Shohei Ohtani just signed a deal that would make him the 5th largest economy in the world. Ok, maybe not quite that big, but 10 yrs, $700 Million Dollars is certainly unprecedented in the baseball world. Ohtani is obviously somewhat of a unicorn as a player, but we’ve discussed that ad nauseum. Beyond the “that’s a lot of money for a DH” comments that have cropped up, I think there’s an element to the contract that people aren’t discussing. Shohei Ohtani is an international superstar, where he goes the eyes of the Japanese baseball market follow. If you’re tired of hearing about Shohei, that’s a testament to his value, he drives eyeballs to the game and absolutely generates more than $70 million a year in fan interest.
Some Thoughts on the Dolans, Shohei, and Rob Manfred
