What Stephen A. doesn't like about Shohei Ohtani's deferring $680M of his Dodgers deal | First Take 

I remember when Steven A said Ohtani shouldn't be the face of baseball because he doesn't speak English... This man just became the face of American sports

Shohei loves baseball and his legacy first. He’s not avoiding the California tax. He makes more than enough money from endorsements in the US and Japan. All that MLB money will come later even though that 68mil a year won’t have the same value 10 years later. The Dodgers hit the jackpot here.

Dodgers didn't ask Shohei to give up 68 mil a year to only take 2 mil lol. No front office is gonna ask someone to do that. That would be ludicrous to ask. That's something only the player and his agent gonna ask to do. And Shohei isn't going to be poor for the 10 years. He's raking in them endorsement money, he's good.

He ain’t a greedy American sports athlete 😂

He got $40 Mil in endorsements last year. He's good lol

It's easy, He WANTS TO WIN!!

Excellent....just shows ya the man is all about the "team", and not the "me" !

I'm not surprised really...This contract can only be agreed upon by such a man with a rare character such as Shohei. While everyone is focused on MONEY, Shohei has a special spiritual reasoning within him that allowed this. I believe the Dodgers will be blessed beyond their wildest expectations due to Shohei's selfless decision. Be prepared for GREAT things from this man.

MAN..OHTANI BUILT DIFFERENT...HE IS SPECIAL HUMAN BEING...

It's a smart move by him. It'll kept the team in the hunt for free agents and putting quality players around him, Betts, and Freeman. Also, I don't know how Japanese players are when it comes to money but it seems like he's not money hungry but more focused on winning a ring. His endorsement money is keeping him afloat

And for people wondering. This was ALL SHOHEI idea. Like he is the one who wanted to do this. So the dodgers could build a team.

There’s no possible way the team pushed for this. Just looks like Ohtani wants to run the World Series the next ten years to me.

Chris Rock once said, “you don’t pay taxes, they take taxes…” 😂😂😂😂

Ohtani doesn’t mind to pay taxes to the state of California. He is simply helping the team to win. I think he will stay in California even after he retires

The 68 million will be allocated to a bank earning interest for a decade while Dodgers avoid the luxury tax in signing more players is pretty clever.

Smart. Who needs all that money in one year? He gets paid on endoresements anyway.

It's the Angels' fault for not reinforcing Trout and Rendon at their high salaries.

The Dodgers just traded for Glasnow and just signed Yamamoto… THAT’S WHY HE DEFERRED IT!

That’s wild but smart on both ends to be honest

It’s a one-of-a-kind contract, for a once in a multi-generation player

Of all the talking heads out there this crew should understand what Ohtani did. Ohtani went full on Tom Brady mode. Tom Brady didn’t need the cash. He made a decision that he had more than enough to fund his lifestyle. Rather he took pay cuts every year in order to field a better team. He was never even a top 10 highest paid qb on AAV.

Its for the luxury tax. Him Freeman and Betts only count 100 mil vs a cap of 240. They have money to sign Yamamoto as well.

My man Ohtani just turned into the MLB's version of Tom Brady. This dude is paving the way for the Dodgers to retain and sign top talent and as a Dodger, I'm ecstatic for the next decade.

People forget that an athlete first started to love the sport before anything else...even money.

Dude makes like 40M in endorsement. There's your answer

He's Japanese... they're not as greedy as Americans... he already has enough money to support himself and his family. Even his family in Japan continue to work their ordinary jobs and have refused to take more from Ohtani. Americans are so egocentric and think that everyone in the world is just like them. Unfortunately the USA is so money hungry. Ohtani is fine and he will be fine for the rest of his life. Good on him for thinking about the team (Japanese mentality) and putting them in a position to build a team that can compete and win the title.

Shohei is a baseball boy (Yakyū shōnen in Japanese), which means he eats sleeps and breathes baseball. When some people speculate his motive for deferred payment as a means to dodge tax, you got to know his attitude to money - he doesn't care. He spends less than $1000 a month, he doesnt buy luxurious stuff, he doesnt go out to dine or hv fun, everyday it's just home & baseball field. Right now winning is his top priority and he'd do everything he can to win a ring before he retires. Joining the Dodgers with such contract terms make so much sense.

Uncle Sam fr is the most elite at picking pockets bro needs a new hobby 😂😂😂🤣🤣🤣

Dude, Ohtani is already the top1 marketable face here in Japan. He is already making more money from ads than playing in the MLB. He already got the new balance deal. All he cares now is colleting rings like Bill Russell.

When Shohei was in Japan his mom managed his money I think. He’s not worried about it. Super excited for him and the team though.

Yall making the money.Rich people kill me thinking they are entitled to not pay taxes. Pay like you weigh. Average folk paying their taxes on way less.

so he gets paid 68M/yr for 10 years by the time he's 40-50 yrs old... dodgers basically gave the man the highest retirement pension plan in history 😂

The man made $43M in endorsements last year. He'll be fine 😂

He simply avoided having his contract put pressure on the Dodgers' business. For what? Everything is for the team to win.

I love when multi millionaire celebrities try and tell ordinary people that the government doesn’t provide services. They are so out of touch

Stefan, you'll earn your fee for commentating when you can throw the ball to the catcher😂

Shohei is a team player and wants to win., so LA Dodgers could get more high quality players. This shows his character.

Steven A needs to stfu!! 🤫 Shohei is deferring his salary so that the Dodgers can build up the team around him. He’s not hurting financially because he already has a grip of money AND it’s been reported that he’s making at least $45M a year in endorsement deals!! 🤷‍♂️

Ohtani is not wrong. Reasons to defer salary: 1. Give the Dodgers team payroll and luxury tax flexibility. If winning is most important, you do this 2. Reduces his overall tax burden and obligation 3. He makes upwards of $40M a year just in endorsement money 4. Creates long-term security, for when his playing days are over. My whole thing is if he was gonna defer the money anyway, than he could've gone to any team. It didn't have to be the Dodgers. Any team would've gone for this deal, so why pick the Dodgers, if money is no longer an issue, with 98% of the salary deferred? This tells me all the free agent stuff was a charade, and he was going to the Dodgers all along. The other teams were just getting used as leverage.

Didn’t no financial advisors text Stephen A😂

Shohei don't care about the money, it's all about winning. Why can't other superstars who get paid big money do this? Max Sherzer did it, too? He deferred half his salary. How much money does someone need a year to live on, anyway? So, why not defer and let his team have money now to invest in a free agent to help them win? Makes all the sense in the world to me. The only thing that surprises me is that more superstars haven't done this. It's just that human nature is that most people want the most money now to blow it all now while they are young. No delayed gratification, just live for the moment.

Before Pete Rose signed a free agent deal with the Phillies in late 1978.....he strongly considered a deferred deal offered by Atlanta Braves owner Ted Turner that included a base salary for playing and then managing and then being paid for a number of years after leaving the game. Rose -- who penned a December 18 letter to Turner to briefly explain his decision -- said years later that he never really grasped what would have been a revolutionary deal for an MLB player and wished he would have signed with the Braves.

These 3 together 🔥🔥🔥🔥

Lol Uncle Shannon has an axe to grind with Uncle Sam.

The amount of pocket watching is insane in todays world

lol they always worrying about somebody else’s money

Well considering what he will make off the field, he is chasing his legacy right now. As long as he can get a few rings, Ohtani is fine taking 680m later.

Stephen A needs to stop talking about other people’s money.

Cue the Leonardo DiCaprio pointing at the tv clip!! That's me right now

It's smart because they can also add more to the roster still plus they have a shot landing that Japanese pitcher as well now lol

700 million is equivalent to $1 billion in Japan. The yen is so weak right now and the dollar exchange is so strong

Nothing better than listening to rich guys complain about taxes

at the ripe old age of 39, ohtani will say "thank you sir", take the $680 mill more or less, then buy a share of the dodgers franchise

1:37 truer words were never spoken Shay!

This worked for Bobby Bonilla, when he signed with the New York Mets He deferred his salary, and got over $1M a year from the Mets for 25 years, from 2011 through 2035💰

My personal opinion as a long time fan. What the dodgers and ohtani did is smart because it’s in the rules. However, it leaves small market teams at huge disadvantages cause they can’t afford to give away contracts like these even when they are deferred. This is why I personally support a salary cap.

