Shohei Ohtani, formally introduced by Dodgers, avoids surgery talk

LOS ANGELES — Shohei Ohtani opened his first news conference with the Los Angeles Dodgers by dodging questions about whether he had undergone a second Tommy John surgery.

“At the time of the announcement, we didn't know what direction we were going to take. That's why I never said what type of procedure was going to be done,” Ohtani said through a translator on Thursday when introduced after receiving a recording. $700 million, 10-year contract.

It was the first time Ohtani spoke with the media since August 9, two weeks before a throwing injury that required surgery with Dodgers head team physician Dr. Neal ElAttrache on the 19th. September and that will keep him off the mound until 2025. Ohtani had Tommy John. surgery performed by ElAttrache on October 1, 2018.

“I'm obviously not an expert in the medical field, but it was a procedure,” Ohtani said. “I don't know what it's called. I know it was completely different from my first time, so I don't know what you want to call it. You could probably talk to my doctor about it.”

Ohtani declined to say which other teams he negotiated with before last weekend's deal with the Dodgers.

“Free agency still exists and I don't really want to mess with their plans and I don't want to say anything bad, so I don't really want to talk about the discussions I've had with other organizations,” he said. he declares. » said translator Ippei Mizuhara.

He added that he “can’t wait to join the team and get it going.”

Ohtani revealed the name of his dog, seen on his lap when he appeared on MLB Network for the announcement of his second MVP award on November 16. The dog has an American name, “Decoy”, and a Japanese name, “Dekopin” or “Decopin”, depending on the transliteration.

Ohtani wore a navy blue suit with a white shirt and blue tie, took off the jacket and put on a Dodgers home jersey with the number 17, then the blue cap with the L&A interlocked while receiving polite applause. He took off the cap before speaking.

“One thing that really occurred to me,” he said, “in the meeting with the Dodgers, the ownership group, they said looking back over the last 10 years, even If they made the playoffs every year, won a World Series ring, they considered that a failure. And when I heard that, I knew they wanted to win, and that's exactly what I feel.

Ohtani never reached the playoffs in six seasons with the Los Angeles Angels.

An electronic sign displayed “Welcome to the Dodgers, Shohei Ohtani” in English and Japanese above the stage at Dodger Stadium. Fifteen rows of seats were filled with media, Dodgers employees and sponsors in Centerfield Plaza under sunny skies. Many Japanese television crews and photographers surrounded the seating area.

Ohtani thanked majority owner Mark Walter, team president Stan Kasten, president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman, general manager Brandon Gomes and manager Dave Roberts.

The Dodgers had tried to pry Ohtani out of high school before he joined the Nippon Ham Fighters.

“Shohei is arguably the most talented player to ever play the game,” Friedman said, flanked by Ohtani and Walter. “One of our goals is to get baseball fans in Japan to convert to Dodger blue.”

A one-time two-way star as a hitter and pitcher, the 29-year-old Japanese sensation left the Angels as a free agent. He travels 30 miles on Interstate 5 after the Dodgers won the competition in a deal announced Monday. He said he made his decision Friday evening, the day before his announcement.

Ohtani also thanked the Angels during the press conference broadcast in Japan, where it began at 8 a.m. Friday.

“It's been a fun ride, a great ride over the last six years. … I'll never forget all the memories I have,” he said. “There's always sadness that leaves teams. Last time it was the Fighters and in this case it was the Angels.”

The two-time AL MVP has a .274 batting average with 171 home runs, 437 RBIs and 86 stolen bases along with a 39-19 record with a 3.01 ERA and 608 strikeouts in 481 2 /3 sleeves. Ohtani has 34.7 wins above replacement (WAR), per baseball reference.

Ohtani's unusual contract calls for an annual salary of $70 million and of each year's salary, $68 million is deferred without interest, payable in equal installments every July 1 from 2034 to 2043. Kasten said the Ohtani's agent, Nez Balelo, offered the deferred money last Friday, amid false reports of a possible deal with Toronto.

“I wouldn’t have had the courage to propose it,” Friedman said.

The deferred money reduced the Dodgers' annual luxury tax payroll burden to about $46 million, thereby reducing their competitive balance tax.

“I figured if I could bring back as much money as possible, if it could help the CBT and help the Dodgers draft better players and build a better team, I felt like it was worth it. hardly,” Ohtani said.

Ohtani can opt out of the deal if Walter or Friedman are no longer with the team, a person told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because terms have not been announced.

“Everyone has to be on the same page to have a winning organization,” Ohtani said. “I feel like these two are at the top and they control everything. And I almost feel like I have a contract with these two guys. And I feel like if the “One of them is gone…things could get a little out of hand, so I just wanted a safety net.”

Friedman said, “Obviously it's really flattering, but it's also not a factor for me.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report