Last offseason, the Los Angeles Dodgers shocked the baseball world when they inked Japanese superstar Shohei Ohtani to a 10-year, $700 million in free agency. But the $700 million price tag wasn’t even the most shocking part of the deal.
When the contract details emerged, it was revealed Ohtani wasn’t going to make $70 million a year for the next decade. Instead, his money would be spread out over 20 years. He’d make $2 million a year through 2034, and $68 million a year for the 10 years following that.
The initial reaction to the contract was simple. Just about everybody said Ohtani was severely overpaid and no athlete should have a salary like that.
Just one year into Ohtani’s contract, the Japanese superstar has already posted one of the greatest offensive seasons in franchise history en route to a World Series championship. Ohtani is paid this incredible number because of his ability as a two-way star and he hasn’t even thrown a pitch yet.
Besides the play on the field, Ohtani is already going above and beyond to make Los Angeles’ investment in him worth it. One shocking statistic shows that Ohtani might not be overpaid, instead indicating that he could be underpaid.
Former All-Star AJ Pierzynski has revealed a source close to the Dodgers informed him the team has made $120 million off Ohtani alone since signing him.
If this number is accurate, Ohtani may be the most underpaid player in baseball and it might not be close. $120 million of profit would be about 17% of his total contract already made back to the team.
Combine that with the ticket sales, team success, and much more and the contract begins to look like a steal for Los Angeles.
