Baseball: Nippon Ham says Ohtani's deal with Angels effective

The Nippon Ham Fighters said Friday they have been notified by Major League Baseball that Shohei Ohtani's contract with the Los Angeles Angels has officially taken effect.The Sapporo-based Fighters, where Ohtani spent the first five years of his professional career, posted the 23-year-old pitcher and slugger Dec. 1 and will receive a $20 million posting fee from the Angels for their negotiating rights.According to Fighters general manager Hiroshi Yoshimura, the fee will be paid in installments, and once the first sum is confirmed, Nippon Ham will start the paperwork to release the player fr…READ FULL ARTICLE