Shohei Ohtani’s Unprecedented Contract Deferrals Weren’t Exclusive to Dodgers

One of the biggest stories from the offseason hasn’t just been two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani signing his record-setting contract with the Dodgers, but also the details of the contract. Ohtani agreed to defer all but $2 million of his annual salary until the conclusion of the deal.

This means that $68 million of the money owed to him each year will be deferred. But the hit that the Dodgers will take on the competitive balance tax (CBT) will be around $46 million.

This has led many fans and some media members across the baseball industry to claim that the Dodgers are cheating or circumventing the rules. But the reality is that this is perfectly legal, with ESPN MLB Insider Jeff Passan explaining it perfectly.

Many people have also said that it’s not fair that the Dodgers get to do this type of maneuver with their payroll. But MLB Insider Jack Harris of the LA Times notes that Ohtani offered this type of salary deferment to each team that he was negotiating with. So, it wasn’t just Dodgers exclusive.

We also had San Francisco Giants president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi come out on Tuesday to say that the Giants had met the same contract agreement that Ohtani signed with the Dodgers. This marked another example of it not being exclusively for the Dodgers.

People around the league are just angry that a player like Ohtani can join L.A. for this small amount of cap hit, but truly it represents his willingness to sacrifice his own needs for the team. Ohtani wants to win at all costs, even if it means giving up a good amount of money in the present.

He knows that he will more than make up for it off the field, and he is the only player in baseball that can say that. Ohtani is unlike any other player we have ever seen, so it’s only fitting that his contract is the same way.

Photo Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

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