Shohei Ohtani's Next Contract in MLB Free Agency Speculated on by Exec, Agent

Shohei Ohtani could be baseball's first $500 million man.

Alden Gonzalez of ESPN discussed Ohtani's free-agency haul next winter, with one agent estimating the two-way star will land a 10-year, $430 million contract and a team executive throwing out a 12-year, $480 million contract.

Others around Major League Baseball believe Ohtani will become the first player in North American sports history to land $500 million in guaranteed money.

The Angels star is making $30 million for the 2023 season, the largest salary ever given to an arbitration-eligible player. Ohtani has established himself as a generational talent worthy of a record-setting contract, finishing top-two in AL MVP balloting each of the last two seasons while being both one of the best power hitters and one of the best pitchers in baseball.

The 28-year-old hit .273/.356/.519 with 34 home runs and 95 runs batted in while posting a 15-9 record with a 2.33 ERA and 1.01 WHIP as a pitcher. He struck out 219 batters in 166 innings while finishing fourth in the AL Cy Young voting.

Of course, much of this speculation about Ohtani's contract requires him to continue his dominance. While he showed flashes early in his career, injuries prevented Ohtani from being dominant until 2021. He pitched in only 12 games from 2018 to 2020 due to injury troubles, and his onslaught of power came after he hit just 47 homers in his first three MLB seasons.

An injury or regression in performance could lead to this speculation being a gross overestimation. Ohtani will get paid well into the nine figures regardless of how he performs in 2023, but there is an inherent risk factor involved in playing both ways.

That said, if Ohtani continues his MVP-caliber play, the sky is the limit in what will be a buyer's market.