Watch: Shohei Ohtani's lavish gift spellbinds Dodgers reliever Joe Kelly's wife Ashley
The Los Angeles Dodgers have constantly been in the news this December with Shohei Ohtani taking the lion's share of the headlines. Everything he does and everywhere he goes has been followed, and this goes for everything he buys too.
The LA Dodgers' official X handle posted a video on Christmas Eve where Ohtani gifted teammate Joe Kelly's wife, Ashley, a Porsche for her Ohtake17 campaign.
"It’s yours…from Shohei.' Shohei gifted Joe Kelly’s wife Ashley with a new car for her Ohtake17 campaign."
Clearly taken aback, Ashley was stunned by the gift.
The #Ohtake17 Campaign went viral on social media, as Ashley offered up her husband’s No. 17 jersey to try and help land Shohei Ohtani. There was also a jest about changing their baby's name from Kai to ShoKai. Although this might not have been the decisive factor in Ohtani's signature, it was clearly appreciated.
This gift from Ohtani certainly will make Christmas that little bit more special in the Kelly household.
Shohei Ohtani is joined at LA Dodgers by Yoshinobu Yamamoto
Shohei Ohtani was not the only major splash the Dodgers made in free agency this winter. After landing Ohtani on a record-setting $700 million deal, they also agreed terms on a $325 million deal with Yoshinobu Yamamoto.
While Ohtani's is the biggest contract in sports history, Yamamoto's is the most money given to a pitcher in total value.
This move was somewhat unexpected, as it felt like the New York Mets had the spending power to outbid anyone. While they made the same offer as the Dodgers, and the New York Yankees offered a higher average annual value, Yamamoto chose the Dodgers.
Jon Morosi summed it up on MLB Network:
"I was told simply by a source who knows the Japanese baseball scene very well... Yamamoto simply wanted to be a Dodger and play with Ohtani, in no particular order."
The two players are going to be under the microscope as the Dodgers are intent on making a big push for the World Series in 2024. The pressure on them to succeed will be enormous given the size of these contracts, and if they cannot deliver, these deals will age badly.