From our other sites
The story
Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani was placed on the injured list (IL) on September 11 (local time) with inflammation in his right upper arm. He’s not expected back until at least the September 23 game against the Padres, meaning the stretches this season where he’s actually been able to function as a two-way player have been limited. A column by a former MLB pitcher argues that if Ohtani can no longer sustain two-way play, it won’t justify the value of his contract, reportedly worth ¥101.5 billion ($700 million) in total. On 5channel threads, opinions are split: some say “he’s already earned his contract’s worth” and “he should focus on hitting only,” while others push back with “it’s a performance-based deal, so the full amount isn’t guaranteed” and “we’re still only in the front half of the contract.”
“There will come a time when he no longer justifies the contract” — Could Ohtani’s “two-way limit” theory cut the value of his $700M deal in half? A former MLB pitcher discusses the superstar’s future: “He needs to face reality”
The generational talent who has continued his otherworldly run in the sport now finds himself in an unprecedentedly difficult spot.
Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani was placed on the injured list (IL) on September 11 (local time) due to inflammation in his right upper arm. His earliest possible return would be the home game against the Padres on the 23rd.
Source: cocokara-next.com / Original article here
What people said
Compared to hitting-only guys like Judge or Guerrero Jr., he's already more than earned his money at this point.
From here on he should give up pitching and just go full-time hitter.
if he can't keep this up, he'll either decline the money
or redirect it toward growing the sport or into charity.
I doubt that, lol.
Why do Ohtani stans always assume he's some saintly figure with no interest in money, lol?
He'd obviously just say, 'If you can't pay cash, how about some Dodgers stock, boss?' (playful Osaka-dialect impression)
He should just give up on pitching and go back to chasing MVP as a hitter-only guy — nobody would complain about an Ohtani who's won back-to-back MVPs.
Nah, he already paid for himself in year one and is raking in huge profits on top of that — no problem at all.
To collect the full ¥101.5 billion ($700M), he has to meet all sorts of conditions.
No team is dumb enough to hand over ¥101.5 billion with zero strings attached.
He's already won a home run title, so all that's left is a Cy Young.
Even if the odds are low, I want him to go for it.
Come to think of it, has he even had a single full year of proper two-way duty with the Dodgers?
If that's true, then a stint on the IL like this shouldn't really matter, right?
Even with singers — someone like Ado, singing the way she does, probably doesn't have much time left as a performer either.
Is Ohtani just that much of a diligent, serious guy?
If that source doesn't actually exist, then at some point they'll have to cut Ohtani loose.
I wonder if this whole chain of events is connected to that.
That's just how baseball works.
Teams and sponsor companies squeeze money out of fans and funnel it back to the players — they don't really see the fans as people worth respecting.
Even so, no fan is going to happily sit through seven more years of this guy in decline racking up weak groundouts.
We're not even in the back half yet — this contract started in 2024.
Background and Key Points of This Discussion
Ohtani’s contract is reported as a 10-year, $700 million (¥101.5 billion) deal, but the bulk of it is structured as deferred payments starting in 2034 onward, and reportedly includes conditional, performance-based portions. That means the total contract value isn’t simply locked in as a fixed annual salary, so the assumption often made in the threads — that he’s “already received the full amount” — isn’t quite accurate. On the other hand, there’s also a view that the Dodgers have already seen increased revenue from merchandise sales, broadcasting rights, and sponsorships tied to the two-way brand, meaning whether the contract “pays off” isn’t just about his salary alone but about the team’s overall earnings. This IL stint is drawing attention as a factor that could affect his chances of returning as a pitcher, but it’s worth noting that the reported “two-way limit theory” is simply the personal view of one former MLB pitcher — not an official comment from the team or from Ohtani himself.
*This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5channel (Geisports Sokuho+) thread ““There will come a time when he no longer justifies the contract” — Could Ohtani’s two-way limit theory cut his $700M deal’s value in half? A former MLB pitcher discusses the superstar’s future: “He needs to face reality”.”
Leave a Reply