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Los Angeles Angels two-way player Shohei Ohtani is a global star, and his projected earnings for the 2023 MLB season certainly reflect it.
Ohtani, who could become a free agent following the season, is entering the year under a one-year, $30 million deal with the Angels.
Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Angels celebrates his second home run against the Detroit Tigers at Angel Stadium of Anaheim on Sept. 5, 2022. (Meg Oliphant/Getty Images)
The contract is the largest salary for an arbitration-eligible player.
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But it’s not just the on-field earnings for Ohtani, whose global stardom is also allowing the modern-day Babe Ruth to set records off the field.
Ohtani is making an estimated $35 million in endorsement earnings each year, meaning the two-way star will make an MLB record $65 million in 2023 before taxes and agent fees, according to Forbes.
Ohtani has 13 partnerships, including with multiple companies in Japan.
For context, the player with the next-highest off-the-field earnings is Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees, who will make an estimated $4.5 million in 2023.
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Judge’s combined earnings for the 2023 season will be $44.5 million.
While Ohtani’s earnings for the 2023 season lead the pack, they will only continue to increase.
Fans of Shohei Ohtani, from left, Harue Boyle, Sae Koines and Eriko Inoue, hope to catch a glimpse of their favorite player before a Freeway Series exhibition game between the Angels and Dodgers at Angel Stadium in Anaheim on Monday, March 27, 2023. (Leonard Ortiz/MediaNews Group/Orange County Register via Getty Images)
"Shohei's earning power is analogous to that of a NBA signature shoe athlete," New Balance CMO Chris Davis told Forbes.
The 2021 AL MVP can become one of baseball’s most coveted free agents of all time after the season, but Ohtani has not given much away regarding his future.
"I’m not entirely sure what [agent] Nez [Balelo] and the team have been talking about, but as far as myself, I haven’t really heard anything about an extension," Ohtani said through an interpreter in February, according to MLB.com. "I’m just trying to focus on the season. This is my last year, and I’m aware of that. As of now I’m an Angel, and that’s all I want to focus on. I haven’t really thought too far ahead."
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Shohei Ohtani of the Angels warms up during an exhibition game against the Dodgers at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles on Sunday, March 26, 2023. (Keith Birmingham/MediaNews Group/Pasadena Star-News via Getty Images)
Ohtani has made it clear that winning is his sole focus, and the Angels have not made the playoffs since the 2014 season.
"I do firmly believe the Angels are on the same page as me," Ohtani said. "They want to win as much as I do. I can’t tell you what they are really thinking, but I like to believe that."
Ohtani and the Angels open the 2023 season on March 30 against the Oakland A’s.