LA Dodgers Fans Extend Warm Gesture to Shohei Ohtani After Blockbuster $700M Signing

It has been a little over a week since Shohei Ohtani became a part of the LA Dodgers clubhouse after cracking a massive $700 million deal. And it looks like their fanbase has already started making some crafty little—or not so little—welcome gifts for the two-way superstar. What colors of appreciation have the people of Los Angeles decided to paint Ohtani with this time?

Shohei Ohtani has been making strides since he entered MLB, but the details of the deal revealed that he has a magnanimous streak to his personality. One that is seldom heard of in professional athletes. It looks like fans of the Blue Crew have taken serious note of it and started paying it back in kind.

A sweet gift of gratitude for Shohei Ohtani

In a Twitter (now X) video posted today, a street artist from LA, Gustavo Zermeño Jr., was seen making a lifelike mural of Shohei Ohtani on one of the walls in the city. According to Dodgers Tailgate, the beautiful gesture reportedly took place at Manhattan Ave., Hermosa Beach.

From what seems to have called for hours and hours worth of meticulous efforts, the artist was seen leaving some finishing touches on Shotime’s gigantic portrait. The spray cans seen scattered all around the creator only denote that not a single stroke of the mural was machine-made. A thoughtful and strenuous deed—no questions about that, but LA has only the best to offer its shining hope in baseball.

It looks like Shohei Ohtani’s own thoughtful gesture for the Dodgers team started paying back in kind – way before their games did! What did he do that made him garner such appreciation and reverence from the team and their fans’ behalf?

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Gesture for a gesture, much?

Shohei Ohtani reportedly chose the deferred payment structure so it could go easy on the team’s finances. The $2 million a year payment for 10 years and the $680 million gross amount that Ohtani will receive upon the completion of his Dodgers contract save the team millions in taxes. It also allows them to add more talent to the team to create a winning roster.

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Ohtani is focused on the huge championship chances he will get with the team given their track record. Since he will easily earn $50 million a year in endorsements other than his salary, it’s perhaps not that big of a deal. Here’s hoping that the consistent generosity turns into his well-known aggressive stance in the games soon!