Dodgers Rumors: Shohei Ohtani's $70M Annual Salary on Contract Counts for Just $28M

Designated hitter Shohei Ohtani will cost the Los Angeles Dodgers less than $29 million in competitive value tax (CBT) value this season, according to USA Today's Bob Nightengale.

Although Ohtani is owed a base salary of $70 million for each of the next 10 seasons, MLB's labor relations department has Ohtani's cap hit evaluated at $28,231,523, according to Nightengale.

Ohtani will receive $2 million in adjusted salary while deferring $68 million annually, per Spotrac.

The CBT value reported by Nightengale is significantly less than the original cost projected for Ohtani's uniquely structured contract. The contract's predicted CBT value, as originally reported by the Athletic's Fabian Ardaya, was said to be "about $46 million" annually.

That value would have surpassed Max Scherzer's $43.3 million average annual value deal, signed with the New York Mets in 2021, as the highest AAV in MLB history, per Ardaya.

Instead, Ohtani's adjusted tax value ranks him as the 15th-highest AAV in the MLB this season, according to Spotrac.

Ohtani, who will stick to DH in 2024 as he recovers from elbow surgery that will keep him off the mound until 2025, has three hits, two RBI and a stolen base in his first two appearances for the Dodgers.

Ohtani's Dodgers debut has been somewhat overshadowed by the league's ongoing investigation into allegations surrounding an alleged sports betting scandal involving his bank account. Still, getting a two-way star into the team's CBT payroll for under $30 million is set to be a steal, especially once he resumes pitching next season.