There is not a bigger name out there expected to hit the free-agent market in the coming offseason than Los Angeles Angels do-it-all unicorn Shohei Ohtani. Every team in the big leagues would love to have Ohtani, but not everyone has the financial legroom to acquire the Japanese superstar, whose next contract could set a new record — by a mile.

Ohtani is an intriguing figure for a number of reasons which mostly hinge on his unique ability to play at an elite level as both a hitter and a pitcher. No one knows for certain where Ohtani will land in free agency (or whether he will remain an Angel) or, perhaps more importantly, how much his next contract will be. But whatever the value of that looming deal, it's definitely a massive one, according to the projection of ESPN's Bradford Doolittle.

“So, even if Ohtani could do only one of the things he does well, his baseline values would make him worthy of being one of the game's highest-paid players. For now, at least, he does both. Together, they create a baseline estimated valuation of $76 million for on-field production. With recent superstar contracts reaching 10 years, even for players as old as Ohtani at 29, the numbers get mind-boggling: Over a 10-year contract, assuming flat production, that's $760 million. Over 12 years, it's nearly a billion dollars.”

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Interestingly, the biggest contract ever signed in the history of Major League Baseball is that of Shohei Shohei  Ohtani's teammate, Mike Trout, who is playing on a 12-year $426 million deal with an average annual value of $35.54 million.