Beyond the staggering 10 years and $700 million on Shohei Ohtani’s then-record contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers was a key-man clause that tied his future to that of owner Mark Walter and president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman.
In light of Walter’s surprising decision to sell the Los Angeles Lakers, Ohtani’s provision has come into the spotlight yet again amid public speculation as to whether the Guggenheim Baseball Management group will eventually look to do the same with the Dodgers.
According to Sam Blum and Stephen J. Nesbitt of The Athletic, Ohtani would not be expected to opt out of his contract should Walter eventually decide to sell the Dodgers.
Even if Walter were to sell the Dodgers in the near future, Ohtani is unlikely to exercise his key-man provision and opt out of his contract, according to a league source with knowledge of Ohtani’s and his agents’ thinking granted anonymity because they are not authorized to speak about it publicly.
Reports citing sources close to Walter have maintained there isn’t any plan or intention to sell the Dodgers. It’s a sentiment Dodgers president and CEO Stan Kasten echoed, calling the latest news a “Lakers story.”
“It has nothing to do with the Dodgers,” Kasten added. “They’re completely separate, so there are no changes here or contemplated here. I think that pretty much is the whole story.”
Why Shohei Ohtani wanted clause
Whether other players in MLB history included such an opt-out in their contract before Ohtani’s key-man clause became public knowledge is not fully known. Ohtani pursued such language to further ensure the Dodgers front office would invest in the roster due to $680 million of his contract being deferred.
“Everybody has to be on the same page in order to have a winning organization,” Ohtani said through an interpreter during his introductory press conference at Dodger Stadium in 2023. “I feel like those two are at the top of it, and they’re in control of everything. I feel almost like I have a contract with those two guys.
“I feel like if one of them is gone, then like I said, might not be on the same page, things might get a little out of control. So I just wanted like a safety net.”
The notion that Ohtani would possibly bypass the chance to opt out of his Dodgers contract isn’t much of a surprise when considering the team has met his expectation of using the savings on other players, and the reality of a new collective bargaining agreement (CBA) ushering in a different economic environment for MLB.
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