Who knew? Turns out Dodgers got away with highway robbery on Shohei Ohtani’s deal

Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani is set to generate $770 million economic impact this year. Keep in mind this year, Ohtani is only making $2 million per year and is generating way beyond that.

Kansai University Professor Emeritus Miyamoto Katsuhiro calculated the economic effect Ohtani on MLB this year. His direct impact which includes ticket sales, food, merchandise, sponsorship fees, ads, broadcasting revenue, and more sits around $357 million. But his value balloons to that $770 million figure because of his impact on companies around baseball.

According to Forbes, the average revenue per team in Major League Baseball last season was $378 million.

Shohei Ohtani is already worth all that money

We all knew when Ohtani signed his ridiculous contract that only pays him $2 million per year from 2024 to 2033 that it was obviously one that was unheard of for a star of his caliber. It does put tons of money in his pocket for the long term.

His contract doesn't jump up to $68 million per year until the 2034 season and goes through the 2043 season.

The economic impact of Ohtani from this season is one of the reasons many people were upset with him signing his deal. This and obviously his small contract allows the Dodgers more spending money for the moment.

To put this all into perspective, MLB made $11 billion in 2024. This all includes media, sponsorships, ticket sales, and much more. The fact that Ohtani generated $770 million means he brings in around five percent of the league's income on his own.

The fact that the Dodgers are playing for a World Series in his first year with the team proves they got away with highway robbery. In addition to breaking records, this two-way player continues to change the current and future landscape of baseball across the world and especially MLB.