Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani is a historic baseball player and the versatile MLB icon’s contract and salary reflect this reality. Ahead of the 2024 season, Ohtani signed a massive 10-year, $700,000 contract with the Dodgers in a high stakes free agency battle.
This gives Ohtani an average annual salary of $70 million but some of this money is deferred. Ohtani’s salary counts at $28.2 million annually, per Spotrac.
In the 10 years following Ohtani’s deal coming to a close in 2034, the star has a deferred amount of $68 million annually. Ohtani will earn this whopping $68 million each year through 2043.
Here’s what you need to know about Ohtani’s contract.
Shohei Ohtani’s $700 Million Contract Is Comparable to Juan Soto’s $765 Million Deal, But the Star Hits &Pitches for the Dodgers
It is a lot of money to be paying one player, but a strong argument can be made that Ohtani is like having two athletes on the roster. Not only is Ohtani is a star slugger, but he also pitches for the Dodgers.
By comparison, Juan Soto signed a historic 15-year, $765 million contract with the New York Mets last offseason. Yet, Ohtani is a much more versatile player making him have more valuable than the Mets star.
Shohei Ohtani Will Earn $68 Million Annually in Deferred Money From 2034 to 2043
Ohtani’s deal is unique given the massive amount of deferred money. This gives the Dodgers some wiggle room to build a competitive roster around Ohtani, but it can also be risky business.
One can imagine how the 2043 Dodgers will be impacted by paying Ohtani $68 million in deferred money for a player who is unlikely to still be on the roster.
“Ohtani’s contract calls for $2 million annual salaries and $68 million deferred each year without interest to be paid in $68 million installments between 2034 and 2043,” Sportico’s Kurt Badenhausen wrote in a December 15, 2023, story titled, “Shohei Ohtani Dodgers Contract: Details of Record $700M Deal.” “Salary deferrals in baseball are not new.
“Jerry Colangelo negotiated contract deferrals for many of the stars on the Arizona Diamondbacks 20-plus years ago that allowed him to retain the high-priced talent and win the 2001 World Series. Colangelo was ousted as managing partner three years after the World Series win, and new control owner Ken Kendrick was saddled with more than $250 million in contracts to pay off that he said impacted the team’s payrolls.”
Dodgers Star Shohei Ohtani Earned an Estimated $102 Million in 2025
Soto and Ohtani were the two highest-paid MLB players in 2025. Ohtani is deferring 97% of his sizable $700 million contract and a big reason the star can do this is his endorsement earnings. Sportico reported that Ohtani earned $102 million in 2025.
“Ohtani is on track to earn $100 million this year through endorsements, merchandise and licensing,” Badenhausen detailed in an October 24, story titled, “How Shohei Ohtani Made $102 Million in 2025.” “The tally is 10x what the No. 2 athlete in baseball, Bryce Harper, is set to make. The only other instance of a similar disparity between the top two athletes in a major sport over the past 30 years was when Usain Bolt was at his peak, making $30 million a year, 10x anyone else in track and field.
“… He has more than 20 brand partners, divided almost evenly between being companies headquartered in the U.S. versus Japan, but almost all the brands use him globally. New Balance is his biggest pact, where his deal is more akin to a global NBA superstar shoe deal than anything in baseball. He has his own clothing and shoe lines.”
In addition to New Balance, Ohtani has endorsement deals with a number of companies including Beats, Fortnite, Seiko and Ito En.
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