After solidifying his status as the Babe Ruth of the 21st century with a second straight World Series ring and yet another MVP—becoming only the second MLB player ever to win the award three years in a row—Shohei Ohtani is also making history off the field.

The Los Angeles Dodgers’ two-way sensation is set to collect an estimated $127 million in 2026 before taxes and agents’ fees, a record for a baseball player. The vast majority of the payday—an estimated $125 million—comes from endorsement deals, licensing, memorabilia and other business ventures, with roughly two dozen sponsors in the United States and Ohtani’s native Japan paying a heavy premium to associate with him.

Since Forbes began tracking athletes’ earnings in 1990, only one has surpassed the 31-year-old Ohtani’s projected off-field total in a single year while still active in his sport: MMA star Conor McGregor, who brought in an estimated $158 million over the 12 months ending in May 2021, almost all of it from the sale of his Irish whiskey brand, Proper No. Twelve.

Ohtani has reached that financial stratosphere on a much more conventional route, through partnerships with American brands such as Fanatics and New Balance, which has given him a signature shoe line, and with a long list of Japanese companies. Japan Airlines, for instance, uses a specially painted “Dream Sho Jet” for some routes, and Kowa markets both its pain relief patches and Syncron sports drinks with Ohtani.

Throw in the $2 million Ohtani will get directly from the Dodgers this season—with $68 million in salary deferred for another decade as part of the ten-year, $700 million contract he signed with Los Angeles ahead of the 2024 season—and the major leagues’ only everyday designated hitter/pitcher has a comfortable lead on MLB’s second-highest-paid player this season, New York Yankees outfielder Cody Bellinger, who is set to rake in an estimated $56.5 million.

Combined, MLB’s ten highest-paid players are expected to make $537 million in 2026, the second-highest figure Forbes has measured since it began publishing a baseball earnings ranking in 2011.

This year’s total is a 7% drop from 2025’s $576 million, but the decline is almost entirely tied to New York Mets outfielder Juan Soto, who set an MLB record last year with his $126.9 million haul but now falls to $51.9 million—and No. 4 in the ranking—as his $75 million signing bonus comes off the books.

Off the field, this year’s top ten sets a new high at $144 million, up 20% from 2025 and an incredible 863% from just four years ago. That, of course, is all thanks to Ohtani, whose $125 million is more than six times the $20 million the other nine highest-paid MLB players are set to make from their business endeavors—combined. Marketing insiders say Ohtani has effectively monopolized baseball-crazed Japan, even with his Dodgers teammates Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Roki Sasaki becoming rising stars.

Advertisers “are in the business of attention, and it’s winner-takes-all,” says Shoto Zhu, CEO of Tokyo-based SponsorForce. “Whoever catches more eyes takes everything.”

The marketing prowess enabled Ohtani to accept his team-friendly playing contract in December 2023, which in turn has helped the Dodgers open their checkbook to surround him with other All-Stars, including their newest prize, Kyle Tucker. The 29-year-old outfielder makes his debut on the Forbes MLB earnings list as baseball’s third-highest-paid player with $56 million, mostly from........

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