The Shohei Ohani effect: Jersey sales, ticket prices soar after signing coveted free agent

The signing of Shohei Ohtani is already creating massive buzz for the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Since signing the two-time AL MVP to a massive 10-year, $700 million contract, people have been clamoring to buy merchandise of the Dodgers' newest star, resulting in sales records being broken, ticket prices rising to astronomical levels and the team becoming the most popular franchise in baseball, and before spring training starts. The effect of Ohtani''s could be compared to the massive interest generated from the signing of Lionel Messi to Inter Miami CF in the summer.

Here's how Ohtani's signing has affected MLB and the Dodgers:

Dodgers 2024 opening day ticket prices

The demand to see Ohtani's first regular season home game at Dodger Stadium has risen dramatically, as StubHub said there was a dramatic increase in searches for Dodgers tickets, and they are the most searched team on the ticket platform this month, twice as much as the New York Yankees.

HOT STOVE UPDATES: MLB free agency: Ranking and tracking the top players available.

"The signing of superstar pitcher and hitter Shohei Ohtani is generating a lot of excitement for Dodgers fans, propelling the team to the most-searched MLB team on StubHub in December," StubHub spokesperson Adam Budelli said in a statement for USA TODAY Sports. "We saw a 25x increase in daily web searches for The Dodgers, in the day following the announcement last Saturday."

The cheapest ticket price to see the Dodgers home opener against the St. Louis Cardinals on March 28 can be found on TickPick for $407 with fees.

• StubHub: $302 ($423 with fees)
• TicketSmarter: $339 ($430 with fees)
• TickPick: $407 with fees
• SeatGeek: $323 ($437 with fees)
• Gametime: $302 ($410 with fees)
• Vivid Seats: $331 ($446 with fees)
• Ticketmaster: $373 ($444 with fees)

Jersey sales record for Shohei Ohtani

Everyone wants a Dodgers Ohtani No. 17 jersey.

Fanatics announced Wednesday Ohtani set the record for highest sales within 48 hours of a jersey release. He beat the record previously set by Messi's Inter Miami CF jersey release.

Dodgers Instagram gets new followers

The Dodgers are already one of the most recognizable brands in baseball, but the addition of Ohtani has elevated their recognition even more.

Los Angeles has jumped to 3.3 million followers on Instagram, tied with the New York Yankees for the most followers for an MLB team. Should the Dodgers overtake the Yankees in total followers, it'll be the first time the Yankees aren't the most followed MLB team on the app. However, neither team comes close to Ohtani himself, who has a whopping 6.5 million followers.