The Sports Report: Breaking down Shohei Ohtani’s massive contract
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From Jack Harris: There’s almost no such thing as a $700-million bargain in baseball.
Then again ...
By agreeing to a record-breaking 10-year, $700-million contract with Shohei Ohtani on Saturday, the Dodgers both added a two-time MVP to their star-studded roster and structured the contract — thanks largely to Ohtani’s decision to take an unprecedented amount of deferred money — in a way that should allow them to pursue more impact additions this offseason and beyond.
“The deferrals were primarily about allowing the team to be successful on the field,” said one person with knowledge of the contract who was not authorized to speak publicly about the agreement. “Because above all else, he wants to win.”
Shohei Ohtani celebrates after getting the final out of the World Baseball Classic championship, with Japan defeating the U.S. 3-2 in March. (Eric Espada / Getty Images)
Ohtani’s deal isn’t official yet, with the Dodgers still needing to clear a spot on their 40-man roster. They could do so by cutting a player or working out a trade with another team.
Once the deal is finalized, though, it will look unlike any other in Major League Baseball history. According to the person with knowledge of its details, more than half of the guaranteed money is set to be doled out in deferred payments that will continue well past the contract’s 10 seasons.
That’s why, even more than Ohtani’s decision to come to L.A. — which was long seen as the two-way star’s likeliest landing spot, given its status as an annual World Series contender — it was the distribution of the money in the deal that caused shock waves around the industry.
All of our Shohei Ohtani to Dodgers coverage
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RAMS
From Gary Klein: The walk-off punt return that beat the Rams and ended their game against the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday unfolded much like the Rams’ season.
It was pockmarked by regrettable lost opportunities.
A missed tackle here.
Hey, remember that home loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers?
A missed tackle there.
How about that defeat against struggling-at-the-time Green Bay?
By the time Tylan Wallace reached the end zone, to give the Ravens a 37-31 overtime victory in front of 70,492 at M&T Bank Stadium, the Rams had lost more than a game.
Rams’ 37-31 road loss in overtime to the Baltimore Ravens by the numbers
CHARGERS
From Jeff Miller: A largely uninspired Sunday afternoon for the Chargers turned even more so when they lost Justin Herbert in the second quarter to a fractured right index finger.
Herbert left the game late in the second quarter and did not return as Easton Stick finished out a 24-7 loss to Denver at SoFi Stadium.
Herbert suffered the injury to his right hand when he was hit after throwing a pass. Chargers coach Brandon Staley confirmed the nature of the injury after the game.
The Broncos repeatedly pressured the Chargers’ quarterback, sacking him four times through the game’s first two quarters.
Chargers’ 24-7 home loss to the Denver Broncos by the numbers
USC BASKETBALL
From Thuc Nhi Nguyen: It’s not just the name that’s familiar.
Watching Bronny James sprint down the court for a right-handed chase-down block brought immediate flashbacks to his namesake father’s highlight-reel plays. But on Sunday, less than five months after collapsing on the court during a workout, the moment belonged to Bronny.
The USC freshman made his much-anticipated college debut Sunday after suffering a sudden cardiac arrest in July. James had four points, three rebounds, two assists, two steals and a block in 16 minutes, but USC (5-4) blew a 15-point halftime lead in an 84-79 overtime loss to Long Beach State, squandering a chance to capitalize on the growing momentum around the program with James’ return.
“We recruited Bronny James because he’s a very good basketball player,” USC coach Andy Enfield said. “He went through a very unfortunate situation. He’s done an incredible job with that. So extra eyeballs or spotlight, sometimes that comes with a guy like Bronny, but we have to get better as a basketball team.”
Despite limited practice time after being cleared for basketball activities just two weeks ago, James found himself on the court for the last 3 minutes, 32 seconds of regulation as the Trojans tried to fend off the Beach (7-4). He came up with a clutch steal that helped USC preserve a one-point lead but split two free throws that left the door open for Long Beach State’s Marcus Tsohonis, who tied the game with 3.9 seconds left on a turnaround jumper in the paint.
————
From Thuc Nhi Nguyen: With the King in attendance, USC’s newest basketball queen reigned.
JuJu Watkins led No. 6 USC to an 85-53 rout over UC Riverside at Galen Center on Sunday as the star freshman’s stellar debut season continued with 27 points on 10-of-16 shooting with five assists and five steals. She was three points short of breaking Cheryl Miller’s USC record for consecutive 30-point games, which stands at three.
Junior forward Rayah Marshall had an 11-point, 12-rebound double-double with three blocks.
USC guard Malia Samuels puts up a shot during a win over UC Riverside on Sunday. (Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)
With their highest ranking in the Associated Press poll since 1994, the Trojans (8-0) had their second crowd of 4,000 or more this season, thanks in part to a doubleheader with the USC men’s team that featured Bronny James’ debut. Lakers star LeBron James, in attendance to watch his son play 16 minutes in USC’s overtime loss to Long Beach State, remained in his courtside seat as Watkins led her team onto the court.
UCLA BASKETBALL
Lauren Betts has been nearly unstoppable around the basket this season, shooting 77% from the field.
