Los Angeles-Andrew Freedman was in his son’s football game last Saturday, when a pitch was recruited through the zoom when a franchise-calling phone call came.
The chairman of the dosers of baseball operation suddenly ended his video chat, went on the field and the call that he hoped to come from Shohi Ohtani’s agent, Nez Balelo.
“I don’t even remember what Nees said,” Friedman recalled on Thursday, “besides Shohei was going to be a dose, and it was going to be declared on Instagram soon.”
For Freedman, the news marked the 24 -hour turbulent “incredible” end.
By Friday afternoon, reports came out that Ohtani had taken his decision … and he was on his way to Toronto. Those reports were denied, but still there was restlessness and confusion in Los Angeles.
“You know the crazy games where late lead changes occur, and they graph it in this way? I think it is a slight range of my feelings,” Freedman said. “There are times where I felt more confident, at a time where it was very short. Surely took some time out of my life. I don’t know how much, but of course something.”
Nevertheless, he expressed hope.
During his conversation with Representatives of Ohtani, Freedman knew that Ohtani wanted to announce his decision.
“It is part of Friday’s contribution to the emotional roller-coaster of Friday,” said Friedman. “Because people said,” Dojers are out, “we knew that it was not true because we knew that we would never know that we were outside and it would be on Instagram.”
Saturday morning, this is exactly why.
Five days after Ohtani announced his decision, it felt like a wedding at the Dodger Stadium. The sounds of Jazz music resonated with speakers at the Center Field Plaza on Thursday afternoon. Dozers’ front-office staff shared the throat and handshake, while hundreds of media members took their prescribed seats or stood up and saw the proceedings as the most prestigious free agent in baseball history took the stage, dipped a blue suit and tie for number 17 doors Jersey.
Ohtani first said on Dozers Jersey at the introductory conference
There are five things here that we have learned from the introductory news conference of Ohtani:
1. Winned everyone by winning
Before Thursday, Ohtani did not talk to the media since August-before he torn his UCL to the elbow surgery and ended with another necklace before his six-year tenure in Anahem. Given how little one knew about Ohtani’s wishes, it was not clear that his decision would eventually guide his decision in the free agency.
Now, this is.
“Obviously, I want to win the championship, and I want when people see the championship I won, I want people to know or think that I was a chief member, and I was a big thing, or I was a big part of that championship winning team,” Ohtani said through his interpreter, EPP Mizuhara.
However, he refused to discuss how many teams he was considering late in the process, Ohtani said that he did not decide till Friday night – one night before his Instagram post, initial reports indicated that he was bound to Toronto. The ownership group helped to seal the deal during the pitch during the pitch to a part of the pitch from the front office and ownership group of the Dojers.
“He said that when he looks back in the last 10 years – even though he made a playoffs every year – a world chain Why did Shohei Ohtani pick the Dodgers? 5 things we learned from his intro presserThey believe that a failure, “said Ohtani.” When I heard, I knew they were all about winning, and it’s exactly what I feel. ,
For a player who has yet to smell Postsen was fresh to hear. From ownership to the front office, they were sold on the coordination and vision of the doors.
“For all of us, it was real who we are,” said Friedman. “I think how this-link we are and our coaching staff and how our scouting groups are, just talking about that, I think it echoes.”
So, in fact, that Ohtani tied his future to the doors of the doors.
According to an unusual section, what he placed in the contract, the only way he can get out of his 10 -year deal, if Chairman Mark Walter is no longer a controlled owner or if Freedman is no longer running baseball operations.
“Everyone should be on the same page for a winning organization,” said Ohtani. “I think they are both at the top of it, and they are under the control of everything, and I think I am a contract with those two people. [we] Can not be on the same page, things may be out of a little control. So, I just wanted, like, a security trap. ,
Freedman said: “I know people think that I have kept it inside. I told Mark that he is going to think that I have kept it inside. Obviously, it is really flattering, but it is a better question for them, but it is a better question for me, but it is also a non-fault for me. I like to live here. I like to live here. I want to build here. We are making a part of what we are doing.”
