Astros' Rival Misses Out On Ohtani After Historic Dodgers Deal
The Houston Astros were never in on the Shohei Ohtani sweepstakes.
They didn't have the budget to sign him this offseason and are one of the few teams that don't necessarily "need" the Japanese superstar.
Of course, every club would like to have two-way phenom on their team, but the Astros are set at positions he plays for years to come.
While Houston was not involved with Ohtani this offseason, their division and instate rival Texas Rangers were rumored to be interested in adding him to their already loaded and World Series winning roster.
Not only would this have kept the superstar in their division, but the Astros would have had to see him in a Rangers jersey for the foreseeable future.
Fortunately, that is not the case.
Ohtani signed a historic 10-year, $700 million deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers as reported by Jeff Passan of ESPN.
There are no opt-outs in the contract that pays the highest guaranteed salary in the history of North American sports.
According to Passan, it is also structured in a way that allows the Dodgers to remain competitive while handing out this much money.
"Shohei Ohtani's contract has significant deferrals that include most of his salary -- an idea, a source said, that was Ohtani's. In deferring the money, it reduces the cost of the competitive-balance-tax hit and will allow the Dodgers to build a better team around him," he reports.
This news doesn't come as a shock to many of the insiders who have been sharing updates about his free agency.
While Houston was never involved in these sweepstakes, this is one of the best results they could have gotten.
They now will not repeatedly face Ohtani in their division for the next 10 years, but their rivals also missed out on the superstar.
