The Angels and Shohei Ohtani have avoided perhaps the most unique arbitration case in baseball history by agreeing to a one-year, $30MM pact for the 2023 season. Ohtani is still scheduled to reach free agency following the 2023 campaign. Ohtani is represented by CAA Sports.
The two-way star becomes the 20th player in baseball to receive a $30MM average annual value on a contract, and that $30MM figure also establishes two other notable thresholds. Ohtani will now receive the largest salary ever for an arbitration-eligible player, and he also gets the biggest year-to-year raise for an arb-eligible player, after he earned $5.5MM this season. That $5.5MM salary was established in an earlier extension that avoided arbitration, as Ohtani and the Angels agreed to a two-year, $8.5MM contract in February 2021 that covered the first two of his three arb-eligible years.
At the time of that deal, Ohtani has pitched only 1 2/3 total innings over the 2019-20 seasons, due to a Tommy John surgery and then a flexor strain. He was also coming off a mediocre year at the plate, hitting only .190/.291/.366 over 175 plate appearances during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season. Though Ohtani was hardly the only player to struggle under the unusual circumstances of the 2020 campaign, there was speculation that his 2018 rookie season might have been his peak, and that Ohtani would be better served by choosing either hitting or pitching.
Instead, Ohtani bounced back with two of the most extraordinary seasons in baseball history. Since Opening Day 2021, Ohtani has hit .267/.366/.560 with 80 home runs over 1282 plate appearances, while also posting a 2.72 ERA and an array of dazzling secondary metrics over 291 1/3 innings. After winning AL MVP honors in 2021, it looks as if Ohtani will be at worst a second-place finisher in this year’s MVP race (due to Aaron Judge’s all-timer of a season), and he’ll also earn a good chunk of votes in the AL Cy Young Award race.
With this in mind, it can certainly be argued that $30MM is still a bargain from the Angels’ perspective, considering that Ohtani would earn hefty salaries if he was “only” an All-Star hitter or “only” an All-Star pitcher. It would’ve been fascinating to see what arbitration figures the Angels and Ohtani’s camp would’ve submitted in this unprecedented scenario, but this agreement sidesteps that possibility.
Los Angeles now has three players earning at least $30MM in 2023, as Ohtani joins Mike Trout ($35.45MM) and Anthony Rendon ($38MM). In practical terms, it doesn’t change much for the Angels’ payroll situation, as the team naturally figured it would be paying Ohtani some type of gigantic salary in his final arb-eligible year. In pure dollars and cents, it doesn’t actually represent much different from the Angels’ 2022 payroll, as the since-released Justin Upton was earning $28MM in the final year of his contract with the club.
Ohtani’s future beyond 2023 remains a mystery, as he’ll be heading into free agency presumably still in his prime both on the mound and at the plate. Though Ohtani turns 29 in July, his two-way ability might still land him the biggest contract in baseball history, topping the $365MM in new money given to Mookie Betts in his extension with the Dodgers prior to the 2020 season.
In reaching an agreement with Ohtani now, the Angels front office gets one big question mark settled heading into what might be one of the most uncertain offseasons in franchise history. Owner Arte Moreno is looking into a possible sale, and with this situation lingering over the organization, it isn’t clear how aggressive GM Perry Minasian will be allowed to be in upgrading the roster. The Halos are struggling through their seventh consecutive losing season, so while a teardown isn’t out of the question, it is also possible Moreno might order a final push to try and return to the postseason one final time under his ownership.
Until there’s more clarity with the potential sale, it is hard to gauge what will happen with Ohtani in Anaheim. Given that Ohtani has already expressed his displeasure with losing, it seems hard to believe that he would agree to an extension unless he was satisfied that the team was heading in the right direction — even if a new owner does take over within 7-8 months, their influence might not be apparent in the short window of time before Ohtani can test the open market. A new owner might bring a new willingness to exceed the luxury tax threshold, and thus it wouldn’t necessarily be an obstacle in adding a massive Ohtani deal worth more than $40MM (at least) in AAV on top of the long-term Trout and Rendon contracts.
