Shohei Ohtani Contract: MLB All-Star Is One Of Baseball’s Most Underpaid Players

Shohei Ohtani might be the best player in baseball, but he certainly isn’t paid like it. Nearly 300 players have a higher salary than the Los Angeles Angels star for the 2021 MLB season.

Making just $3 million, Ohtani is tied with 16 others as the majors’ 290th highest-paid player, according to Spotrac. Ohtani signed a two-year, $8.5 million contract with the Angels in February.

Ohtani is eligible to become a free agent after the 2023 season. When the two-way superstar signed with the Angels before the 2018 season, international signing rules restricted his potential signing bonus because he was under 25 years old.

The Angels gave Ohtani a $2.315 million signing bonus, and he earned an additional $1.454 million in salary from 2018-2020.

Had Ohtani waited two years to leave Japan for MLB, there would’ve been no limit to the contract he could’ve signed. If the 27-year-old stays healthy, he’ll likely sign one of the most lucrative deals in MLB history.

Mike Trout, Ohtani’s teammate, is signed to a record $426.5 million contract with an average annual value of $37.1 million. Angels third baseman Anthony Rendon is in the second season of a seven-year, $245 million deal.

Forty-one players make at least $20 million this season. Well over 200 players make at least $5 million in 2021.

Ohtani became the only player ever to make the All-Star team as both a pitcher and a hitter. Ohtani ranks first in MLB with 33 home runs and a .698 slugging percentage at the break.

Ohtani has pitched to a 3.49 ERA in 67 innings.

Ohtani won the 2018 Rookie of the Year award. In 104 games, he posted a .925 OPS with 22 home runs. Ohtani also had a 3.31 ERA in 10 starts.

After undergoing Tommy John Surgery, Ohtani only pitched two games from 2019-2020.