When Shohei Ohtani announced that he would be signing a longterm deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers, only one figure stood out — and it was the $700 million the contract would pay Ohtani.
And while it initially appeared that Ohtani would be the highest-paid athlete in North American pro sports, the reality of the Dodgers deal is looking far different. In fact, a first-round pick in the NBA draft could be making more in 2024 than Ohtani.
According to ESPN’s Jeff Passan, Ohtani’s salary will be almost entirely deferred until after the 10 years with the Dodgers are done. Basically, Ohtani will make $2 million per season over the next 10 years, and when the contract ends, he’ll receive the remaining $680 million in deferred payments ($68 million per year for 10 years).
Shohei Ohtani's $700 million contract calls for him to be paid only $2 million a year for the next 10 seasons, with $680 million deferred until the end of the deal, sources confirm to ESPN.
The CBT hit on the contract is going to be around $46 million, a huge discount for L.A.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) December 11, 2023
The framework of that deal obviously help the Dodgers compete in the short term, but it also had to take Ohtani — a two-time MVP — being cool with $2 million per year until 2033. That’s something that nobody would have expected, and the deferred payments will actually put Bobby Bonilla Day to shame.
No wonder MLB fans were stunned. Austin Hedges, for example, is getting paid more than Ohtani next season. It’s all so wild.