Clayton Kershaw (LA Dodgers), a three-time Cy Young Award winner and Hall of Fame reservation, also predicted that Shohei Ohtani would receive the highest-priced contract ever.
Kershaw said in an interview with the Los Angeles Times (LAT) on the 7th (Korean time), “Ohtani is an exceptional player to the extent that it is impossible to know who is similar to him in baseball history.” . It is a conclusion that I dare to say at this point.”
LA Times on this day, ‘600 million? Ohtani is on his way to the biggest contract in major league history.
“There’s a certain amount of money the club can spend before it ruins the finances,” Kershaw said. “If Ohtani thinks it’s generating income, he’s entitled to such a contract,” Kershaw said. “But is that $1 billion? Or $100 million? It’s probably a lot more than that. Realistically, there’s no specific area of comparison.”
Kershaw had the experience of signing a seven-year, $210 million contract extension in January 2014, when he was in his prime. He was the highest paid pitcher at the time.
LAT said, ‘Ohtani is the best pitcher and the best hitter, throwing the ball faster than anyone else, sending it farther, and running faster. When he came over from Japan five years ago, I laughed at the prospect of such an overwhelming performance, but now it has become a phenomenon. ’ and aimed at the FA market at the end of this year.
Ohtani will be on the free agent market after this season. It is expected that the largest contract not only in the major leagues but also in North American professional sports will be possible.
LAT emphasized that ‘at least on this floor, the club officials, agents, coaches and players all sympathize’ and asked, ‘How much money should I give him?’
At the same time, ‘a club official who requested anonymity said that the recruitment competition would start at $500 million and end at $600 million. An agent expected to sign for $600 million in 12 years, and Spottrak, a site specializing in annual salaries, recently reported $230 million in 8 years as a pitcher and $333 million in 10 years as a hitter, adding the two together for $563 million. He said that the ransom of the money would come out.
The best major league contract is 12 years, $426.5 million, owned by Ohtani’s colleague Mike Kraut. It can be expected that Ohtani will easily overcome.
Ohtani joined the Angels in a December 2017 posting. He was under the age of 25 at the time and was forced to sign a minor league contract under international amateur signing rules.
Regarding the fact that he knocked on the door of the major leagues early despite the financial loss, Ohtani explained last year,스포츠토토 “I set the timing to enter the major leagues not to maximize my income, but to maximize my chances of getting into the Hall of Fame.” In other words, it was important to build a major league career as quickly as possible. If Ohtani had entered the major leagues after age 25, he would have been treated to at least $200 million.
Ohtani earned about $42 million from the field, including a contract fee of $2.315 million, a total annual salary of $9.695 million until last year, and an annual salary of $30 million this season. His advertising revenue so far is reported to be around $40 million.