Shohei Ohtani's historic contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers will see him defer $68 million of his annual $70 million salary, sources familiar with the deal said Monday, significantly lowering his new team's payroll and potential tax burden.
Ohtani agreed on a 10-year, $700 million contract with the Dodgers on Saturday, by far the richest in the history of North American professional sports. A source said then that the majority of the contract would come in deferred money; under this structure, however, Ohtani is deferring more than 97% of his earnings. The deferred money -- totaling $680 million -- will be paid to Ohtani between 2034 and 2043, a source said.