A trade also can’t be ruled out, though it seems like the least likely scenario considering that Moreno vetoed any possibility that Ohtani would be swapped prior to the last trade deadline. As noted by The Athletic’s Fabian Ardaya, establishing Ohtani’s 2023 price tag early gives any interested trade partners more time to plan offers, yet not having Ohtani on the roster could also impact purchasing interest for any potential new owners. From a practical baseball sense, it is also hard to gauge what exactly an Ohtani trade would look like, considering his elite two-way talent but also just one remaining year of control.
Kind of odd to see an arbitration case settled before the offseason. Went from $5M to $30M in a year which is great on Ohtanis part. Really thought he’d be a non-tender candidate personally. All in all very surprised to see him tendered Still view him as a trade candidate this offseason.
$5.5M to $30M is quite a leap
This is only half the story. What isn’t reported is the part of the conversation around an extension. No way it didn’t come up, at least for one or both parties to say they want to wait. So what did they discuss?
Still being underpaid. If you separated contracts for a player with his offensive contributions and SP numbers it would be at least 40 mill, if not more.
It is a big leap but it also completely understandable. Two years ago when he sighed for 2 years a $5.5M he wasn’t the hitter or pitcher he is now. After 2 years of 9-10 WAR and a MVP,, $30M is a steal.
That’s a really long sigh….
2 years, $8.5 million. This season he made $5.5 million.
Largest jump in history. Add the $20 million Ohtani makes in endorsement money, and that makes him a $50 million player.
He makes $14 million more in endorsements than the next highest player, Bryce Harper.
Non tender? Are you sure you know what that means?
I was just kidding. I’m fully aware of what a non-tender and tender is
How about chicken tenders?
naw save those tendies for someone better. now you’re going overboard
Thank you Von I am now hungry.
Weird to do this. He wouldn’t have been half this much if they went to arbitration, this just hurts his trade value.
I dont see it hurting his trade value in the least. Any team looking to trade for him would be looking to extend him.
He would have had a compelling case for a much higher number. This helps his trade value because teams know what they will have to pay him. He was going to at minimum clear the $27MM that Mookie Betts got, if they had taken it to a hearing it a new team could be potentially on the hook for $40+.
The reason I say he wouldn’t is arbitration numbers tend to be based off of previous numbers.
There’s no previous numbers for two way players so… I don’t think babe Ruth’s arbitration numbers would affect Ohtani’s in anyway
This should be looked at as good faith by the Angels- not saying he’s going to re-sign with them after next season but this can only help their chances of retaining him.
It says pretty clearly that he won’t be traded. The Angels gave him more than twice what he was estimated to get in arbitration as a goodwill move towards extending him.
He is worth far more than $30 million. According to an article in Forbes, the Angels make $20 million just on merchandising and sponsorships alone from Ohtani. On days he is the starting pitcher the Angels sell 12% more tickets. Then he puts up 9-10 WAR which is worth more than $75 million.
It says no such thing. He was going to make that much in arbitration and the Angels simply didn’t want the hassle, neither did Ohtani.
If the Angels don’t compete next year, Ohtani is unlikely to sign with the Angels. If the Angels ar3 not in contention, and can’t lock him up, they’ll likely trade him.
This site estimated his earnings in arbitration at $12-13 million. They are pretty close most of the time, so I am not going to argue with them. If you want to bring it up with them, that is up to you.
After next season Ohtani is a free agent. If Moreno was going to allow the GM to trade him, he would already be gone. Trading him in the offseason or mid next season is not a good call.
Moreno doesn’t seem to care about contending. He cares about butts in the seats, sponsorship money, and eyes on the TV. Towards that end he has brought in some generational talents like Pujols, Trout, and Ohtani. People pay to see players like them regardless of whether the team is winning or losing.
We don’t know what Ohtani’s motivations in signing with the Angels are. Maybe he wants to stay on the West Coast because its a 4 hour shorter flight to see his wife and family in Japan. Maybe he likes the OC lifestyle. You and I just don’t know so neither of us can say with any certainty whether or not he will resign if the money is the same as elsewhere and Moreno has proven he is willing to spend on star players like Trout and Ohtani.
