The Los Angeles Dodgers were the last team standing in the Shohei Ohtani sweepstakes.
Landing a global star with the ability to hit like Mookie Betts and pitch like Walker Buehler requires effort, money, creativity, and perseverance.
They had all those things, and ended up securing Ohtani’s services for the next 10 seasons in exchange for $700 million, to be paid over the next 20 years.
To get Ohtani’s attention, the Dodgers used a creative message they had ready for quite some time.
“During their pitch to Shohei Ohtani, the Dodgers had an ace in the hole. ‘One of the highlights of the whole meeting,’ Ohtani said. It was a 6-year-old video of Kobe Bryant encouraging him to join the Dodgers,” MLB insider Jeff Passan tweeted.
During their pitch to Shohei Ohtani, the Dodgers had an ace in the hole.
“One of the highlights of the whole meeting,” Ohtani said.
It was a 6-year-old video of Kobe Bryant encouraging him to join the Dodgers.
At ESPN+, inside the Ohtani sweepstakes: https://t.co/zEMLrq35cp pic.twitter.com/roCtjty97w
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) December 15, 2023
Bryant, a global basketball star who won five rings and an MVP award with the Los Angeles Lakers over the course of a long 20-year career, died in 2020.
The entire sports universe is still mourning his loss.
Somehow, the Dodgers brought back a message he had recorded for Ohtani’s 2017 pitch to their meeting.
Back then, the Japanese star ended up choosing the Los Angeles Angels.
According to Passan, Ohtani said he was “surprised” and that it was a “strong, touching message.”
What did Bryant say?
“There is no better place in the world to win than Los Angeles, and there is no better team in baseball to win with than the Dodgers.”
Enough said.
Bryant had done it as a favor to the Dodgers.
Per Ohtani, Bryant’s message was one of the highlights of the meeting.
It worked, or at least it helped.
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