Shohei Ohtani Signs Richest Contract in Sports History

Messi or Ronaldo? Shohei Ohtani. Yes, because the Japanese baseball champion has signed the richest new contract in the history of sport, 700 million dollars for the next 10 years, to move from the Angels to the Dodgers, while remaining in Los Angeles, the city of Hollywood and showbiz world. The phenomenal Japanese player, who landed in MLB in 2018 and won two American League MVP awards in 2021 and 2023, has not yet played a single playoff game in his career and therefore has chosen the Dodgers to try to attack to the World Series. Ohtani’s contract, which is fully guaranteed although very particular and with “deferrals” to lighten the burden of luxury taxes and facilitate the flexibility of the franchise, is greater in a single season than what the Marlins, Brewers, Guardians, Royals, Pirates spend, Reds, A’s and Orioles to pay 26 players.

The class of 1994, a champion both as a pitcher and as a hitter in the outfield role, boasts 171 home runs and 437 home runs in his career, and in 2023 he led Japan to victory in the World Baseball Classic in Miami. Ohtani was the biggest name on the free agent market, he was also followed by the Toronto Blue Jays, San Francisco Giants and Chicago Cubs, but in the end he chose to stay in Los Angeles and sign with the Dodgers. He is a generational talent in his sport, despite struggling with some injuries: in fact, due to an elbow injury and subsequent surgery, in 2024 Ohtani will only play at bat while from 2025 he will also resume his place on the mound to pitch.

Obviously, however, what is impressive about Ohtani is the size of the contract signed, 700 million dollars over 10 years. Based on the figures of the specialized magazine Forbes, the Japanese surpasses the pharaonic partnerships of Lionel Messi at the time of Barcelona, ​​of Cristiano Ronaldo with Al Nassr, of the golfer Jon Rahm and of the NFL quarterback Patrick Mahomes, all well over 400 million dollars, not to mention that for example LeBron James reached 530 million but in 21 years of career. However, no one at the level of Shohei Ohtani, the new Scrooge of world sport.

Top 10 richest contracts in sports

1 – SHOHEI OHTANI (Baseball) | 700 million (10 years)2 – Lionel Messi (Football) | 674 million (5 years) **3 – Jon Rahm (Golf) | 520 million (3 years)4 – Cristiano Ronaldo (Football) | 518 million (2.5 years)5 – Patrick Mahomes (Boxing) | 450 million (10 years)6 – Mike Trout (Baseball) | 427 million (12 years)7 – Mookie Betts (Baseball) | 365 million (12 years)8 – Canelo Alvarez | 365 million (5 years) *9 – Aaron Judge (Baseball) | 360 million (9 years)10 – Manny Machado (Baseball) | 350 million (11 years)

* signed in 2018, resolved in 2020

** not a single contract but several renewals with Barcelona, ​​the last one in 2017

Ohtani’s contract (in dollars)

700 million in 10 years70 million per year5.83 million per month1.45 million per week207 thousand dollars per day8,630 dollars per hour143 dollars per minute2.39 dollars per second
2023-12-09 22:01:42
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