UCLA’s 6-foot-7 center had 22 points and 18 rebounds to help No. 2 UCLA beat 20th-ranked Florida State 95-78 on Sunday at the Hall of Fame Women’s Showcase.
“I’d be the most foolish coach not to give her touches,” UCLA coach Cori Close said. “It creates for the people around her.”
Charisma Osborne and Angela Dugalic added 16 points each for the balanced Bruins (9-0), who had five players score in double figures. UCLA started the game scoring 13 of the opening 15 points and led 20-5 as Florida State made just one of its first 14 shots.
KINGS
Mika Zibanejad and Jimmy Vesey scored second-period goals, Jonathan Quick made 25 saves against his former team and the New York Rangers downed the Kings 4-1 on Sunday night.
The Kings lost their second straight road game after winning an NHL-record 11 consecutive games away from home to start the season. Los Angeles lost 3-2 in overtime to the Islanders on Saturday.
Vincent Trocheck had three assists while Johnny Brodzinski and Will Cuylle also scored for the Rangers, who had lost two straight for the first time this season.
DUCKS
Gabe Vilardi broke a tie with 1:42 left with the third of the Winnipeg Jets’ four third-period goals in a 4-2 victory over the Ducks on Sunday.
Winnipeg rallied after losing scoring leader Kyle Connor to a knee injury in the second period when he took a knee from Ducks defenseman Ryan Strome, who received a game misconduct.
The Jets have won four straight and nine of 12, while the Ducks have dropped three in a row and 12 of 13.
LAFC
From Kevin Baxter: LAFC’s 2023 season ended in rain, cold and disappointment at 6:07 p.m. Eastern time Saturday evening, which means its preparations for 2024 started at about the same time the Columbus Crew’s victory celebration did.
Saturday’s 2-1 loss to the Crew in the MLS Cup final, which made first-year Columbus coach Wilfried Nancy the first Black manager to win the league title, brought the longest season in league history to an end while beginning the shortest offseason in franchise history. LAFC endured a 10-month, 53-game slog through four countries and two continents this year, covering more than 63,000 miles.
No team had ever attempted anything close to that.
And it will start all over again soon, with MLS teams expected to open their training camps in mid-January and their seasons in late February. MLB and NBA teams had 3½-month offseasons; the NFL five months. LAFC gets less than five weeks.
John Thorrington, the team’s general manager, gets a lot less than that. He had to inform the league office Sunday which players will have their contract options exercised. The MLS trade window opens Monday, free-agent negotiations begin Wednesday and the reentry process for out-of-contract players not eligible for free agency starts Thursday.
SPARKS
The Indiana Fever won the WNBA draft lottery for the No. 1 pick for the second consecutive season Sunday. The Sparks have the No. 2 pick with Phoenix choosing third and Seattle fourth. The Sparks, who had an 18% chance at getting the top pick, have missed the postseason two straight years and last had No. 1 in 2012 when they drafted Nneka Ogwumike.
The Fever took Aliyah Boston last season with the top pick and she earned the league’s Rookie of the Year honors.
“This is tremendous news for our franchise to receive another No.1 overall pick,” Fever GM Lin Dunn said.
Now Indiana and the Sparks will have to wait to see who decides to enter the draft. Iowa’s Caitlin Clark, Connecticut’s Paige Bueckers and LSU’s Angel Reese all could head back to school for another year thanks to the extra season because of the coronavirus.
THIS DATE IN SPORTS
1938 — New York Giants beats the Green Bay Packers 23-17 to win the NFL championship.
1951 — Joe DiMaggio announces his retirement from baseball.
1959 — Richie Guerin scores 57 points, at the time the most ever by a Knick, as New York defeats Syracuse 152-121. His team record was broken by Bernard King 25 years later.
1971 — The Lakers set an NBA record with 21 straight wins by beating the Atlanta Hawks 104-95, breaking the record of 20 set by the Milwaukee Bucks the previous year.
1972 — Joe Namath of the New York Jets passes for 403 yards and Don Maynard sets an NFL record for career receptions in a 24-16 loss to the Oakland Raiders. Maynard, with seven catches, breaks Raymond Berry’s record of 631 by one catch.
1977 — Philadelphia’s Tom Bladon scores four goals and collects four assists to set a record for defensemen with eight points in the Flyers’ 11-1 victory over the Cleveland Barons.
1981 — Former world heavyweight boxing champion Muhammad Ali’s 61st and last fight; loses to Trevor Berbick by unanimous decision in 10 rounds at Queen Elizabeth Sports Centre, Nassau, Bahamas.
1982 — San Francisco’s Joe Montana passes for 356 yards to set an NFL record with five consecutive games of 300 yards or more passing.
1983 — John Henry becomes the first racehorse to surpass $4 million in career earnings when he wins the Hollywood Turf Cup with jockey Chris McCarron at Hollywood Park.
2002 — Danielle Dube becomes the third female goalie to start in a men’s professional hockey game, stopping 18 shots in the Long Beach Ice Dogs’ 4-1 loss to San Diego in the West Coast Hockey League.
2010 — Carl Hagelin scores two goals in the Michigan’s 5-0 victory over Michigan State at Michigan Stadium. The announced attendance of 113,411 crowd sets a world attendance record for a hockey game.
Compiled by the Associated Press
Until next time...
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