The media and his sponsors describe Shohei Ohtani as a once-in-a-lifetime player. That talent helped the pitcher and designated hitter sign the largest contract in the history of sports; prior to that, the Japanese man's net worth was in the middle range.
According to outlets like SportsKeeda and ClutchPoints, before signing a massive deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Ohtani's net worth was $50 million.
The figure came from a one-year, $30 million contract he signed in 2022 with the Los Angeles Angels and endorsements worth around $35 million, making him the highest-earning baseball player off the field.
However, on December 9, Ohtani signed a 10-year, $700 million contract with the Dodgers, which eclipsed the previous best contract in Major Leagues: the $426.5 million over 12 years that the Angels gave to Mike Trout in 2019.
Ohtani's deal even far exceeded the $450 million that Patrick Mahomes will earn with the Kansas City Chiefs in the NFL over the next 10 years.
Ohtani's probable net worth in 2024
Although the clauses of the contract remain confidential, specialized media speculate that Ohtani could pocket around $105 million annually between his salary with the Dodgers and his sponsorships.
However, all this will depend, first of all, on the terms of the contract. Both the team and the MLB assure that the player himself asked to include a certain number of deferrals that will allow the team to balance its payroll and hire more talent.
Likewise, his sponsorships will surely increase in the coming months, thanks to the massive dissemination of the news of the agreement. Already, Ohtani's advertising deals are well above average for a baseball player; now, his earnings could skyrocket.
According to Forbes, Trout's endorsements reach around $4 million, while the now-retired Alex Rodriguez earned around $35 million in advertising throughout his career, a figure that takes Ohtani only a year to earn.
Ohtani's health will be another factor
In the midst of sporting and economic success, there is only one factor of concern for Shohei: his health.
The player is injury-prone to the point that it is estimated that he was only able to play in 72% of Angels games in the six years he was with the team. In fact, just in September, he had to undergo surgery on his right elbow that kept him out for the rest of the season.
When he is on the field, it is a phenomenon that he became the first player to accumulate 10 wins as a pitcher and more than 30 home runs in the same season, but if his health is affected, his income could also suffer some loss.
At 29 years old, Ohtani is at the peak of his career, as the numbers indicate. The professional life of baseball players is one of the longest in professional sports, so it is quite likely that the player will remain on the diamonds long enough to reach the end of his contract with the Dodgers.
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