Shohei Ohtani (30, LA Dodgers) decided to change his number to 17 when he entered the Major League in 2018. Then, he rewrote MLB history by wearing that number 17. He proved that pitching and hitting, which he thought would be impossible in modern baseball, is possible. 파워볼실시간
Along the way, his stock soared, being named the American League MVP twice in 2021 and 2023. The result was a shocking birth of a contract in the history of global sports. Ohtani became a free agent after the 2023 season amid assessments that he was certain to sign a contract worth more than $500 million, the first in MLB history and North American sports history. The result was more than that. Last December, he signed a historic deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers, worth a 10-year total of $700 million.
Of course, the Dodgers will receive the remaining 680 million dollars after the 10-year contract ends, excluding 2 million dollars annually. This is the so-called deferred payment clause. For this reason, some analysts say that the actual value of the contract is 460 million dollars to 500 million dollars considering inflation in the future. Ohtani became a symbol that cannot be broken for the time being, while the Dodgers has achieved practical benefits.
But there was one concern. It was his turn. Of course, Ohtani wanted No. 17. But the Dodgers had a manager. Veteran right-handed bullpen pitcher Joe Kelly (35) was the main character. In order for Ohtani to achieve his goal, he needed to make concessions. Kelly was not even a player that the club or Ohtani could simply take control of. He was a veteran bullpen pitcher with a brilliant career. If he shouted “No,” Ohtani would not have been able to take over until after he left the team.
Since his Major League debut in 2012 with the St. Louis Cardinals, he is a veteran player with a career ERA of 3.95 with 53 wins, 37 losses, 90 holds, seven saves and a total of 450 games (81 starts) in the Major League last year. This means that he was clearly a player in his area. For this reason, attention was focusing on whether Kelly would boast his pride or make concessions. When asked politely if the Dodgers would like to offer his intention, Kelly readily said that he would give up his duty. So question No. 17 worked out well.
In fact, Kelly’s wife uploaded a video clip of her “Ohtake17 campaign” through her social networking service (SNS) before her contract, which drew attention from Dodgers fans. Literally, she wanted Ohtani to join the Dodgers and take No. 17. Ashley, Kelly’s wife, made headlines by casually saying, “Anything with your name (on a uniform or other product) on it can be changed to Ohtani.”
Touched by the feat, Ohtani presented Kelly’s wife with an expensive Porsche car, concluding the presentation ceremony. The Dodgers’ official number for 2024 has not been made public yet, but Ohtani will wear No. 17 next year and Kelly will reportedly move to No. 99. Kelly has worn No. 58, 56 and 17, but he also had possibilities in Nos. 58 and 56. The number 99 is the number that Ryu Hyun-jin wore from 2013 to 2019. Ryu was a successful pitcher in his Dodgers, and maybe Kelly sought this kind of spirit, too.
Kelly is ending the offseason in a cheerful way, but 2024 is also a very important season in his career. Kelly was traded to the Dodgers last season ahead of the trade deadline. Kelly, who played for the Dodgers from 2019 to 2021, is wearing the Dodgers uniform again.
His performance was relatively good because he was relatively compatible with the Dodgers. Kelly’s overall ERA in the Major League is 3.95. However, he was 4.33 during the five years with the Boston Red Sox when he started to make a name for himself, and only had two wins, eight losses and an ERA of 5.59 over the two years after moving to the White Sox. However, since moving to the Dodgers last year, he has rebounded with an ERA of 1.74 in 11 games, which is good for Dodgers with an ERA of 3.42.
In the end, the Dodgers also renewed its contract with Kelly for 8 million dollars per year. I’m not sure about his role as a bullpen pitcher, but I have expectations that he will be able to make useful use of it anyway. No matter how much he lives in an era of inflation, 8 million dollars is not a small amount for a bullpen pitcher.
The Dodgers adjusted its starting lineup by sweeping up Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and Tyler Glasnow. Ohtani, who underwent elbow surgery, will be able to start from 2025, but has formed a strong three-punch that leads to Yamamoto, Glasnow, and Walker Buehler. Other players, including Ryan Yarbrough and Bobby Miller, will back up. However, the bullpen has no special reinforcement yet. The Dodgers bullpen showed off its great strength in 2022, but it went down in 2023. Kelly’s performance is needed. Attention is focusing on whether Kelly, who inherited Ryu’s energy, will be able to save the team with his signature powerful fastball.