He's clearly doing it to help them get more players. He doesn't want to be stuck in another non-contender

Ohtani is a genius he wants a winning team around him

If SAS doesn’t like it then it’s the right move.

Oh God no, only 38 million a year. How will he survive?!?

molly was like aight that's enough

Hahaha this is great

Ohtani doesn't need the money He made $40million in endorsements in 2023. He'll make even more than $40m endorsements per year going forward.

Money management is 80% behavior and 20% head knowledge, so basically he's telling his money where to go so later he doesn't have to ask where it went.

One thing for sure is he'll never go broke like some dumb athletes.

Amazon paid zero in taxes for $13 billion revenue...

I'm more surprised that the IRS didn't come knocking, that's a lot of taxes they are missing out on

They're worried about his receiving only $35 million a year in California. They don't think that's enough. Fair enough. They clearly grew up with a different sense of money than I did

Mollys litterally only there to say “alright” and change the topic 😂

Hopefully they get Yamamoto too

People acting like ohtani and the dodgers didn't have a contract set up a year ago

Shanon sharpe didn’t even adjust for compounding affect 1:40

I need all of that

More power to him

This the same dude that was hitting sohei with not speaking English and actually hurting the game?🤣 The change up man🤦

They don't even build houses in California for you to buy them

There will be a Shohei Ohtani day once he retires from baseball

Most based conversation in ESPN history.

The market disproportionately produces goods with negative externalities ( for example this show that makes everyone dumber). Taxes are the way we get some of that wasted money back into the hands of people who need it to live.

Shannon spoke like a boss.

If he still plays way later in life he can be double dipping from dodgers salary and whichever team signs him. Its a smart move. Also if he doesn't play and retire he will still be getting paid by the dodgers.

Now the Dodgers can go after Yamamoto and another elite pitcher. It will be interesting to see what the Dodgers roster ends up being on opening day next year.

I love how Molly was cut out at the end.

Insane

I'm curious what the union thinks of this because this potentially changes future deals. I also wouldn't trust owners

More than that, Ohtani should convert it to ownership shares of Dodger Franchise when he retires lol.

Smart move honestly. When he leaves the dodgers, that money is no longer taxable in whatever other state or country he’s in. He learned from being in the Angeles that Cali tax suck!

That's not how taxes work, people. Stop spreading lies that Shohei is trying to avoid paying taxes. He will be responsible for paying state and federal taxes on his deferred income because he made them in CA and the USA. It doesn't matter if moves to Japan or goes to Texas or Florida. Please stop spreading misinformation.

Bro is getting paid an equal salary from endorsements and commercials, while he can keep the team competitive in the market. Good for him

Darn. That's a big deferral!

Here to see how many finance experts will give their prospective in the comments

Rich people complaining abaout taxes when they live off of the infratructure paid for by taxes, When they played in stadiums funded by taxes. When paying taxes does not alter their standard of living like it does mine. Disgusting

small market teams need to sell. You want to compete, than get owners who have the money to do so.

It’s the smartest way to get paid. He needs to think about after baseball. He unfortunately can’t play baseball forever.

There’s nothing to not like Nobody else would have done that. Only Ohtani would. Find me a player willing to defer 98% of his salary? 😂😂😂😂

This was all Ohtani’s idea. There is one really interesting opt out clause he has. If the president of baseball operations or the controlling owner leave for whatever reason, he can opt out of the contract. The controlling owner is obviously safe, but the president of baseball operations, his job is now very safe for the next 10 years.

how does it work? he takes less money now, pay less tax, near end of his 10yr contract, he moves to city with less or no income tax and get paid lump sum?

Ohtani want to win. That's what's most important

Analysts are so stupid.. He's deferring so the Dodgers can acquire better talent. That helps improves Shohei's odds of winning a title. Btw, Shohei makes millions more per year from his endorsement deals.

This is outrageous! Why him ? Because he’s Japanese. Why not the same rules for other sports players . This is totally horse crap . He should pay his taxes like everybody else .