Shohei Ohtani’s monumental $700 million contract with the Dodgers sent shockwaves through the MLB landscape. The revelation that Ohtani would defer a staggering $680 million until after the contract concludes in 2033 left many baseball enthusiasts bewildered.
In essence, Ohtani’s annual salary for the ten-year pact amounts to a mere $2 million. The bulk of his earnings, a jaw-dropping $680 million, will be received over the subsequent decade. This unique structure allows the Dodgers to maintain their spending prowess in free agency.
However, not everyone greeted Ohtani’s contract with enthusiasm. Radio personality Chris “Mad Dog” Russo was among the most vocal critics of this financial arrangement. During his Sirius XM radio program, Russo vehemently condemned MLB for permitting such intricate financial maneuvers.
Mad Dog Russo is in disbelief when he learns that the Dodgers deferred $680M of Shohei Ohtani’s $700M contract.
The highlights…
• It is a disgrace.
• The sport is a joke.
• Rob Manfred should overrule it.
• Just give the Dodgers every superstar. pic.twitter.com/3LHKaCEMoe— Funhouse (@BackAftaThis) December 12, 2023
Russo argued that this approach was tantamount to circumventing the salary cap, undermining the spirit of the luxury tax, which is designed to prevent teams from monopolizing top-tier talent. He viewed it as a flagrant violation of the game’s ethical principles and called upon MLB to investigate and rectify the situation.
The radio host even used this contract as ammunition in his ongoing advocacy for the implementation of a salary cap in baseball. Russo expressed concern that the Dodgers’ adept financial maneuvering might ultimately lead to a situation where they acquire every talented player, which, in his view, would be detrimental to the sport.
Clearly, the Ohtani deal has struck a chord with Russo, leaving him with a sense of unease and prompting him to conclude that baseball is veering dangerously close to becoming a laughingstock.