Is Mike Trout's $426 million contract equivalent to Shohei Ohtani's $700 million deal? Exploring mind blowing numbers behind Dodgers mega deal

Shohei Ohtani set records when he signed a $700 million deal. It far exceeded the previous record, which was set by his former teammate Mike Trout when he signed for $426 million. 700 is a far cry over 426, but some interesting math and financial wizardry makes them a lot closer.

In fact, it makes Shohei Ohtani's contract worth less than Mike Trout's. The 10-year, $700 million deal is heavily deferred ($680 million to be exact). That would make it about a 10-year, $20 million contract, but that's not quite accurate, either.

The total sum, based on what the Los Angeles Dodgers owe Ohtani and what they have to pay in escrow for the deferred payments when they come due, comes out to about $46 million a year. With all the rest of the wrinkles, the total value comes to about $325 million, according to Shane Shepherd on LinkedIn.

That means the Los Angeles Angels' deal with Mike Trout for $426 million over 12 seasons still technically reigns supreme on an asterisk. No one will ever sign for $700 million like Ohtani, but the true value isn't as staggering as it might seem.

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Contracts similar to the true value of Shohei Ohtani's

If the numbers are accurate, then Shohei Ohtani's contract is a little closer to 10 years, $325 million. That's a massive deal, but it's far from the biggest. Obviously, Mike Trout's is the biggest, but several others are around the same value as well.

Shohei Ohtani's deal is pretty large.

That includes Aaron Judge, who is on a nine-year, $360 million deal with the New York Yankees. Mookie Betts, Ohtani's new teammate, has a deal for $365 million himself.

Manny Machado signed a $350 million deal. Francisco Lindor is at $341 million, with Fernando Tatis Jr. right behind at $340 million. Bryce Harper is signed to a $330 million deal.

The Ohtani deal is technically right alongside the Giancarlo Stanton deal in terms of value. Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Corey Seager and Gerrit Cole are right at that number as well.

The Dodgers made a massive investment, but some financial trickery makes it a little less imposing.