While Shohei Ohtani and agent Nez Balelo largely navigated a secretive, the general consensus was the Chicago Cubs, Los Angeles Angels, Los Angeles Dodgers, San Francisco Giants and Toronto Blue Jays emerged as finalists.
The Blue Jays were said to have made a strong push over the final days, which included Ohtani visiting their Spring Training facility in Dunedin, Florida. But other reports indicated the two-way star ultimately decided between the Dodgers and Angels.
Ohtani’s free agency ended with signing a 10-year, $700 million contract with the Dodgers. The deal includes a staggering $680 million in deferred salary.
While plenty of attention has gone to the Blue Jays’ purportedly falling just short, Giants president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi said his team presented Ohtani with a contract offer similar to what he received from the Dodgers, per Janie McCauley of the Associated Press:
“The proposal that was made was very comparable if not identical to what he wound up agreeing to,” Zaidi said during a conference call Tuesday. “We offered what would have been the biggest contract in major league history. I’m guessing we weren’t the only team that did that. But wanted to show our aggressiveness and interest right out of the gate.”
Zaidi further elaborated that the Giants’ contract offer to Ohtani was also for $700 million and included deferrals:
When asked to specify whether the Giants’ proposal was nearly equivalent to what Los Angeles offered, Zaidi noted, “Structure and total compensation, yes.” He was given the indication all of Ohtani’s offers were “in the similar range” by the end and the Giants tried to stay in contact to see what they might do to better their position in the pursuit.
By not signing Ohtani, it added to a string of high-profile misses for the Giants. They were in the running to sign Aaron Judge last offseason before the New York Yankees made a significant final offer, and the Giants decided against signing Carlos Correa to an agreed-upon 13-year, $350 million contract because of concerns with the results of his physical.
San Francisco Giants signing Jung Hoo Lee
In the time since missing out on Ohtani, the Giants reportedly signed Jung Hoo Lee to a six-year, $113 million contract. Lee’s contract includes an opt-out clause after the 2027 season.
Lee was posted by the Kiwoom Heroes of Korean Baseabll Organization (KBO) on December 4, and he had 30 days to negotiate with teams and sign a contract.
As part of the process, the Giants owe the Heroes a posting fee, which comes out to 20% of the first $25 million of Lee’s contract, 17.5% of the next $25 million, and 15% of the additional salary.
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