Shohei Ohtani is $700m bargain and World Series glory gave Dodgers their money back in two years

Shohei Ohtani is already one of the best players in Major League Baseball history.

With four MVP awards, two World Series rings and a surreal 50-50 season, the ‘Japanese Babe Ruth’ leapt from the Los Angeles Angels to the cross-town Dodgers and turned a $700 million contract into a baseball bargain.

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4 MVPs and 2 Rings – The Legend of Ohtani

As the 2026 Major League Baseball season begins, Ohtani has become a global superstar thriving off his two-way athletic talent.

The hitter/pitcher with more than 275 career home runs and a 3.00 ERA is more comparable to Patrick Mahomes and LeBron James than Juan Soto or Aaron Judge.

But Mahomes doesn’t play offense and defense for the Kansas City Chiefs, while James doesn’t coach and play for the LA Lakers.

When Ohtani was set to return to the mound vs the Cleveland Indians, the cheapest ticket priced at $162 on the secondary market.

The Dodgers started a new season 3-1, while Ohtani adjusted from a sharp spring training and representing Japan in the World Baseball Classic.

But Ohtani first had to prove himself to the baseball world, then overcome major injuries and a gambling controversy that threatened to derail his career. 

Below talkSPORT takes an in-depth look at Ohtani’s early life, baseball career, hitting and pitching talents, controversies, a ‘team friendly’ $700m contract and his World Series success with the Dodgers.

It all started for Ohtani in Japan

Born on July 5, 1994 in Mizusawa, Oshu in Japan, Ohtani’s father, Toru, played baseball for a semipro team sponsored by a local Mitsubishi plant.

Ohtani’s mother, Kayoko, was also an athlete and spent time as a competitive badminton player.

The future Dodger played in the National High School Baseball Championship in 2011, and hit 101 mph on the radar gun at 20 years old.

Ohtani wanted to head straight into MLB but instead began his career with the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters in 2013.

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After receiving interest from the New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox and Texas Rangers, Ohtani signed with the Angels in December 2017.

His MLB debut was on March 29, 2018 against the Oakland Athletics.

The Japanese native went 1-for-5 but ended up as the American League Rookie of the Year.

Ohtani hit .285 with 22 home runs and a .925 OPS during his first MLB season, while going 4-2 on the mound with a 3.31 ERA.

Since then, the 30-year-old Ohtani has won four MVPs – collecting the prestigious awards in the American and National Leagues – stolen the spotlight in the MLB All-Star Game, and finished fourth in AL Cy Young voting.

Frustration with Angels and injury trouble for Showtime

But the 6ft 3in and 210lb Ohtani has also dealt with Tommy John surgery, ankle and knee issues.

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Ohtani won the 2023 AL MVP — hitting 44 home runs while striking out 167 batters — despite being limited to 135 games and undergoing surgery on his right elbow.

After one of the most secretive free agency processes in baseball history, the Japan native was linked to the Toronto Blue Jays but ultimately signed with the Dodgers.

“One thing that really stands out in my head,” Ohtani said through a translator, “when I had the meeting with the Dodgers, the ownership group, they said when they looked back at the last 10 years, even though they made the playoffs every single year, won one World Series ring, they considered that a failure.

“When I heard that, I knew they were all about winning, and that’s exactly how I feel.”

How Ohtani became a $700m bargain in Los Angeles

Ohtani structured his contract in a team-friendly manner, deferring almost all of his guaranteed $700 million until the beginning of 2034.

“I would be shocked if this contract is allowed to stand,” said former Philadelphia Eagles star Jason Kelce.

Ohtani’s $700m deal was later surpassed by the $765m that Soto received from the New York Mets.

Once becoming a Dodger, the slugger and ace made two major revelations.

Ohtani stunned his worldwide fans — and even his new Los Angeles teammates — by announcing that he had gotten married.

“She is a Japanese woman,” said Ohtani, whose net worth is estimated at $150 million. “I don’t really feel comfortable talking about when I got married exactly, but she’s a normal Japanese woman.”

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It was later revealed that Ohtani’s wife is Mamiko Tanaka, who played as a 5ft 11in forward for the Fujitsu Red Wave in the Women’s Japan Basketball League from 2019-23.

Tanaka attended the Dodgers’ 2024 season-opening Seoul Series in South Korea and was seen smiling in the stands.

“It’s going to be really great memories for both of us,” Ohtani said.

“I appreciate all the attention,” he added. “Obviously, attention is always great, being a baseball player. … I’m really used to the attention, but I just try to focus on what’s in front of me, whatever it is.”

Worldwide baseball fans also become obsessed with Ohtani’s Nederlandse Kooikerhondje – a super-cute dog named Dekopin, and better known as Decoy.

“I figured it would be hard for American people to pronounce it,” Ohtani said.

Betting controversy almost derailed Ohtani

Baseball fans across the globe are still trying to understand what exactly happened to Ippei Mizuhara, a longtime friend of and interpreter for Ohtani.

Mizuhara was fired by the Dodgers in the middle of the 2024 Seoul Series, shocking Ohtani supporters who closely followed his life and career.

Questions surrounding $4.5 million in wire transfers sent from Ohtani’s bank account eventually led to his interpreter being dismissed.

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According to ESPN, Mizuhara built up gambling debts to a Southern California bookmaking operation that fell under federal investigation.

“In the course of responding to recent media inquiries, we discovered that Shohei has been the victim of a massive theft, and we are turning the matter over to the authorities,” said a statement from Berk Brettler LLP, Ohtani’s lawyers.

Ohtani went silent for several days, then addressed the mounting controversy surrounding Mizuhara.

Ohtani said through a new Dodgers interpreter that he never bet on sports or knowingly paid any gambling debts accumulated by Mizuhara.

“I am very saddened and shocked someone whom I trusted has done this,” Ohtani said.

“Ippei has been stealing money from my account and has been telling lies. I never bet on sports or have willfully sent money to the bookmaker.

Ohtani the GOAT? He’s on the way

In 2026, the Japanese Babe Ruth is on a clear Hall of Fame path and already has two World Series rings.

Ohtani is 31-years-old and injuries limited his playing time early in his career.

Passing Barry Bonds for the most home runs in MLB history (762) is almost impossible for the Japanese native.

He definitely won’t eclipse Cy Young, who holds the record for pitching wins (511).

But Ohtani possesses a 39-20 career record as a pitcher, while posting a .956 OPS.

When he hit 54 homers and stole 59 bases in 2024 — then won his first world championship in the same year — it became obvious that Ohtani was one of a kind in baseball history.

He also became an instant bargain for the Dodgers, who won it all the next year while building their team around one of the most talented players to ever pick up a baseball.

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