Shohei Ohtani Intends to Play Out All 10 Years of Dodgers Contract: Report

It's good news for the team who invested $700 million in Ohtani's future.

Shohei Ohtani will be on the Dodgers' payroll for the next 20 years under the unique terms of the 10-year, $700 million contract he signed with the team in December.

Ohtani will only make $2 million each of the next 10 years. The other $680 million is scheduled to be paid out in $68 million installments on July 1 every year from 2034-43.

Before the contract was signed, Ohtani conducted an interview with GQ Japan in November (but not published until Saturday). In it, he revealed he'd like to play another 10 years.

The following quote was translated from Japanese to English using an AI assistant and edited lightly for clarity:

"I want to still be playing baseball when I'm 39 or 40 years old. If possible, I'd like to stay active (laughs). Of course, the day will come when I will retire, but when that time comes, I want to continue to love baseball. Ideally, I would love baseball and not feel like I hate it or want to quit.''

— Dodgers two-way player Shohei Ohtani, via GQ Japan

This should come as welcome news to the Dodgers — and perhaps assuage any critics of the contract who believed the team manipulated its length to minimize its impact on the team's payroll.

Ohtani's interview with GQ Japan also included thoughts on his dog, his health, and his relationship with baseball from an early age.