Sometimes, contracts are funny.
Like how the contracts of Manny Ramirez with the Boston Red Sox and Shohei Ohtani with the Los Angeles Dodgers somehow align in 2026.
The Dodgers will pay Ohtani $2 million for the 2026 season in salary, because most of his mega contract is deferred well into the future.
The Red Sox will pay Ramirez $2 million in 2026. It's the last year of deferred money on his deal that he signed before the 2001 season.
2026 salaries:
— Codify (@CodifyBaseball) January 9, 2026
Manny Ramirez, $2 million
Shohei Ohtani, $2 million pic.twitter.com/nZqjGAosAk
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This will be a bit what it feels like for Ohtani in a couple decades when he's still pulling in the deferred money.
Not a ton of MLB deals go the deferral route, but some of the biggest money contracts incorporate it as a way to spread out financial obligations a bit.
Ramirez was worth it for Boston. He helped them break the Curse of the Bambino and win the World Series in 2004.
The Dodgers have already won the World Series twice in Ohtani's first two seasons, so they won't mind making all those deferred payments down the road, either.
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Ramirez was one of the greatest hitters ever. Ohtani might be the greatest player ever thanks to his two-way prowess.
And in 2026, although Ramirez has been retired for more than a decade, they'll be paid the same amount by their MLB teams.
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