Becoming MLB's first $500 million player would be impressive on it's own. However, the latest report from ESPN's Jeff Passan suggests that Shohei Ohtani's base salary could be set at $500 million in 2023 free agency, per Pat McAfee on Twitter.

“If Shohei Ohtani goes out this year, and puts up numbers like he has the last two seasons, the number is going to start at $500 million and only go up from there,” Passan said on the Pat McAfee Show.

Passan then revealed potential suitors for Shohei Ohtani, unsurprisingly beginning with the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Mets.

“When you've got the Dodgers in. And when you've got Steve Cohen and the New York Mets in, and the Seattle Mariners and the San Diego Padres… Angels trying to keep him around, the Chicago Cubs. I mean, it's absurd player and an absurd amount of money that frankly he will have earned.”

Shohei Ohtani won the AL MVP in 2021 and fell just short in 2022. He would be a perennial MVP candidate even if he was just a hitter. But the fact that he's a talented pitcher as well makes him a once in a generation type of star. Teams will be willing to dish out an “absurd amount of money,” like Passan said, to sign him.

The Angels' odds of inking him to a contract extension are slim. Ohtani is surely well aware of the lucrative payday he will receive in free agency. Nevertheless, the Halos could make a massive bid during the offseason.

Assuming Shohei Ohtani has another productive campaign, the two-way phenom could earn well over $500 million next offseason.