It’s laughable to think he was not going to make around 30 million in arbitration. You need to find a better website. Or apply common sense when reading these websites
As far as being traded, use you common sense. If the Angels are not in contention and can’t sign him, they would be idiots not to trade him.
Common sense is your friend.
Also, please show me where this site estimated Ohtani’s earnings in arbitration at $12-13 million.
I’d love to read that link. No one in their right mind could possibly think he’d earn anything close to that in arbitration.
He says the website you are posting on said what Ohtani would make in arbitration and you tell him to find a better website? Seriously?
I don’t think website said it, if it did we all need to find a better website. And you missed the second thing I wrote, which basically, if you believe that, you’re not using your common sense.
Did you miss that?
Saves them $5-10 million on what he probably would have gotten in arbitration next year anyway
Spending money they didn’t need to spend. Only the Angels could overpay on an arbitration player. Train wreck!
How do you know Ihtani wasn’t going to ask for more than $30M in arbitration? What he would have asked for, he would of gotten.
Watch…..
Mr. Ohtani will spend his entire career playing for the Angels – and in that time at least 300 days a year there will be multiple comments here stating that he wants to leave and the Angles can’t do anything to keep him.
Sam The Man,
Spot on you are once again…I knew Ohtani wasn’t going anywhere. This is going to crush a lot of people and I could care less.
Who here thinks Ohtani would bite on an 8 year/$320 million extension starting 2024?
He’ll turn 30 in July of that year.
If Scherzer and presumably Verlander, as a free agent, can eclipse $40M AAV, I think Ohtani turns that down as wild as it seems.
The Angels paid Thor and Upton 53 million this year, both off the payroll next year.
Sho is better than both.
8 years 380 mil, 47.5 mil/AAV is a steal for the Angels. No brainer to sign him to me.
But it’s Shohei’s choice at the end of the day.
None of us can predict what’s in his mind.
We’ll know in about 15 months.
No.
Blah blah blah lot of money for Shohei
Billionaires nickel-and-diming millionaires. Ohtani is clearly worth 50M a year but the billionaire owner clearly isn’t financially able to pay him what he’s worth
We could know a lot sooner. Whom everbuys the team and gets approved and the Angels make some moves and are in contention they might work out something by this time 2023
Was being sarcastic on the part of the owner not having the money to pay Shohei
And the Yanks low-balled Judge this spring.
Hope this sideshow is over soon. He’s had more than his 15 minutes. No one will remember him in 5 yrs
You’ve had your five minutes…..no one will ever remember the troll that you were
I’m unforgettable. Someday you’ll tell your kids about the legend.
Won’t even remember you tomorrow. Muting you now so I will never see you again.
Ohtani just had a 2nd consecutive unprecedented, historic year. In five years everyone will still be talking about him.
Learn baseball
He’s already clinched being remembered by doing things no one has ever done…
Wake me up when he can hold a candle to Bo Jackson or Deion Sanders. Until then, this dude is a toy
Yeah both dudes who sucked at baseball but were good in football.
Name a player that can pitch and hit, also,one at Ohtani’s level
Sucked enough to play professional? And saying Bo Jackson and Deion Sanders were just “good” at football shows what a clown you truly are.
You try holding a candle to Deion Sanders. Just gets lost in all that neon. Sho knows.
Wait, Rendon is making more than Trout? Do huh? How did that happen?
Decimal stuck in the wrong place..
I think he asks for minimum 60 mill plus AAv, 35 + mill pitcher for sure, 25+ bat easy …. he is only dh so tempers cost a bit lol
The Angels could play him in RF. He has played there in Japan
Yes , that would really increase his value further as he wouldn’t be clogging the dh spot, wonder if throwing from the outfield every day would hamper pitching ?
Now if he throws from his non pitching arm , give him 70 mill per lol
Bargain tbh unless he gets injured. We’re witnessing one of the most impressive athletes of our time.
Don’t get me wrong Othani has played for that contract, but I don’t see the point in giving these guys in walk years the money. Contract years are put up or shut up. The angels have had ample time to keep him from the open market. This just incentives him not only explore, but to take the bag from both parties this year and Next going forward. Aside from the potential sale I feel like thats the only saving grace making substantial gains on a potential sale.
“At no point in your rambling, incoherent response were you even close to anything that could be considered a rational thought. Everyone in this room is now dumber for having listened to it. I award you no points, and may God have mercy on your soul.“
There are better pitchers. There are better outfielders. There are better DHs. This dude is a trinket and a novelty.
A pitcher 15 victories rank fourth in the AL, his 213 strikeouts are third and his 2.35 ERA is fourth. A hitter, he is fourth in the league with 34 home runs and seventh with 94 RBIs. All in one player not two different people. A near 10 WAR.
I like how the spoof account of a spoof account is serious. It’s like a negative number multiplied by another negative is positive.
My people will be contacting you for unauthorized usage and trademark violations. There is, and there will always
be only one Sliderwithcheese™️
@SliderWithCheeseisaDumbazz There was a good point buried somewhere in your comment but the “15 victories” thing ruined it. Pitcher wins and losses are IRRELEVANT.
Slider-Not taking the bait. Nice try.
Ohtani 10 years 600 million in free agency too much or accurate?
Too much.
Ohtani’s 2-year contract for 2021-2022 was a terrible deal for him considering he won the 2021 AL MVP award and therefore would have made a lot more this year than $5.5 million. Probably coat himself at least $5 million in 2022 and probably more.
Him leaving Japan when he did probably cost him, what, 100m?
Well, they were gonna have to pay him regardless so
His endorsements are second to no one in baseball. He’s doing fine
Ohtani was coming off TJS. He did not pitch in 2019. Pitched 1.2 innings in 2020.
What would you have done if you were the Angels?
He got $3M in 21 and $5M this year. All in all he got paid well.
Winslow, we were dubious on him for a while….He really only came around last year and turned into a monster. Some were losing hope and faith in him for a while….We are all believers now though..
He was coming off TJ. He got about what he would have recieved in arbitration.
Othani loves the SoCal weather, the beaches, and the ability to vacation in October.
Randal-Look at your calendar. The Angels are playing in October.
Winslow at least a dozen casual fans are going to see your comment and think they made the playoffs haha
Arte should sign Trea Turner, Verlander and Carlos Correa and sell the team before the luxury tax payment is due. He would be taking players from the Dodgers and Astros too.
One more season of above average offensive and pitching stats while everyone claims he should be MVP.
Top 5 as both a pitcher and a hitter. Unprecedented.
Give him another 8/350 then sign DeGrom(little more than scherzer), Rondon(little more than Ray), Correa(9/275) and Contreras(4/80) and you’ve got yourself a contender
Yea sign every top player to 30M deals then you’ll contend, seems legit.
Why does this happen now? Just an attempt to get butts in seats before the season’s over, like saying “Hey, we still have this guy”, even though we suck.
They did it to piss off the fans on other teams who thought their team would acquire him in the off-season.
Shohei is going to be a lifetime Halo. And Judge a lifetime Yankee. Trea Turner will also be a Dodger for years to come. Get over it people. You aren’t snatching up any of them from the teams they are already on. Stop salivating.
I agree with all of that except Turner. He has already said he wants to get back closer to home which is just north of Miami. He might be the one going to the Yankees.
“Why does this happen now”
Yes. He’s a fanny in seats must have. But maybe also it’s an indication that Arte truly is selling? In his mind, prospective buyers want Ohtani in the fold by the time he/she/they buy the team.
At $30m he’s the biggest bargain in baseball for next season!!
He’s like a Certs. Do they still sell those?
Not when he would have likely gotten more then 20 mil in arb!
