Shohei Ohtani Opens Up on His Deferrals, Dodgers’ Promise to Him
The Los Angeles Dodgers and Shohei Ohtani made history after agreeing to a 10-year, $700 million contract in Dec. 2023. The most unique aspect of the landmark deal was the fact that 97 percent of Ohtani’s contract was deferred.
For most, if not all, other players, deferring so much of a contract would not have been feasible, but Ohtani isn’t like most players. The superstar earns more than $60 million from endorsements, which allowed the Dodgers to make a unique and profitable investment when they signed Ohtani.
The sacrifice for Ohtani was well worth it. In his first season with the Dodgers, Ohtani became the first player to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases. He also had the best offensive season of his career and won his first World Series in the first postseason appearance of his career.
“It definitely was rewarding,” Ohtani told Bob Nightengale of USA Today. “You know, Mark, Andrew, the owners, we all made a promise to each other that we would go out and create the best team to put out on the field. And we were able to win the World Series, so in that sense, we were able to keep our promise towards each other.”
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Thanks to Ohtani’s deferred payments, the Dodgers are in the process of building baseball’s next dynasty. The five-year, $185 million signing of Blake Snell would not have been possible without Ohtani’s unique contract.
Not only did the Dodgers benefit from landing their $700 million man, but the organization also gained financial flexibility because of the manner in which Ohtani’s contract is structured.
“I know they’re renovating the field [$100 million on clubhouses] right now, putting in even more resources to sign possibly other players, so it was refreshing and rewarding to know that we all did our part to help the Dodgers win the World Series,” Ohtani said.
Ohtani’s historic contract set the bar for the next free agent class. As outfielder Juan Soto searches for his own lucrative deal, the standard is set because of Ohtani.
Photo Credit: Owen Ziliak/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK
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