The Los Angeles Dodgers struck gold when they signed Shohei Ohtani last offseason, watching him anchor the team through the regular season and ultimately a World Series title.
Ohtani’s 10-year, $700 million contract is structured in such a way that pays him just $2 million annually, with the rest of the money deferred until after the initial length of the deal. It’s the richest contract in professional sports history.
While the Dodgers made a significant financial commitment to Ohtani, there was an expectation they would quickly begin to net returns through fan interest, sponsorship agreements and other business opportunities.
In a segment on “Foul Territory,” former big leaguer A. J. Pierzynski shared what he’s been told about the financial returns of Ohtani’s tenure with the Dodgers from just 2024 alone:
“They made $120 million dollars.”
Players around Major League Baseball understand the attention and excitement Ohtani brings, and also the attraction from the Japanese market, which has a deep passion for baseball.
The Dodgers opened their 2024 season with the Seoul Series against the San Diego Padres. Tickets were highly sought after and that figures to increase when the Dodgers and Chicago Cubs open the 2025 season in Japan with the Tokyo Series.
How can the Dodgers continue to build on Shohei Ohtani’s fandom?
One name on the horizon is Roki Sasaki. The Chiba Lotte Marines are slated to post the the 23-year-old before the 2025 season, and many believe the Dodgers have the inside track to sign the phenom.
Sasaki may want to join Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto in Los Angeles as they provide many stable factors of a plus-organization. But there is also some thought the right-hander wouldn’t want to be overshadowed by his fellow Japanese stars.
The Dodgers have a terrific past with players from the NPB and KBO, and Sasaki would further build on that pipeline.