Just to bring some facts to this troll fest:
First, realize that professional athletes pay income tax in the state where they earn their pay, meaning that if they play a game in California, they pay state income tax in CA, if they play a game in Arizona, they pay state income tax in AZ.
NY State Income tax top bracket is 10.9%
NY City income tax top bracket is 3.876%
Combined NYC income tax rate is 13.876%
CA State income tax top bracket is 12.3%
NY State Sales Tax is 4%
NY City Sales tax is 4.5%
NY MCTD sales tax is 0.375%
Total NYC sales tax is 8.875%
CA sales tax rate in most areas of Orange County is 7.75%
Not a huge difference.
Pro athletes also pay income taxes to cities and states that host their clubs’ away games. A ballplayer such as Ohtani will be paying taxes to at least 20 such jurisdictions.
That’s what I said genius. And very few cities have personal income taxes.
Its not about income tax, its about Tax Burden
cnbc.com/2022/04/01/these-states-have-the-highest-… CA is not close to NY state in tax burden.
Add the 3.876% income tax in NYC compared to ZERO in OC and its more than a 5% difference.
Games the Yankees play in Toronto would be taxed at a 51.56% rate for someone in Ohtani’s 2023 tax bracket.
That makes it an even bigger difference.
I moved from NYC to Ojai in 2018. Its about a 6% difference.
The Yankees also play in Canada 9-10 games per season where the tax rate for ballplayers is around 50%.
So playing for the Yankees for the same salary as he would get from the Angels would cost him around $2 million in 2023.
They are not playing in Canada that much next year.
Anyway, if he wanted to play for the Yankees he would have done it six years ago. He wants to be on the West Coast. My guess is he’ll sign with one of the four California teams.
Ohtani is staying with the Halos everyone can relax….All else is superficial. He is a Halo and he is going to stay one. Pipe dreams people….pipe dreams…
Ohtani should win the MVP. How many players other than Ohtani can win games with arm and bat. Judge is having a great year. But Ohtani is more valuable to his team.
I agree Ohtani is the best and most valuable player in MLB. Being said, historic feats and the standings still matter in the MVP race. Judge is on a contender and likely to win the triple crown, he’s gonna win the MVP.
Judge also wins games with his arm and his bat…….remember in addition to his historic offensive season, he also plays stellar defense and a full 9 innings every game on his feet…..not sitting in the dugout waiting to DH.
Not this year SoCal fans……stole it in 2018 but not in 2022….Judge may in fact win the triple crown in addition to playing meaningful games in Oct. not fighting for last place in their division.
Rocky- How many has Judge won with arm? Ohtani has won 15 so far…
Rocky, I am a big o’l Halo fan but even I would give the MVP to Judge.
Add Judge’s at bats and his defensive plays together and he is involved in less plays than Ohtani who both pitches where he is involved in every play while he is on the mound and hits.
J – 681 PA and 280 chances defensively.
O – 647 PA and 643 batters faced
Amazing contract and very deserved, in my opinion. I’ll admit, I was hoping it would go to arbitration just to see what he was awarded!
Get it out of the way. Good.
Worth every penny.
Angels should have traded him while he was cheap. I know it’s hard to let go of a guy of his skill lvl, but the angels are wasting his talents and could literally rebuild an entire minor league prospect funnel with him at $5 … unbelievable
A salary that will be paid by some team not named the Angels.
another wasted precious season playing for a non-contender. He is not getting any younger.
Look at the way NY fans and the baseball media immortalize Judge. That’s the stature one receives for playing for the Yankees. Sho could have had that too.
But hey go ahead a showcase your talent for fans who care more about their tans than they do their baseball on a team that will always be in the shadow of the Dodgers
What have the Yankees contended for the past 15 years?
And when he has a bad game on the mound, even still being a top 5-10 SP in the game but gets booed out of the stadium. Or goes thru a slump at the plate and gets the Bronx cheers how will he feel about that? Yankee fans are some of the worst “what have you done for me today” fans.
Exactly, we Yankee fans will let you know when you are a star and when you are not. One isn’t a star just because they say they are. Juan Soto playing the way he is in San Diego would get booed here in NY, but in San Diego, they cheer mediocrity because that is all they are used to.
