After a months-long flurry of rumors and anticipation on where Shohei Ohtani would begin his next chapter, the global baseball superstar penned a 10-year $700m contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers. It marks the biggest contract in sports history, trumping former teammate Mike Trout’s $426.5m Angels contract, Patrick Mahomes’ $450m Chiefs contract, and even Kylian Mbappé’s $679m PSG contract.
As the value of sports contracts soar, it feels like we see an absurd new nine-figure number going into the pockets of an athlete every few months. Let’s take a step back and look at Ohtani’s $700m payday on a bigger scale.
Ohtani’s new contract breaks down to $2.21 per second, $133.18 per minute, $191,780 per day, and $1,350,000 per week. In one week, Ohtani makes nearly 250% of the 99th percentile income in Chicago. In less than 4 weeks, Ohtani makes Bears starting QB Justin Field’s salary. In the time it takes to watch classic baseball movie Moneyball, Ohtani makes enough to buy 35 Playstation 5s. 10 years of Shohei Ohtani is valued at only 30% less than the entire Miami Marlins franchise.
Smartly, Ohtani made the decision to defer $680 million dollars of his contract to the next decade, instead making only $2 million a year in his time under the Dodgers’ contract. The move will allow the Dodgers more money while he is there to build around him. Ohtani’s contract is greater than anything we’ve ever seen in sports history, but what will perhaps be even larger, is Los Angeles’s expectations for Ohtani.
The MLB season begins March 28, 2024.
