Los Angeles Angels star Shohei Ohtani is expected to land a record-breaking contract next winter, however, before he cashes in later this year, the two-time All-Star will break some MLB player records for incoming this season.
Ohtani is many months away from getting to test his value on the open market, but it has not stopped baseball experts and fans from speculating on the game-changing contract he will land. While his contract this season will pale in comparison to what he ends up earning in 2024, he is still going to have a very lucrative next few months.
On Monday, Forbes released their list of the highest-paid players in MLB. As expected, athletes like New York Yankees superstar Aaron Judge and New York Mets pitchers Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer were near the top since they are making some of the most money in the league this season. However, they finished well behind Ohtani in overall income due to the massive amount of cash he will bring in from endorsements this year.
The outlet estimated that Ohtani stands to earn $65 million from his 2023 Los Angeles Angels salary ($30 million) and endorsements. Scherzer was second on the list with $59.3 million, followed by Judge with $44.5 million.
After another stellar season in 2022 and helping to lead the Japanese team to a World Baseball Classic title, Ohtani saw a massive jump in endorsement money from just $6 million two years ago to $35 million this season. His money from companies looking to cash in on his notoriety is over $30 million more than the next man on that specific list, which was Judge with $4.5 million.
Below you can find a rundown of the 10 highest earners in MLB in 2023.
- Shohei Ohtani – $65 million
- Max Scherzer – $59.3 million
- Aaron Judge – $44.5 million
- Justin Verlander – $44.3 million
- Mike Trout – $39.5 million
- Anthony Rendon – $38.2 million
- Gerrit Cole – $36.5 million
- Carlos Correa – $37 million
- Corey Seager – $36 million
- Nolan Arenado – $35.2 million
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