Shohei Ohtani and his agent 'gave Angels the chance to match his massive 10-year, $700million Dodgers contract' before Japanese superstar crossed to the other side of LA

Deep into free agency discussions, Shohei Ohtani and his agent gave the Angels one last chance to lock up the Japanese superstar for the next decade.

Ohtani, the 2023 AL MVP, eventually joined the Dodgers on a 10-year, $700million megadeal.

But according to the LA Times, Ohtani and his agent Nez Balelo approached the Angels last week, giving the franchise the chance to match the Dodgers' outrageous offer.

However, Angels owner Arte Moreno would not authorize the deal.

Angels general manger Perry Minasian declined to say anything of substance about the negotiations when he spoke on Friday.

'I´m not going to get into specifics,' Minasian said. 'I understand the question. I just, when it comes to negotiations, it´s not something we make public, I make public.

'I´ve got a great relationship with Nez, a great relationship with Sho. The organization has a great relationship with both, and we congratulate him on his deal and we wish him nothing but the best.'

Ohtani's controversial Dodgers deal will see him defer $680million of the $700million he is owed until 2034.

He will then be paid the rest over a period stretching to 2043.

Minasian added of the former Angels star, 'It's somebody that I have a huge amount of respect for personally, the organization loved having.'

'He's one of the best players that's ever played for this organization, and we understand that, but life goes on. We´re going to take the rest of the offseason and work as hard as we can to put a really competitive team on the field.'

The Dodgers continued their busy offseason by trading for pitcher Tyler Glasnow.