Why Shohei Ohtani’s doseers should not be a favorite 2024 world chain
2. Contract structure came from Ohtani team
If Ohtani’s desire to win was not enough, the terms of his unprecedented contract strengthened it.
Certainly, the overall value of the deal is still the richest in the history of the game – but 97% of its $ 700 million will not be found until it is completed after 10 years with the doseers. The annual luxury-tax of the Deferrals Dojers leaves the hit at $ 46 million instead of $ 70 million, making them set to add pieces around the largest free-agent signing in the game.
And for those who are upset about the Dozers’ Gaming System, it was not their idea.
“He proposed to us,” Freedman explained.
The camp of Dojers and Ohtani had gone back and forth several times on the terms of a possible contract, some specially written, in other bus conversations. A day before Ohtani announced his decision, the Dazers received the terms of contracts from the Ohtani team.
“I was watching it and calculating something, and I thought, I mean, if I can avoid as much money as possible, if it is going to help CBT [competitive balance tax] And this is going to help the doseers to sign a better players and to help form a better team, it felt that it is worth it, “said Ohtani,” and I was ready to go in that direction. ,
Friedman said, “I did not dare to propose it.” “But as Nez went through it and excluded it, as we were talking, it was incredibly consistent with what he had said throughout the process. Many times you experience, but they do not sink up and match, and it did it in an incredibly way.”
3. Ohtani should be ready to hit the inauguration day
Ohtani neither confirmed nor denied whether the elbow process took place in September, it was a second Tommy John Surgery, just saying that it was “completely different” from his 2018 process.
The Dozers signed him to help him with his bat only in 2024. On Thursday, he confirmed that he was on track to get ready for the start of the season.
Ohtani said, “I am taking a dry hack, or dry swing last week, so I’m at a really good speed to get ready for Opening Day.” “As long as I can be determined in spring training and can be able to play in exhibition games, I think I will be fully ready as a hitter for Opening Day.”
What does the signature of Shohi Ohtani for doors mean?
4. Decoy … was a decoy
It was not a “dose”. It was not “walker”. But the name of Ohtani’s dog definitely turned out to be Appropos.
The dog entered the public sector as an Ohtani -friendly partner for accepting his MVP honors last month, but Ohtani did not name it. Amidst the chaos of the last weekend, Pablo Torre of the Medovlark media said on his podcast that he heard a rumor that the dog’s name was the name of one of the free-agent teams, considering Ohtani.
Pleasure And guess Proceeded. On Thursday, Ohtani ended speculation. No, it was not Jai or Ray or Ranger or Vishal or urine. Instead, Ohtani revealed that his dog’s name is “dekopin” in Japanese, which he has re -worked in English for “decoy”.
Dickoy made everyone stupid.
5. Winning pressure – and continues to add – it is on
Ohthani chose the doseers to be part of a winner, and structured his contract to make that goal easier. After the back-to-back exiting the first-round, and there are 11 straight trips for Postsen, resulting in only one epidemic-less championship, the doors are determined to build a roster that can win it this year.
Friedman said, “It was important for Shohei that it was not a step we were going to make.”
That process has already started.
As the celebration at the Dodger Stadium turned around on Thursday, the news broke that the doors were receiving the toiler glasswove from the rays. This is a beginning, but a strict need for help will require more to fill a rotation, while the doors wait for players like Ostani, Dustin Me and Tony Gonsoline to return to the mound in 2025.
Manager Dave Roberts said that he is still in the “pinch-me” phase, he said that Ohtani is part of his team, but he recognizes that besides Ohthani.
“It does definitely, I think,” Roberts said. “This is what we dream is the highest of expectations. It is a great day in baseball, dodger history. We are the center of the game world. I think we are very excited.”
Rowan kavner Fox covers the doseers and MLB as a whole for sports. He was earlier the editor of the doors of digital and print publications. Follow it on Twitter @Rowankavner,
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