Shohei Ohtani is known to as a once-in-a-lifetime player by the media and his sponsors. The Japanese man’s net worth was in the middle range before he helped the pitcher and designated hitter secure the biggest contract in sports history.
Ohtani’s net worth was $50 million prior to signing to a big contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers, according to sites like SportsKeeda and ClutchPoints.
He became the highest-paid baseball player off the field in 2022 after signing a one-year, $30 million contract with the Los Angeles Angels and endorsement deals totaling about $35 million.
On December 9, however, Ohtani agreed to a 10-year, $700 million deal with the Dodgers, surpassing the previous greatest Major League contract, which was $426.5 million over 12 years awarded to Mike Trout by the Angels in 2019.
Ohtani’s contract was even more expensive than Patrick Mahomes’ $450 million NFL salary with the Kansas City Chiefs over the next ten years.
Ohtani’s probable net worth in 2024
Terms of the deal remain confidential, but industry media speculate that Ohtani will earn about $105 million annually from his salary and sponsorship deal with the Dodgers.
However, this all depends primarily on the terms of the contract. Both teams and MLB have assured players that they have asked them to take certain steps to help teams balance their salaries and hire more talent.
Similarly, his sponsorship is sure to increase in the coming months thanks to the massive spread of news about this agreement. Ohtani’s sponsorship deals already far exceed the average for a baseball player. Now his income could skyrocket.
According to report, Trout’s sponsorship income amounts to about $4 million, while the now-retired Alex Rodriguez earned about $35 million from advertising over his career, and Ohtani took just a few steps to reach that number. It only takes one year.
Ohtani’s health becomes another factor
Amid all his sporting and financial success, there’s only one factor to worry about for Shohei: his health.
It is estimated that this player was so injury prone that he only played in 72% of the Angels’ games during his six years with the team. In fact, he just had surgery on his right elbow in September, which sidelined him for the rest of the season.
It is a marvel that he became the first player to record 10 pitching wins and over 30 home runs in a single season while he was on the field, but if his health is compromised, he may also lose some money.
The numbers show that Ohtani, at 29, is in the prime of his career. Given that baseball players have some of the longest careers in any professional sports, it is highly possible that the player will play on diamonds until his Dodgers contract ends.
