"They made me feel very welcomed and supported me a lot" - Shohei Ohtani credits Angels fans for seamless transition from NPB in ESPN documentary

Shohei Ohtani made the transition to the LA Dodgers this offseason, leaving the Halos behind after six blockbuster seasons with them individually. Ohtani signed the most lucrative and mammoth contract in US sports history, which stood at a whopping $700 million over 10 years.

Out of the guaranteed $700 million, $680 million is in a deferred contract, which would mean Ohtani will only earn $20 million for the first ten seasons with Los Angeles and $680 million in the next decade.

Since travelling to Southern California after signing a contract with the Angels from the NPB, Shohei Ohtani has enjoyed his time in Anaheim thoroughly. Ohtani shared some great moments with his Halos teammates, like Mike Trout, Hunter Renfroe, and others.

He has always voiced his appreciation for the Angels ballclub and the fanbase as a whole for being welcoming and making his transition from NPB to MLB seamless.

"Fortunately, I haven't encountered those kind of issues, I had a different outlook, I expected dealing with a lot more. Especially amongst Angels fans, there's a homey vibe. They made me feel very welcome and supported me a lot. That's one of the reasons why I was able to focus on my performance. I consider myself very very lucky and thankful for my situation. I am surrounded by an incredible support group" - Shohei Ohtani via the ESPN documentary

Ohtani's agent, Nez Balelo, said that Ohtani came up with the idea for the deferrals. In order to give the Dodgers greater flexibility to invest in the squad surrounding him and stay out of those higher levels above, he sought to reduce his CBT number.

According to The Athletic, he will now receive $2 million through 2033, with the deferred payment being made from 2034 to 2043.

Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto have both joined the LA Dodgers

Over the term of their contracts, Los Angeles is giving Shohei Ohtani and Yamamoto a total of $1.1 billion. It's an astounding sum. However, the calculations make sense.

The 10-year, $700 million contract that Ohtani signed is the biggest in sports history. Not long behind, at 12 years and $325 million, Yoshinobu Yamamoto is tied with World Series MVP Corey Seager for the ninth-biggest contract.

"New Dodgers teammates Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto are already out hitting the town" - YahooSports

But L.A. had to pay an additional $50 million to cover Yamamoto's posting fee, making Yamamoto's deal worth $375 million in total. The transactions have exceeded the sum of money that the other 29 MLB teams have spent on deals this offseason.