MLB fans in shock as Shohei Ohtani's deferral amount surfaces - "Dodgers just fleeced the world"

Just days after signing the biggest contract in MLB history, Shohei Ohtani has agreed to defer $68 million per year of his 10-year contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers. This means that the Japanese star will only make $2 million in salary for the next 10 years and get paid $68 million annually from 2034 to 2043, allowing the team to keep spending now. This has caused much debate among fans and analysts across the country, many of whom think it is unfair and changes the landscape of the market for the worse.

Shohei Ohtani finally agreed to a long-term deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers on Saturday, after more than a year of silence about his future. As expected, it is the biggest contract in the history of the MLB at $700 million over 10 years. This had Ohtani poised to receive a salary of $70 million per year but will be deferring $68 million per year. This means he will only receive a total of $20 million over his time with the club, an amount of $2 million per year.

This move is seen by many as an extremely smart one that navigates the rules of the transfer market and decreases the team's luxury tax in the short term, allowing them to spend more in the market. It certainly shows Ohtani's commitment to the team and his hunger to win a World Series, while also helping him financially. However, many fans believe that this should be illegal as it allows bigger teams to outbid smaller teams and changes the landscape of the MLB market.

"This should be illegal," wrote one fan on Twitter. "Dodgers just fleeced the world," added another:

Dodgers add Shohei Ohtani's contract to list of deferred payments, joining Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman

As the news of Shohei Ohtani deferring a major chunk of his salary with the Los Angeles Dodgers broke, this is not the first that the front office has used this strategy to their advantage. They did the same for Mookie Betts' $365 million contract in 2021 and Freddie Freeman's $162 million agreement in 2022, with both star players having deferred part of their salaries for the future.

Ohtani is the latest player to join the list and his deferred amount is by far the largest, causing much debate in the MLB world.