As you may have already heard by now: after almost six years of pushing s**t uphill with the Los Angeles Angels alongside Mike Trout, Shohei Ohtani has inked a staggering US$700 million (AU$1.06 billion)/10-year contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
“To all Dodgers fans, I pledge to always do what’s best for the team and always continue to give it my all to be the best version of myself,” the once-in-a-generation baseball talent hailing from Ōshū, Japan wrote in an Instagram post.
“Until the last day of my playing career, I want to continue to strive forward not only for the Dodgers but for the baseball world.”
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This headline-making development has led the highly-decorated “Shotime,” who is Major League Baseball’s reigning MVP, to break yet another record. Not just within the realm of baseball, but professional sports period — the world’s most expensive sporting contract.
To put things in a slightly more digestible frame of reference, from his player contract alone, Shohei Ohtani will essentially be earning the following…
- US$70,000,000 (AU$106,387,400) per year
- US$5,833,333.33 (AU$8,865,616.66) per month
- US$1,346,153.84 (AU$2,045,911.53) per week
- US$191,780.82 (AU$291,472.33) per day
- US$7,990.87 (AU$12,144.88) per hour
- US$133.18 (AU$202.41) per minute
- US$2.22 (AU$3.37) per second
And for a slightly more ridiculous point of comparison: the combined value of Shohei Ohtani and soon-to-be-teammate Mookie Betts’ player contracts with the Los Angeles Dodgers amounts to just shy of US$1.07 billion (AU$1.63 billion).
That’s more than the current value of small market MLB franchises like the Miami Marlins (US$1 billion/AU$1.5 billion) and shockingly close to the Oakland Athletics (US$1.2 billion/AU$1.8 billion); the latter of which was the subject of Michael Lewis’ Moneyball, adapted for the screen with stars Brad Pitt and Jonah Hill.
“This is a unique, historic contract for a unique, historic player,” Nez Balelo of CAA Sports, Ohtani’s agent, expressed via statement.
“Shohei is thrilled to be a part of the Dodgers organisation. He is excited to begin this partnership, and he structured his contract to reflect a true commitment from both sides to long-term success.”
Balelo added: “We know fans, media and the entire industry had a high degree of interest in this process, and we want to express our appreciation for their passion and their consideration as it played out.”
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Only time will tell whether this historic 9-figure investment in a player will pay dividends for the Dodgers; whether Ohtani will be able to achieve what he couldn’t during his frustratingly fruitless tenure as part of the Angels’ roster; as well as whether Ohtani’s recovery from Tommy John surgery (his second to date) will continue without a hitch.
Considering the 29-year-old’s status as a two-way superstar — he’s often compared to the legendary Babe Ruth — and all the global hype surrounding the ongoing rise and rise, we certainly like his chances.
Shohei Ohtani’s contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers eclipses the following:
- Lionel Messi [FC Barcelona] — US$674,000,000 (AU$1,024,513,700) over four years
- Cristiano Ronaldo [Al-Nassr] — US$536,336,818 (AU$815,186,375) over two-and-a-half years
- Patrick Mahomes [Kansas City Chiefs] — US$450,000,000 (AU$683,961,750) over 10 years
- Karim Benzema [Al-Ittihad Club] — US$436,336,818 (AU$663,194,875) over two years
- Mike Trout [Los Angeles Angels] — $426,500,000 (AU$648,243,750) over 12 years
- Canelo Alvarez [DAZN Boxing] — US$365,000,000 (AU$554,765,325) over five years
- Mookie Betts [Los Angeles Dodgers] — US$365,000,000 (AU$554,765,325) over 12 years
- Aaron Judge [New York Yankees] — US$360,000,000 (AU$547,165,800) over nine years
- Manny Machado [San Diego Padres] — US$350,000,000 (AU$531,966,750) over 11 years
- Francisco Lindor [New York Mets] — US$341,000,000 (AU$518,287,605) over 10 years
