MLB
Shohei Ohtani net worth: Contract and endorsements for baseball’s global ambassador
One of sports apparel’s most enduring brands is arguably adding baseball’s most prominent name to its impressive roster of endorsers.
A few days after striking out Los Angeles Angels teammate Mike Trout in the finale of the World Baseball Classic, winning the WBC title for Japan over Team USA, and winning the tournament MVP award, Shohei Ohtani is ready to break more records in and out of the game of baseball.
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Shohei Ohtani has been breaking frontiers on the field since he came to Major League Baseball from Japan for the 2018 season. His honors include American League MVP, All-Star as both hitter and pitcher, and last week, a World Baseball Classic MVP and a gold medal for Japan. Ohtani was born and raised in Oshu, a small city in northern Japan where both his parents played on sports teams—dad, baseball; mom, badminton—sponsored by the local Mitsubishi plant, where his father worked. Regarded early on as an elite two-way player, Ohtani was the first Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters pick in the 2012 draft. He played in NPB for the Fighters from 2013 through 2017 as a pitcher and an outfielder and won the 2016 Japan Series with them. The Fighters posted Ohtani to MLB after the 2017 season, and he signed with the Angels, soon winning the 2018 American League (AL) Rookie of the Year Award.
What is Ohtani’s net worth?
Ohtani is among several players entering their final seasons before being eligible for free agency. There is still a moment for autographs and press conferences before opening day, but the records show a new contract becomes less likely once the real games begin.
Ohtani until now earned $5.5 million from his Angels’ contract and $20 million yearly from endorsements. He’s on the cover of the latest version of the popular MLB The Show video game, signed as a global ambassador with brands like Hugo Boss, ASICS (since January has a new contract signed with New Balance), Kowa, and Japan Airlines. Off the field, his historic achievements have pushed his endorsement earnings to the highest in the sport’s history and on a status earmarked for global soccer and basketball icons. Ohtani is a baseball phenomenon on and off the field, and he will make an estimated $40 million in endorsements in 2023 after a series of new agreements. Ohtani will earn a projected $70 million in 2023, including his Angels salary, outdoing Max Scherzer ($60.3 million), Justin Verlander ($44.3 million), and Aaron Judge ($44 million).
After an eight-year partnership with ASICS, his new long-term shoe endorsement deal with New Balance will probably bring him an 8-digit figure at the end of the contract. Ohtani joins an underrated group of athlete partners at New Balance, which includes two-time Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard, Sydney McLaughlin, Coco Gauff, Raheem Sterling, and Sadio Mane. The company has also worked with pop culture staples Jack Harlow and Jaden Smith.
New Angels contract for Ohtani
Ohtani expects a significant pay raise this year—his final season before free agency. The Los Angeles Angels did pay him $5.5 million last year. Still, the club and Ohtani bypassed arbitration with a one-year, $30 million deal last fall, a record salary for an arbitration-eligible player.
The Angels announced that Ohtani was once again named the team’s Los Angeles Angels Player of the Year of 2022 and the team’s Nick Adenhart Pitcher of the Year Award, as voted by his teammates. This justified his 2023 record salary and introduced us to what is ahead.
By the end of 2023, Ohtani will probably sign the largest MLB contract ever, breaking the $426.5 million record held by his Angels teammate Mike Trout.
Ohtani’s soaring fame and popularity will continue to pay compensation, even for those in his trajectory. Thanks to their star, the Angels have landed in-stadium sponsorships from Japanese companies like Funai Electric Co. and JAE.