LOS ANGELES, March 27 (Reuters) - The Los Angeles Dodgers welcome slugger Shohei Ohtani into a battle for National League supremacy with the Atlanta Braves while the reigning champion Texas Rangers look to repeat as Major League Baseball begins a season that promises drama on and off the field.
The Dodgers went on an epic offseason spending spree that started with the signing of two-way Japanese superstar Ohtani to a record 10-year, $700 million contact, and they didn't stop there.
Ohtani chose to defer the vast majority of his salary, which freed the club up to also add pricey right-handed pitchers Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Tyler Glasnow to a roster already boasting former MVPs Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman.