“How is that legal?” – MLB fans left ANNOYED as Shohei Ohtani decides to DEFER $680 million from historic contract

The LA Dodgers had signed Shohei Ohtani on a massive $700 million, 10-year deal, the biggest in MLB history.

“How is that legal?” – MLB fans left ANNOYED as Shohei Ohtani decides to DEFER $680 million from historic contract

Shohei Ohtani (Pic Credit: AP)

The one name that is on the tongue of everyone connected to baseball is of Shohei Ohtani. The 29-year-old stunned the sporting world when he announced his decision to join the Los Angeles Dodgers. There is now a new shocking report that has once again left everyone surprised.

The Japanese star agreed on a 10-year, $700 million deal. This would have seen him make around $70 million annually, the highest by any professional baseball player. However, a new report from Jeff Passan has now revealed that he will only make $2 million every year until 2034. He has decided to defer his $680 million until the end of this contract.

YouTube video

Deferring in simple words means postponing something. Ohtani has now decided to defer his remaining pay until the end of this deal. This would seen him make around $20 million in the ten-year stay with the Dodgers. Following the expiration of this contract, he will start to earn $68 million from the year 2034 till 2043.

FS Video

As per Passan, Ohtani was reported to have had this conversation about deferring his salary towards the end of his negotiations. This new development has once again left the fans criticizing him. They had earlier attacked him for joining the LA Dodgers on this huge contract.

Social media reacts to this new development in Shohei Ohtani’s contract

Even before it was announced, it was expected that Shohei Ohtani’s next contract would shatter every record. This has come true as the 2023 American League MVP has now bagged the largest contract in American sports history. However, a new development of deferring his pay has come up, leaving the fans stunned once again.

Shohei Ohtani
Shohei Ohtani (Pic Credit: Imago)

Ever since this news came out, fans have been criticizing the MLB for this. Several confused fans have questioned if this is even allowed in the league. One of them wrote, “How is that legal?” while referring to the new details that have emerged. Check out some more reactions from social media users on this deal from X below:

https://twitter.com/IcyVert/status/1734344949334950259?t=hNsCKPbzahFexz55ed_4qw&s=19

Ohtani’s name is likely going to be the trending topic in the upcoming days as the offseason continues. In other news regarding the LA Dodgers, they have also set their sights on free agent Yoshinobu Yamamoto.

With this deferred pay structure of Ohtani, the team can now pursue the NPB MVP who is one of the hottest free agents now after Ohtani. The team though would have to battle it out against the NY Mets and NY Yankees to land Yamamoto this offseason.

In case you missed it: