It looks like Shohei Ohtani (29, Los Angeles Dodgers) may not be wearing number 17 anymore.
Japan’s Full Count reported on Nov. 11 (JST) that “Ohtani has agreed to sign a contract with the Dodgers. The total amount of $700 million is the highest in professional sports history. The club’s official announcement is expected to come after the physical examination. The next issue is the jersey number.”
Ohtani himself announced his move to the Dodgers on social media. ”To all the fans and everyone involved in the baseball world, I apologize for taking so long to make a decision,” he said, before concluding, “I have decided to choose the Dodgers as the next team I will play for.”
Ohtani made a big decision when he signed with the Dodgers. It’s deferred compensation. In other words, he wouldn’t have to pay $700 million in 10 years. Ohtani took it upon himself to present this approach to the team, which resulted in a mega-contract.
It shows how much he wants to win. With the luxury tax off the table, the Dodgers will be able to sign more players to help them win.
Now we’re interested in Otani’s back number. We need to clear the traffic. Ohtani wears number 17 for the Los Angeles Angels. For the Dodgers, it belongs to pitcher Joe Kelly.
“Kelly is said to have readily accepted the concession. Kelly’s wife, Ashley, was also happy to accept,” and “it appears that No. 17 will be Ohtani’s number.”
But here’s the weird part. According to Full Count, MLB.com, the official website of Major League Baseball, confirmed that the number 17 is worn by infielder Miguel Vargas, not Kelly.
“What does this mean?” the media asked.
They then looked at the trends in other jersey numbers. The number 11, which Ohtani wore as a Nippon Ham, was owned by infielder Miguel Rojas, but Rojas’ number was changed to 19 on the website. Japan’s ace number, 18, is empty.
“It’s possible that Ohtani chose a different number to change the image of the Angels,” the outlet said. Free agent Clayton Kershaw’s No. 22 is also empty.”