LOS ANGELES — Shotime is remaining in LA. 

Shohei Ohtani, the 29-year-old Japanese hitting and pitching phenom, is leaving the Los Angeles Angels in Anaheim to sign with their crosstown neighbors 30 miles north, the Los Angeles Dodgers. 

Ohtani signed a 10-year deal worth $700 million, ESPN's Jeff Pasan reported. According to reports, the Dodgers beat out the Angels and the Toronto Blue Jays for Ohtani's services. 

Ohtani, one of the most sought-after free agents in decades, broke the news on social media. The Dodgers have not made a statement.

The modern-day Babe Ruth thanked the Angels organization and fans for supporting him. 

"To the Angels fans who supported me through all the ups and downs, your guys’ support and cheer meant the world to me," Ohtani wrote on Instagram. "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," he said.

Ohtani's $70 million a year contract is a record and perhaps the largest contract in sports history, topping highs believed to be set by 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's total was 64% higher than baseball's previous record, a $426.5 million, 12-year deal for Angels outfielder Mike Trout that began in 2019.

His $70 million average salary is 62% above the previous high of $43,333,333, shared by pitchers Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander with deals they struck when signing with the New York Mets. Ohtani's average salary nearly doubles the roughly $42.3 million he earned with the Angels. It also exceeds the entire payrolls of Baltimore and Oakland this year.

His agreement includes unprecedented deferred money that will lower the amount it counts toward the Dodgers' luxury tax payroll, a person familiar with the agreement told The Associated Press. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the details were not announced.

Ohtani entered Major League Baseball in 2018 after playing professionally in Japan for the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters of the Nippon Professional Baseball's Pacific League for five years. 

Already well known for his two-way prowess of hitting and pitching the baseball, the then 23-year-old Pacific League MVP left Japan in 2017 and chose the Angels among several suitors, including the Dodgers. 

With the Angels, Ohtani made history as a dual pitching and hitting threat the Major League had not seen since Babe Ruth. 

Ohtani's accomplishments include:

• Being the first Japanese-born player to hit for the cycle in MLB history
• The first player to make an All-Star team as a pitcher and hitter
• The first player to hit 30 home runs and win 10 games as a pitcher in the same season
• The first Japanese player to lead an MLB league in home runs. He led the American League in homers with 44 in 2023
• The first player in baseball history to record a 13-strikeout game as a pitcher and an eight-RBI game as a hitter in back-to-back games, according to ESPN Stats & Info

And baseball statisticians loved feting his two-way performances every time he came up to pitch and bat. 

During his tenure with the Angels, he made three All-Star teams - each time as a pitcher and designated hitter and won two American League Most Valuable Player awards.

As a hitter in his six years with the Angels, he posted a .274 batting average, 171 home runs and 437 RBIs. He led the American League in home runs with 44 in 2023. 

He has a 3.01 earned run average as a pitcher, 38 wins and 19 losses. He struck out over 600 batters while giving up only 173 walks.

However, despite Ohtani's great individual performances and teammates with another generational talent in Mike Trout, success eluded the Angels.

Ohtani has never come close to achieving team success with the hapless franchise, which last made the playoffs in 2014 and won a World Series in 2002. 

He's also suffered a series of injuries, including Tommy John surgery in 2018, knee surgery in 2019, and another torn UCL in 2023. 

Ohtani joins a formidable lineup with the Dodgers, including former MVPs Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman.

The Dodgers last won a World Series in 2020.