The Los Angeles Dodgers raised plenty of eyebrows back in 2023 when they signed Shohei Ohtani to a massive 10-year, $700 million contract. With $680 million of Ohtani’s deal deferred and the additional salary the Dodgers have delayed since then, it caused some to question their ability to pay when the bill eventually comes.
While deferrals are not new to the Dodgers or MLB collective bargaining agreement, the rate at which they have utilized the strategy is shocking. But it’s an approach the Dodgers are comfortable taking because they are frankly printing money thanks to Ohtani and his brand.
They have been able to tap into the Japanese market behind signing Ohtani, and Yoshinobu Yamamoto and eventually Roki Sasaki as well. With Ohtani alone, that reportedly led to an immediate infusion of $70 million in sponsorship revenue.
And it’s not just the Dodgers who benefited from Ohtani last season. Opposing organizations saw an increase in revenue when Ohtani played on the road, according to Justin Birnbaum of Forbes:
“Every time he played an away game, if you look at any backstop, you see Japanese brands that are advertising with the Orioles, the Yankees or whoever he’s playing,” says Bob Lynch, CEO of SponsorUnited, which estimates that teams hosting the Dodgers generated roughly $15 million in cumulative revenue from Japanese brands inking signage deals for those games. “So you’d see a slew of brands essentially following him around across the country that are paying dollars either directly to the teams or to Van Wagner, who’s selling the backstop signage.”
Valued at $5.45 billion according to Forbes, the Dodgers are the second-most valuable franchise in MLB and 24th overall in all of sports. Value of the Dodgers increased by 14% in 2024.
If that was just the beginning of the partnership between the Dodgers and Ohtani, then there’s no telling what the pair can accomplish in 2025 and beyond, both on and off the field.
Among MLB franchises, only the New York Yankees have a higher valuation than the Dodgers at $7.55 billion. The Yankees and Dodgers are the only two MLB teams that are in the top-25 most valuable franchises in sports. The next closest is the Boston Red Sox, who are 45th.
Shohei Ohtani pleased with pitching progress
For all the excitement Ohtani and the Dodgers generated last season, it could reach new heights this year as he returns to being a two-way player.
Some of that progress was recently paused, however, as Ohtani has not thrown a bullpen session since Feb. 25. He nevertheless is encouraged by the progression thus far and believes the small break to focus on starting the season as the Dodgers’ designated hitter will be beneficial.
“I wanted to prioritize the hitting aspect as we were getting into the season, to get a little breather mentally and physically on the pitching side of things,” Ohtani said through interpreter Will Ireton.
“This is according to plan, and I’m actually quite pleased with how things have been going. It was necessary, but also because things have been going according to plan, this is a time where I can actually get a breather.”
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