Shohei Ohtani, the two-way ace of the Major League Baseball's (MLB) Los Angeles Angels, will make a league record $65 million in the 2023 season, according to Forbes.

Ohtani signed a one-year, $30 million contract extension with the Angels in October 2022 to avoid salary arbitration. The other $35 million will come from endorsement revenue. Though it would be a huge increase from what he made in 2021 ($6 million) and 2022 ($20 million), Ohtani has left other major league stars far behind on this front.

By contrast, the American League (AL) Most Valuable Player (MVP) Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees will receive $4.5 million in endorsements. Ohtani's teammate Mike Trout, who won the AL MVP three times, will make $4 million of endorsement money. He and Judge are already the second and third on the list after Ohtani.

The top 10 best-paid players in the MLB this season will combined to make $436 million, setting a new record from last season's $377 million, according to Forbes. The second to fifth are: Max Scherzer of the New York Mets ($59.3 million), Judge of the Yankees ($44.5 million), Justin Verlander of the Mets ($43.3 million) and Trout of the Angels ($39.3 million) respectively.

Ohtani was the AL MVP in 2021 and only lost to Judge in the race last season after finishing 28 starts with a 15-9 record and a 2.33 earned run average (ERA) while hitting 95 runs batted in and 34 homers for the Angels. He helped Japan beat USA in the World Baseball Classic Championship Game at LoanDepot Park in Miami, Florida, on March 22 to win the team's third title of the tournament.

Ohtani will become a free agent after the 2023 season. The 28-year-old is likely to be offered one of the biggest contract in major league history. The top salary of this season will go to two starting pitchers, Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer of the Mets. Both will make $43.3 million. Ohtani will also start in the Angels' opening game against the Oakland Athletics at Oakland Coliseum in Oakland, California, on Friday.