The agent of Shohei Ohtanis, Nez Balelo

The business of sport is often kept secret. You can find out the salary of your favorite player, but how much money his team earns and how much money he earns from the field are the stuff of estimates, not of public discourse.

Not on Thursday. Is Shohei ohtani Really earn more than 100 million US dollars in note this year?

Nez Balelo, the Ahtani agent, did not hesitate.

“Absolutely,” said Balelo at the Invest -West conference from Sportico at Intuit Dome.

Balelo is not, let’s say, Scott Boras. It does not include public speaking. So we came by to hear what Balelo had to say after the first full season of ohtanis record contract with the Dodgers of $ 700 million.

The record did not last long. Juan Soto signed 765 million US dollars at the New York Mets last winter.

And because ohtani is increasing 680 million US dollars and Soto 0 US dollars, and since a dollar is worth more than one dollar today, the actual value of the contract of SOTO $ 765 million and the actual value of the contract of Ohtani is $ 460 million.

REUE?

“Not at all,” said Balelo. “We would not do anything else. He won a championship. He went to the right team. Why should we do something else? No regret. Nothing.”

Not even about the Angels, the team with which Ohtani played the first six seasons of his major League career. The Angels have never achieved a winning record with Ohtani, let alone won a championship.

However, they stood for their commitment to make Ohtani bloom as a two-way player, even after his first Cactus league season was so rough that they asked questions about whether they would reduce it into the little leagues.

“If we had to do it again today, we would have done it the same way,” said Balelo. “We would have selected the angels at the time. It was the right place with the group and Mike (Scioscia) and the entire team there. They gave him an opportunity.

“The Dodgers are now the right home for him.”

It was with the angels – and especially in 2021, when Ohtani won his first most valuable player price, in what Balelo called a “global superstar”.

Before the start of his last season, Balelo and Ohtani decided that there would be no discussions about an extension.

“We knew that we would exercise our rights for the free agency,” said Balelo.

The angels decided to win ohtani in 2023 instead of swapping it for an urgently needed infusion of young talents. They were three games from a playoff place at the end of July and exchanged views against rental aid and then ended 16 games from a playoff place.

Balelo would not say exactly how many companies in Ohtani support, but the number in the “low 20s”.

“It’s not like I’m out there on the sidewalk and advertising for companies,” said Balelo. “After 2021 and 2022 we could have really crazy. That is not the one he is. He doesn’t want to.”

It is everywhere in Japan, in advertisements about road crossings and at the airport, on television and in magazines. He supports shoes and skin care products, airlines and watches and much more.

An electronic advertising table that almost extends over a city block showed advertising with Shohei Ohtani near the Tokyo Dome in March when the Dodgers were in the city to play the Chicago Cubs to open the season.

(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

“We have to make sure that we don’t overshoot him,” said Balelo.

Say something?

“We could probably have 40 or 50 deals,” said Balelo.

These income of $ 100 million enabled Ohtani, the Dodgers and other finalists for freelance agents, including the Angels to offer the same deal: $ 700 million, with $ 680. The angels rejected. On Thursday, Balelo condemned what he described as the “ruthless reporting” from Ohtanis alleged flight to Toronto to sign the Blue Jays.

The Dodgers decreased and promised to use the money that they would not immediately spend on ohtani to sign other players.

“You get it,” said Balelo. “You have the vision.”

Within two weeks after the signing of Ohtani, they had spent more than $ 450 million for Pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Tyler Glasnow.

“He knew that the marketing leg was going very well,” said Balelo. “He knew that it was not about the money. It was more about coming with a team that could appreciate him and understand him and allow him to develop as a two-way player.”

After Ohtani had broken off his second elbow reconstruction, Balelo said, he wondered if the teams could only recruit him as a keyman. As it turned out, nobody made such an offer.

Balelo said he had business of up to 15 years and maybe even longer, but ohtani rejected these overtures. If his contract runs with the Dodgers, he will be 39.

“He just didn’t want to have the end of his story book career,” said Balelo.

This raises the possibility that Balelo has already negotiated the last game contract of Ohtanis, even though Ohtani is 30 years old.

Ohtani has already won three MVP prices unanimously. He would have won a fourth, if not for Aaron Judge if he broke the Homerun record of the American League in 2022. Nobody except Barry Bonds has won more than three.

So Balelo couldn’t negotiate on behalf of Ohtanis. However, the Cooperstown marketing deals expect, but luckily for the Dodgers, not soon.