‘grinding struggle’ of 2024 Dodgers season');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/12-05-24-ohtani-featured.jpeg"></figure><h1>Shohei Ohtani gets brutally honest on ‘grinding struggle’ of 2024 Dodgers season</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-05T08:26:43-08:00">December 5th, 8:26am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-05T08:26:43-08:00">December 5th, 8:26am</time><address><a>David Korn</a>David Korn is an MLB associate editor at ClutchPoints. He is also a producer at MLB Network Radio and covers college basketball for A10Talk. David graduated from George Washington in 2023, where he was the radio play-by-play broadcaster for their Men's and Women's Basketball teams.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Los Angeles Dodgers</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/dodgers-news-shohei-ohtani-unanimous-mvp-statistic">Shohei Ohtani had one of the most impressive</a> individual seasons in Major League Baseball history with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2024. Not only did Ohtani set all sorts of offensive records, but he made the postseason for the first time in his career.</p><p>Ohtani spoke about <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/mlb/columnist/bob-nightengale/2024/12/05/shohei-ohtani-contract-dodgers-world-series-exclusive/76771449007/" rel="noopener">his experience</a> playing for a team with legitimate postseason and World Series aspirations to USA Today’s Bob Nightengale on Thursday.</p><p>“The Dodgers had a lot of success and were making the playoffs almost every year,” Ohtani said via interpreter Matt Hidaka. “Obviously, I was on the Angels, and looking from the outside, it looked like it was easy for the Dodgers to make the playoffs. But when you’re part of the team, it was actually really grinding and a big struggle just to make the playoffs. The Padres were making a big push at the end, and then to fend them off, it was a tough experience.”</p><p>“But it was very special, very emotional, I really enjoyed it,” Ohtani continued.</p><p>Ohtani brings up a great point. At the end of the season, the San Diego Padres had a real shot to win the NL West. With just five games left, the Padres were only two games back of the Dodgers in the division. With all of the injuries that the Dodgers endured throughout the season, they did not run away with the NL West like many expected, giving Ohtani his first experience of a tight division race.</p><h2><b>Shohei Ohtani’s historic 2024 season with the Los Angeles Dodgers</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/12-05-24-ohtani-image.jpeg"><figcaption>© John Jones-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Ohtani had arguably the most impressive individual offensive season of all time in 2024. Ohtani led the National League with a .390 OBP, .646 SLG, 54 home runs and 130 RBI and led all of baseball with 134 runs. Ohtani also stole 59 bases, becoming the first player in MLB history to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases in the same season.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Shohei Ohtani gets brutally honest on ‘grinding struggle’ of 2024 Dodgers season

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/dodgers-news-shohei-ohtani-simple-question-winning-world-series');   ga('set', 'title', 'Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani asks simple question after winning World Series');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Dodgers-news-Shohei-Ohtani-asks-simple-question-after-winning-World-Series-on-700-million-contract.jpg"></figure><h1>Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani asks simple question after winning World Series</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-05T06:58:34-08:00">December 5th, 6:58am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-05T06:58:34-08:00">December 5th, 6:58am</time><address><a>Christopher Hennessy</a>Christopher Hennessy graduated with a journalism degree from Fordham University in 2022. He has also worked at Spectrum News One in Albany, New York and with The Hockey Writers as a New York Islanders writer. Chris is originally from Connecticut and is a lifelong New York Yankees, Islanders, and Jets fan.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Los Angeles Dodgers</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Los Angeles Dodgers <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/dodgers-news-mookie-betts-world-series-video">won the World Series</a> in their first year with Shohei Ohtani. The two-way star signed a $700 million contract with deferred money so the team could add around him. They met that expectation, bringing in Teoscar Hernandez, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and Tyler Glasnow. USA Today’s Bob Nightengale caught up with Ohtani about his first year with the Dodgers <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/mlb/columnist/bob-nightengale/2024/12/05/shohei-ohtani-contract-dodgers-world-series-exclusive/76771449007/" rel="noopener">and what life</a> is like as a $700 million man.</p><p>“This exceeded my expectations,” Ohtani told Nightengale through interpreter Matt Hidaka, “Obviously the first time I made the playoffs. We won the World Series. What more can you ask for?”</p><p>Ohtani continued, “It’s very humbling. Obviously, I appreciate it. I’m very thankful for what I have, just how everybody has been supportive of me. That being said, what I do doesn’t really change. I’m going to continue to focus on the sport of baseball and just try to get better each day, laying it all on the field and doing the best I can.”</p><p>Ohtani had a historic season in his first year with the Dodgers. While rehabbing a UCL injury, he did not pitch this season. So he decided to become the best base stealer in the league. He put up the first 50-homer, 50-steal season in MLB history and now is set to hit the mound.</p><h2><b>Shohei Ohtani has a lot to live up to in second year with the Dodgers</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Shohei-Ohtani-celebrating-World-Series.jpg"><figcaption>Brad Penner-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>The Dodgers entered the World Series with a deficiency in starting pitching. With Clayton Kershaw and Tyler Glasnow hurt, there were very few pitchers to choose from. They still smoked the Yankees in five games but decided that they would not have that happen again. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/grading-blake-snells-182-million-dodgers-contract">Blake Snell turned heel and joined the Dodgers</a> to fortify their rotation.</p><p>Adding Ohtani to the rotation not only makes their group the strongest in the league but also improves his MVP odds. He became the first designated hitter to win the MVP award, crushing Francisco Lindor. While he is pitching, he is almost impossible to beat. The only year he has stayed healthy and lost the award was Aaron Judge’s 62 home-run season.</p><p>If Ohtani has a great pitching season for him, he will still be the third-best pitcher on the Dodgers. Yamamoto was fantastic when healthy in his first MLB season. And Blake Snell has won two Cy Young Awards. Despite his epic offensive season, Ohtani has the chance to have an even better season next year.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

2024 SEASON STATS
BA	HR	RBI	OPS	SB
.393	2	9	1.214	1

2024 SEASON STATS
BA	HR	RBI	OPS	SB
.393	2	9	1.214	1

Shohei Ohtani

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Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani asks simple question after winning World Series

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