One big-money California business deal to watch is how rich Angels baseball star Shohei Ohtani will become once his current contract ends this year.
Ohtani, who’s making $30 million in 2023, will be a free agent when the season ends. He’ll be available for hire by any of Major League Baseball’s 30 teams to pursue. It’s all but given he’ll sign the priciest long-term contract in baseball history.
Now, it’s hard to argue that anybody paid $30 million in a single year is underpaid. Hey, it’s the 15th biggest paycheck in baseball, according to Spotrac. But if you’re not a sports fan, please realize this athlete is arguably the game’s best batter and pitcher – a two-way feat nobody else has pulled off.
Next week’s All-Star Game will serve as another billboard for Ohtani’s talents. He’s been named to the American League team twice thanks to his unique mix of skills. The festive gathering will only fuel wild speculation about Ohtani’s future: where will he play in 2024 and beyond … and for how much?
The guessing starts at a half-billion bucks for his next decade of work – topping Anaheim teammate Mike Trout’s $426 million, 12-year deal signed in 2019.
Already, Ohtani’s total baseball earnings – salary plus endorsements – are No. 1 in baseball at $70 million for 2023, as estimated by Sportico.
Ticket seller
I’ll let sports writers tell you how grand Ohtani is using ballgame stats. I’ve got my trusty spreadsheet.
Just think about Ohtani’s star power, measured by how he fills up Angel Stadium when he’s pitching and batting.
Starting pitchers like Ohtani play that position roughly every six days over a grueling six-month-plus season that runs 162 games, half played at home. And note the Angels draw much better on weekends, with crowds roughly 30% larger than mid-week games.
In 2022, Ohtani’s two weekend pitching starts in Anaheim averaged 36,891 in attendance – 629 extra fans vs. the team’s other Saturday or…
Read the full article here
