The Los Angeles Dodgers and Shohei Ohtani union is one that has already felt like a lifetime of success.

To deliver a championship, a National League MVP, and become the first-ever player in MLB history to hit 50 or more home runs and swipe 50 or more stolen bases in the same season is something that players would hope to accomplish in an entire career.

Ohtani not only did it in his first season with the Dodgers, but is still ramping up to return to pitching, where he has a career 3.01 ERA during his 481.1 MLB innings.

The deal that got Ohtani to the Dodgers after six seasons with the Los Angeles Angels was a massive $700 million, 10-year deal inked in December 2023. Ohtani’s agent, Nez Balelo, recently revealed at Sportico’s Invest West conference that the deal easily could have been up to 15 years long, until Ohtani’s age-44 season.

“We could have went to 13, 14, 15 years,” Balelo said. “But Shohei wanted to always kind of keep the integrity of where he’s at as a player. He just didn’t want to have the end of his storybook career tail off and then on year 13, 14 and 15, it’s just like who is this guy? You can’t even run down first and he’s not a guy anymore.”

With the kind of success Ohtani has already had, without yet unleashing the pitching facet of his game in a Dodgers uniform, and the kind of money Ohtani is making in the highest AAV the sport has ever seen in a contract, it wasn’t surprising that Balelo said he would do the same thing if he could do it all over again.

“We wouldn’t do anything different,” Balelo said. “He won a championship. He went to the right team. No regrets.”

At the time, Ohtani’s contract was the richest in the history of the sport, but Juan Soto has since signed a 15-year, $765 million deal with the New York Mets.

Dodgers Superstar Shohei Ohtani Turned Down 15-Year Deal in Free Agency

May 7, 2025; Miami, Florida, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani (17) reacts from inside the dugout against the Miami Marlins at loanDepot Park. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images / Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

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The Los Angeles Dodgers secured the long-term future of two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani after an extended free agency process in a deal unlike any other seen before.

He ultimately signed a 10-year, $700 million contract with the Dodgers that will keep him with the team until after the 2033 season, when he will be 38 years old.

Ohtani could have likely demanded more than he received, but he wanted to ensure that the Dodgers could pursue other players and build a championship-contending roster.

The contract was one of the most unprecedented in sports history, with $680 million from the deal deferred and spread out over several years, further lessening the financial blow for the team.

Ohtani’s deal is a stark contrast to the 15-year, $765 million contract that Juan Soto signed with the Mets, which has no deferred money.

He could have demanded a similar length or amount of money as Soto received; however, Ohanti was not interested in playing for that long or being such a financial burden on the team.

During an address at Sportico’s Invest West conference held at the Intuit Dome, Ohtani’s agent, Nez Balelo, remarked that the Japanese hitter and pitcher could have secured several additional years had he opted for that path.

“We could have went to 13, 14, 15 years,” Balelo said.

“But Shohei wanted to always kind of keep the integrity of where he’s at as a player. He just didn’t want to have the end of his storybook career tail off and then on year 13, 14 and 15, it’s just like who is this guy? You can’t even run down first and he’s not a guy anymore.”

During his time with the Angels, Ohtani saw Albert Pujols finish his lengthy contract in disappointment, as Pujols struggled to perform in his later years, appearing like a shadow of his former self.

This experience likely left a significant impression on Ohtani about what to avoid in his own career.

His move to the Dodgers has already been a success. He won the National League MVP and a World Series in his first season with the team, validating the move based on sporting reasoning.

“We wouldn’t do anything different,” Balelo said regarding the move to sign with the Dodgers. “He won a championship. He went to the right team. No regrets.”