Ohtani says Dodgers passion for winning led to signing, salary deferral

Shohei Ohtani said the Dodgers’ thirst for World Series glory was ultimately what led the Japanese superstar to sign a record contract with the team and take a stunning salary deferral.
In front of a packed press conference at Dodger Stadium, Ohtani said he wanted to build his legacy in the game after signing a 10-year, $700 million contract that includes deferring 97% of that money for a decade.
The dual-threat, two-time American League MVP said he did not settle on which team to suit up for until the night before he made his announcement in an Instagram post on Saturday.
“There are a lot of reasons I chose this team,” said Ohtani.
“One thing that really stands out in my head is when I had the meeting with the Dodgers ownership group,” he said.
“They said that when they looked back at the last 10 years, even though they’ve made the playoffs every single year, they have only won one World Series ring, and they consider that a failure.
“When I heard that, I knew they were all about winning, and that’s exactly how I feel.”
He said he wanted to take full advantage of the deferral structure afforded in MLB contracts to help his team add even more talent to a roster that features perennial All Stars Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman.