海角大神

Massive deal puts Shohei Ohtani in orbit with other global phenomenons

Baseball star Shohei Ohtani signed a gargantuan 10 year, $700 million contract 鈥� the largest deal in sports history. Yet the Los Angeles Dodgers believe his international, inter-generational appeal will pay dividends.

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Shohei Ohtani has set a financial record to go along with his singular on-field performance, getting $700 million to make a 30-mile move up Interstate 5 to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

His agent, Nez Balelo, issued a news release Dec. 9 announcing the 10-year contract, ending months of speculation that began even before Mr. Ohtani became a free agent on Nov. 2.

鈥淭his is a unique, historic contract for a unique, historic player,鈥� Mr. Balelo said. 鈥淗e is excited to begin this partnership, and he structured his contract to reflect a true commitment from both sides to long-term success.鈥�

Mr. Ohtani has redefined modern baseball since he chose the Los Angeles Angels as his first major league team. Nobody has come close to matching his achievements at the plate and on the mound, becoming one of the majors鈥� elite players in both roles when healthy. Along the way, he has become one of the most marketable athletes in the world, a force when it comes to ticket sales, TV ratings, and sponsorship revenue.

He was a unanimous American League MVP in聽2021聽and聽2023 鈥� he finished second in聽2022 鈥� winning this year despite injuring his elbow in late August and an oblique muscle in early September.

After winning the MVP award in the World Baseball Classic last March while leading Japan to victory 鈥� he struck out Angels teammate Mike Trout to end the tournament聽鈥� Mr. Ohtani maintained his two-way magnificence this year, hitting 44 homers while pitching to a 3.14 earned run average (ERA) before聽tearing his elbow ligament again on Aug. 23. He didn鈥檛 hit after Sept. 3 because of the聽strained right oblique.

Mr. Ohtani鈥檚 total was 64% higher than baseball鈥檚 previous record, a聽$426.5 million, 12-year deal for Mr. Trout聽that began in 2019.聽His average annual salary nearly doubles the roughly $42.3 million he earned with the Angels.

His agreement includes unprecedented deferred money that will lower the amount it counts toward the Dodgers鈥� luxury tax payroll, a person familiar with the agreement told The Associated Press. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the details were not announced.

Mr. Ohtani鈥檚 transcendent success has come with a significant damper: He has never made the playoffs or even played on a winning team in the majors. Owner Arte Moreno鈥檚 Angels haven鈥檛 won more than 80 games or finished higher than third in the AL West during his tenure alongside Mr. Trout, a three-time AL MVP, and a perennially disappointing cast of supporting players. But the Halos won Mr. Ohtani鈥檚 services in late 2017 partly by promising him the freedom to train and to play however he wanted.

This is perhaps the largest contract in sports history, topping highs believed to be set by soccer stars Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbapp茅.

In terms of his marketability, experts point to another name.

The real comparison? Try Taylor Swift.

The global music sensation鈥檚 broad appeal 鈥� one that bridges the gap between generations and expands to other countries 鈥� is an extremely rare phenomenon that Mr. Ohtani shares. There鈥檚 no doubt the Dodgers hope they can leverage the Japanese star鈥檚 arrival into even more money for a franchise that is already one of the most popular in Major League Baseball.

鈥淗e鈥檚 rocketed into a stratosphere all his own,鈥� sports agent Leigh Steinberg said.

Mr. Ohtani was expected to sign the biggest deal in MLB history as a free agent this offseason and didn鈥檛 disappoint. Though he won鈥檛 be able to pitch in 2024 following Tommy John surgery, he should provide plenty of value at the plate before he returns to the mound in 2025.

But the $700 million price tag was more than most imagined.

The reason the Dodgers made that kind of commitment is simple: It鈥檚 probably worth it. Not just because he could help win World Series, but because of the value he brings even if he doesn鈥檛.

鈥淚f Ohtani is marketed right, he鈥檚 a globally iconic player,鈥� said Mike Lewis, a professor of marketing at Emory University who specializes in sports business. 鈥淚t could be like something from Formula One, where you鈥檝e got the attention of the whole world. Baseball has sometimes struggled to gain national attention, but he鈥檚 the kind of guy who attracts millions of eyeballs, and not just from the U.S.鈥�

The Dodgers haven鈥檛 had trouble attracting eyeballs over the past several years. They鈥檙e a perennially successful franchise 鈥� winning the NL West 10 of the past 11 seasons and the World Series in 2020 鈥� and averaged more than 47,000 fans per game last year, best in the sport. They鈥檝e doled out big money to stars like Freddie Freeman, Mookie Betts, and Clayton Kershaw.

But nothing compares to Mr. Ohtani.

Mr. Lewis, the Emory professor, said the spike in interest could be comparable to Major League Soccer鈥檚 Inter Miami, which saw a massive jump in online interaction, particularly on Instagram, after Mr. Messi signed.

As of Dec. 10, the Dodgers鈥� Instagram account had 3.2 million followers. Mr. Ohtani on his own has 6.3 million.

That鈥檚 just the tip of the iceberg. The average fan understands that Mr. Ohtani will generate revenue with more tickets, concessions, and jerseys sold.

But no player drives more interest internationally, especially in Mr. Ohtani鈥檚 native Japan, with a baseball-obsessed population of 126 million. Mr. Ohtani already has a deep group of sponsors targeting audiences on both sides of the Pacific Ocean, including New Balance, ASICS, and Porsche Japan.

For the Dodgers, his international appeal means more companies in the U.S. and abroad are interested in advertising 鈥� Japanese companies frequently paid for prime ad spaces around Angel Stadium when Mr. Ohtani was in Anaheim. That alone brings a cascade of cash that could pay off a significant portion of Mr. Ohtani鈥檚 deal.

For the creative folks in the advertising industry, the possibilities are almost endless.

That鈥檚 where the Swift comparisons come into play.

Ms. Swift was a dominant force in 2023, partly because of 鈥淭he Eras Tour鈥� that sold out shows from coast to coast. But then she took it to the next level, developing a film of that tour that brought in millions of more fans to theaters throughout the country. Fans obsess over her every move on social media, including her budding romance with NFL star Travis Kelce.

Mr. Ohtani is potentially the same type of superstar. His free agency generated the sort of online sleuthing and hysteria usually associated with the Swifties, with fans frantically tracking private plane movements and alleged sightings trying ascertain which of his suitors would land him. Like Ms. Swift, Mr. Ohtani also starred a documentary this year 鈥� his was produced by ESPN.

There鈥檚 also the fact that among athletes, he鈥檚 fairly low risk. He hasn鈥檛 had a hint of controversy through his career, producing a squeaky clean image that any potential advertiser can get behind. In fact, fans know surprisingly little about his personal life 鈥� something that only seems to add intrigue.

Mr. Steinberg, the retired agent, said that he鈥檚 certain every MLB team interested in Mr. Ohtani did a revenue forecast to estimate the amount of money he would generate, even before he touches the field. If the Dodgers were willing to pay $700 million to land him, he鈥檚 confident they did their homework.

Monster homers. Potential dominance on the mound. It鈥檚 a Hollywood script that the Dodgers are hoping comes true.

鈥淗e鈥檚 handsome and he鈥檚 a huge box office draw,鈥� Mr. Steinberg said. 鈥淭here are very few players who can match that. He has appeal to all.鈥�

This story was reported by The Associated Press. David Brandt contributed from Phoenix.