Shohei Ohtani just blew every other major professional sports contract out of the water.

The MLB superstar has agreed to a 10-year contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers for $700 million, it was announced Saturday. Ohtani’s annual salary shatters the previous MLB record of $43.3 million set by New York Mets (and now Texas Rangers) pitcher Max Scherzer last season and easily exceeds the total package of $426.5 million given to former Angels teammate Mike Trout in 2019.

The deal also exceeds previous record contracts of more than $600 million signed by international soccer stars Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappé.

“This is a unique, historic contract for a unique, historic player,” Ohtani’s agent, Nez Balelo of CAA Sports, said in a statement. “He is excited to begin this partnership, and he structured his contract to reflect a true commitment from both sides to long-term success.”

Ohtani won his second American League Most Valuable Player award in 2023 as a member of the Los Angeles Angels, for whom he has become the first MLB player in nearly a century to excel as both a hitter and pitcher simultaneously. In 135 games this past season, Ohtani led the AL in home runs (44), on-base percentage (.412) slugging percentage (.684) and total bases (325), while also posting 167 strikeouts and a 3.14 ERA in 132 innings on the mound.

The 29-year-old Ohtani won’t be able to pitch for at least the first year of his contract after undergoing a second “Tommy John” surgery on his pitching elbow in September. But he’s still one of the top hitters in the game — not to mention a unique box office draw and marketing phenomenon — even if he never throws another pitch.

In moving across town from the Angels to the Dodgers, Ohtani resets the balance of power in the National League, where the Atlanta Braves and Philadelphia Phillies have made up ground in recent years. He joins fellow former MVPs Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman to give his new team unprecedented star power, in addition to arguably three of the top 10 hitters in the game.

Ohtani also reportedly seriously considered the Toronto Blue Jays and even returning to the Angels. Friday was a day of wild speculation, with at least one erroneous national report surfacing that he had flown to Toronto to announce he was signing with the Blue Jays.

“I apologize for taking so long to come to a decision,” Ohtani said in an English-language statement on Instagram. “I would like to express my sincere gratitude to everyone involved with the Angels organization and the fans who have supported me over the past six years, as well as to everyone involved with each team that was part of this negotiation process. Especially to the Angels fans who supported me through all the ups and downs, your guys’ support and cheer meant the world to me. The six years I spent with the Angels will remain etched in my heart forever.

“And to all Dodgers fans, I pledge to always do what’s best for the team and always continue to give it my all to be the best version of myself. Until the last day of my playing career, I want to continue to strive forward not only for the Dodgers but for the baseball world.”

Ohtani came to the U.S. in 2018 after starring for the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters of the Pacific League in his native Japan. He won the AL Rookie of the Year his first season with the Angels, then missed parts of the next two years after suffering his first major elbow injury.

Ohtani returned to full health in 2021, and won his first AL MVP Award that season. He finished second to Aaron Judge for MVP in 2022, but finished fourth in the AL Cy Young Award voting.

After leading Japan to the gold medal in the World Baseball Classic last March, Ohtani was enjoying perhaps his best season yet when he left an Aug. 9 start due to elbow pain that was later revealed to be a torn ulnar collateral ligament. He was shut down from pitching for the remainder of the season, but continued to hit for another three-plus weeks before leaving the lineup for good on Sept. 3.