Shohei Ohtani Has Clause in Dodgers Contract That Allows Him to Opt Out if Two Executives Leave
Just when you thought that Shohei Ohtani’s contract with the Dodgers couldn’t get more complicated, it did.
According to the Associated Press, a clause in the contract allows Ohtani to terminate his deal if Mark Walter no longer is controlling owner or president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman no longer is with the team.
Ohtani can opt out of his contract at the end of the season if the change occurs.
Ohtani likely trusts that Friedman will honor his end of the contract since he agreed to all the deferrals. The team will only be paying him $2 million each season, with $68 million of his annual salary being deferred until the end of the contract.
This helps the team in terms of spending and keeping them competitive for the duration he is with the Dodgers. Ohtani wants to win badly and a move like this signals that after he spent years in mediocrity with the Los Angeles Angels.
The Dodgers are giving Ohtani the superstar treatment that he deserves, and all the minor details in his contract prove it. Both sides are taking a chance on each other, and they’re hoping that this bet pays off big time.
Landing Ohtani is the biggest get for this franchise, and possibly in sports history. The Dodgers owe it to themselves and him to build the best possible team that they can.
Photo Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
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This is a really silly article. It is obviously his interpreter who has been with him since his rookie year in Japan, was with him as Angels personnel, and will now be with him as Dodgers personnel. This is also not that out of the ordinary for foreign players.
I just want to know if that 68 million per year layer down the road will count against the cap when it’s paid, of not it seems….I don’t wanna say dirty, but that would seem like gaming the system and adding unfair advantage. Don’t get me wrong. I like to steal and I like the sacrifice she’s making. I just want to make sure it’s a fair plane field for the whole MLB.
I think if you go by IRS rules, the $68 million each of the 10 years only counts as “realized income” the year he actually receives it. So nothing unethical about this arrangement.
My money is on Roberts, citing the Japanese connection. I hope not since I would support Dodgers firing Roberts
Wonder what would happen if either Mark Walter or Andrew Friedman leave the organization due to illness or some unforeseen event. Would that trigger the clause? It is just too vague as currently stated.
This is nothing new to baseball to defer salaries they do it all the time. The Dodgers just finished paying off Manny Ramirez in the last couple years.
All teams do it not just the Dodgers. Look at the Bobby Bonilla contract. I think Ohtani signed with the Dodgers first and foremost because of their winning record. I think the tipping point was Dave Robert’s because Dave has a Japanese Mother and can speak Japanese
This article was about the opt out, not the deferrals. But you’re correct, deferrals are common in sports.