angels of los angeles two way player shohei ohtani he’s a global star, and his projected earnings for the 2023 MLB season certainly reflect that.
Ohtani, who could become a free agent after the season, enters the year on a one-year, $30 million contract with the Angels.
Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Angels celebrates his second home run against the Detroit Tigers at Angel Stadium in Anaheim on September 5, 2022. (Meg Oliphant/Getty Images)
The contract is the highest salary for a arbitration eligible player.
MIKE TROUT HAD THE TIME OF HIS LIFE ‘ACTING OUT HE WEARS ON MY CHEST’ ON WBC
But it’s not just about the on-field earnings for Ohtani, whose global stardom also allows today’s Babe Ruth to set records off the field.
Ohtani is earning an estimated $35 million in endorsement earnings each year, which means 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 several companies in Japan.
For context, the player with the next highest earnings off the field is Aaron Judge of the New York Yankeeswho will earn an estimated $4.5 million in 2023.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM
The combined earnings of the judge for the season 2023 will be $44.5 million.
While Ohtani’s earnings for the 2023 season lead the pack, they will only continue to rise.
Shohei Ohtani fans, from left, Harue Boyle, Sae Koines and Eriko Inoue, wait to see 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 Record via Getty Images)
«Shohei’s buying power is analogous to that of an NBA exclusive shoe athlete,» New Balance CMO Chris Davis told Forbes.
The MVP of the AL 2021 can become one of the most important in baseball coveted free agents of all time following the season, but Ohtani hasn’t revealed much about his future.
«I’m not entirely sure what [agent] nez [Balelo] and the team have been talking, but as far as I’m concerned, 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 am aware of it. From now on I’m an Angel, and that’s all I want to focus on. I haven’t really thought too much about the future.»
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
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 only goal, and the Angels haven’t made the playoffs since the 2014 season.
«I strongly believe that the Angels are on the same page as me,» Ohtani said. «They want to win just as much as I do. I can’t tell you what they’re really thinking, but I like to believe that.»
Ohtani and the Angels open the 2023 season on March 30 against the Oakland Athletics.