MCB staff reacts to Shohei Ohtani's historic contract with Dodgers

MCB staff reactions to the Shohei Ohtani contract.

The deal is done. Baseball's biggest star has signed. Japanese-native and two-way star Shohei Ohtani has decided on where he will spend the rest of his career or at least the next ten seasons. The 29-year-old phenom has finally announced his decision. He has reportedly signed a 10-year, $700 million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers. It may not be the Detroit Tigers, but our staff has some opinions.

Even though the Detroit Tigers were never favorites to land Shohei Ohtani, the staff and I were certainly tuned into the decision. It had been broadcast all over the baseball world and really been the central storyline of this off-season. But the domino has fallen, and Ohtani has his new deal. He'll spend ten seasons with the Dodgers on a historic agreement that is the largest contract in all of professional sports, as reported.

Ohtani's deal has a ton of deferrals and is as team-friendly as a $700 million deal can be, allowing the Dodgers to afford it while also being a team that can compete and bring in other chips to help them find success. It's a massive contract that will get a ton of attention over the coming days, months, and years, and maybe the century with the deferrals. Jokes aside, it's a monumental contract.

With that in mind, let's talk about how our Motor City Bengals staff feels about this contract.

First up, Rogelio Castillo offers up his thoughts...

So far, the Detroit Tigers have been the most active team in the AL Central in the off-season, and as Scott Harris said at his end-of-the-year presser with the media, when spending came up, he was looking for complimentary players. Mark Canha and Kenta Maeda fill a void, but with the Shoeni Ohtani signing, Tigers fans are looking at two scenarios.

One, this kicks off a domino effect, and Detroit makes a move that is a headliner or two; Detroit does something low-key that makes us wonder if it is just another "smartest move in the room." I understand Tiger fans' frustration. But with a series of prospects ready to contribute in Colt Keith, and it's also the middle of December, let's wait and see before the torches are lit again.

Next up, Matthew Scheidel shares his astonishment...

Seven. Hundred. Million. Everyone knew the Dodgers were saving up for Ohtani after an unusually quiet offseason last year, but I don't think anyone thought they were going to spend this much. Holy moly.

Now that Ohtani is off the market, things should finally start to pick up. I hope Scott Harris has his phone charged because he needs to make some calls. The Tigers have already missed a few targets, both in free agency and via trade. It's time to get a move on.

A bat, another starter, and some bullpen help. That's what the Tigers need. Strap in, folks. It will (hopefully) be a busy next week or two.

Lastly, I'll offer my thoughts...

The Detroit Tigers were never the frontrunner for Shohei Ohtani, nor is this move heartbreaking for Tigers fans. I'm not sure anyone out there was expecting the Tigers to make an Ohtani run, and the signing from the Dodgers was on par. But the figures are insane.

Sure, Ohtani will be worth every penny of it from the revenue he will generate in tourism/ticketing as folks come to see him in Dodger Blue, as well as jerseys and memorabilia. $700 million is a daunting number, but if someone crossed the $500 million threshold, it would be Ohtani.

The biggest domino of the off-season has fallen, and now the market can start to get moving again. It may be time for the Tigers to jump into the fray and tighten up their roster. There are chances for the Tigers to get better in front of them via free agency and/or trades; the team just needs to make the moves.

Ohtani watch has come to an end. It's Yoshinobu Yamamoto watch now...