Los Angeles Angels’ superstar Mike Trout holds the record for the richest contract signed by a Major League Baseball player, but it’s likely only a matter of time until teammate Shohei Ohtani breaks it.
In 2019, Trout signed a 12-year contract extension with the Angels worth $426.5 million. This was the biggest contract ever signed in North American professional sports for just over a year, before Kansas City Chiefs’ quarterback Patrick Mahomes smashed the record with a 10-year, $450 million extension.
During an appearance on Bleacher Report’s “On Base with Mookie Betts” podcast, the Los Angeles Dodgers’ All-Star outfielder asked Trout how much he thinks Ohtani will make in free agency.
Without hesitance, Trout said “I think he’s anywhere between five and six (hundred million)”.
The value of contracts for star athletes only continues to go up, and it’s been four years since Trout signed that record-breaking extension. So it feels like a safe bet that Ohtani, the greatest two-way star in baseball since Babe Ruth, will get well over $426.5 million on his next deal.
And of course, Ohtani’s value goes beyond what he does on the baseball diamond. Whoever signs Ohtani will also garner significant revenue through factors like merchandise and ticket sales plus a lot more national exposure.
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Ohtani is a once-in-a-lifetime talent who’s enjoying his best season as a hitter while also dominating on the mound. At this rate, it’d be a surprise if a team didn’t pay him $500 million-plus on his next contract.