Thumping one’s chest after hitting a homer in a game where one is losing might thrill the lesser savages in ballparks like the one you patronize, but we Yankee fans will tell you to shut up and sit down.
Yet look at Aaron Judge or Jeter, they are forever treated as stars here, immortalized and as Joe D said, “thank god I am a Yankee.”
Yankeesforever;
What you wrote is totally true.
You explained how Yankee fans justify their being the most front-running, classless, baseball-challenged fans of any professional sports team – not just in MLB, but in any major professional team sport in America……and possibly in the world.
Entitlement personified.
When was the last time the Yankees won anything? I may be mistaken, but Im pretty sure the Mets have won a ring since the last time the Yankees did.
Your wrong, the Yankees won in 2009. They also beat the Mets in the Series, I believe 2004 or 5. The Mets won in 86
You’re really wrong, I remember the Yankees winning four World Series in the 90s
Come on PF you know how to use Google. The Mets haven’t won the WS since 1986. They have been there more recently than the Yankees but got smoked by the Royals that year.
Did anyone mention that he should be a non-tender candidate? Guy is mid level talent at best.
You’re silly.
I predict if Moreno doesn’t sell the team before the end of the 2023 season, Ohtani will ignore any contract Moreno offers him and choose the market. He wants to win. He will get paid anywhere he goes. I still think the Giants could be a landing spot for him if that happens.
Of course I hope Moreno sells the team this winter and it’s a moot point. But he seems to change his mind suddenly on deals so you can’t know for sure what he’ll do.
Trying to bribe him into signing long term extension. No other reason. he would not have gotten 30 mil in arbitration, maybe 20 mil at most!
Ohtani wants to win more than anything else, he will sign his next contract with a contender. Right now the teams that have the best chance of winning are the Dodgers, Braves, Mets, and Yanks. Dodgers give him the best chance, they have the most stars, best of everythng in baseball. Mets have the owner with the money, and the Yanks have the tradition and track record with Matsui and others.
If Ohtani pitched on this years Dodgers, be 23-2
He’s staying on the west Coast. If he leaves the Angels, he’ll be a Dodger
Seems a bit low given he essentially acts as two players and at an MLB level.
The only negative is if he gets hurt you lose two impact players ♂️
From Forbes , The deal has put Ohtani in a position to be one of the highest-paid players in baseball. Despite the fact that 15 others are slated to earn more on the field, his global superstardom has translated into massive success off the field. Forbes estimates that Ohtani earns $20 million annually in endorsements before taxes and agents’ fees, making him the most prolific pitchman in baseball. MLB’s next highest earner off the field was Bryce Harper at $6.5 million. With good looks, charisma and an affable demeanor, Ohtani has found dual success on both sides of the Pacific. He has 15 partnerships that include Asics, Descente and Hugo Boss in Japan, and Fanatics, Topps and Panini in the U.S. In the past year, he also added deals with FTX, Kowa, Mitsubishi Bank and Salesforce as new partners, and was the cover athlete of Sony’s MLB The Show 22 video game.
Following his contract extension, Ohtani is poised to haul in a combined $50 million in 2023. That figure would have ranked No. 2 on this year’s list of the highest-paid MLB players. New York Mets ace Max Scherzer led the group, with total earnings of $59.3 million, while Ohtani’s teammate and Angels megastar Mike Trout came in second at $39 million. Ohtani did not qualify for the 2022 list with total earnings of $25.5 million.
Hahaha 20 MIL a year in endorsements?!?!?!?!? Hahaha NICE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
If he’s already saturated the LA market with endorsements he should move cross country to NYC and build his brand, like Lebron
I’ll let him know you said so!
Most are in Japan.
MVP!!! MVP!!! MVP!!!
Chump change for MLB owners. Ohtani alone brings a whole country along with him. People everywhere want to see Mike Trout play, buy his shirts, etc. New ownership hopefully knows what incredible players they have on the team right now.