Shohei Ohtani Raking In Jaw Dropping Endorsement Money This Season

It's been a very good few months for Shohei Ohtani. Ohtani signed a record contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers in December, agreeing to a 10-year, $700 million deal after spending the first part of his career with the perennially disappointing Los Angeles Angels.

That contract though, contained one very unusual provision: 97% of his salary is deferred until after Ohtani finishes his MLB career. 

Many of the largest contracts in baseball have significant deferrals; even the Dodgers' agreements with Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman will see some of their guaranteed money paid out well into the 2030's. But the scale of Ohtani's deferrals are unprecedented.

The 29-year-old star suggested that provision to help his team keep adding players this season. The Dodgers did just that, with Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tyler Glasnow and Teoscar Hernandez. And while it was a selfless decision from Ohtani to take less in current salary, a new estimate of his endorsement earnings this season shows that though the Dodgers will pay him just $2 million, he's still by far the highest paid player in the sport.

SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA - MARCH 18: Shohei Ohtani #17 of the Los Angeles Dodgers reacts after fling out out in the 1st inning during the exhibition game between Team Korea and Los Angeles Dodgers at Gocheok Sky Dome on March 18, 2024 in Seoul, South Korea. (Photo by Masterpress/Getty Images)

Shohei Ohtani Bringing In Massive Endorsement Deals

Per Sportico, Ohtani is set to earn $65 million in endorsement deals this season. The next two top MLB players, Bryce Harper and Aaron Judge, will make just $13 million combined.

It had been estimated in the past that Ohtani earned roughly $50 million from endorsements with the Angels, but moving into Los Angeles and to one of baseball's signature franchises apparently set that number even higher. 

MLB estimates the present value of Ohtani's contract at roughly $460 million, so even with the deferrals, he's set to effectively earn $46 million in salary this year. And $65 million in endorsements, meaning his total compensation for 2024 is essentially $111 million. Not too shabby!

That's the value in being an international celebrity, in a way few other baseball players are. 

Judge and Harper are big names domestically, but have little name recognition outside of hardcore baseball fans in other countries. Ohtani though, is a big name everywhere, especially in Asia. And clearly, it's paying off. 

The Dodgers won the first game of the season over the San Diego Padres, with Ohtani going 2-5 with a run batted in and an easy stolen base. Given how little salary they're giving him this year, he's almost assuredly already paid for himself. And outside advertisers are paying him a whole lot more.