Los Angeles Angels superstar Shohei Ohtani doesn’t need to reach free agency to make historic money in 2023.
According to Forbes’ Justin Birnbaum, Ohtani will earn an estimated $65M for the upcoming season between his salary and endorsement deals, an MLB record for any one player.
This past October that Ohtani and the Angels had agreed to a one-year, $30M contract extension for 2023 to avoid salary arbitration.
It was the largest deal ever signed by an arbitration-eligible player in MLB history. Birnbaum noted that Ohtani is making “at least $35M in endorsement earnings annually.”
In 2022, Ohtani made an estimated $20M from endorsements. He is set to hit free agency following the 2023 season and should sign the largest contract ever given to a single player.
Ohtani won the AL MVP Award in 2021 and then finished second in voting to the Yankees Aaron Judge this past season.
Most recently, Ohtani helped Team Japan win the World Baseball Classic and struck out Angels teammate Mike Trout to clinch the tournament championship last week.
Angels superstar Shohei Ohtani. Photo courtsey of NBC Sports
