Shohei Ohtani led the Los Angeles Dodgers to consecutive World Series titles, returning to the mound in mid-2025. He finished the regular season with a 2.87 ERA over 14 starts, then went 2-1 with a 4.43 ERA in the postseason as Los Angeles defeated the Toronto Blue Jays in seven games.
Now entering 2026, the four-time MVP is fully reported as healthy and ready to both hit and pitch. His focus at spring training is sharper than in years past, and his total earnings have reached a new record for any professional athlete.
Forbes recently released its highest-paid MLB players list for 2026, and Ohtani sits at the top by a significant distance. The Dodgers superstar is set to earn a record $127 million this year, mostly from $125 million in endorsements and business deals across the U.S. and Japan.
His performance on the mound is matching the record pay. In his spring training debut against the San Francisco Giants, Ohtani threw 4 1/3 scoreless innings with four strikeouts, hitting 99.9 mph.
Following the outing, the 31-year-old stated through an interpreter that he was pretty happy with the pitch count and that it didn't feel like my first spring outing despite not pitching since Game 7 of the 2025 World Series.
Manager Dave Roberts was equally optimistic after watching him perform and said, "Certainly well beyond where we were last year to start. With what I saw today, he's in a really good spot."
Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman stated, "He seems like he's on a mission, pitching-wise. Whenever we've seen him on a mission, good things happen."
Right now, Yoshinobu Yamamoto is confirmed as the Opening Day starter for the Dodgers on Thursday, while Ohtani is scheduled to make his first regular-season pitching start on March 31 against the Cleveland Guardians. After his dominant spring debut, many already consider him the frontrunner for the 2026 Cy Young Award.
