SHOHEI Ohtani will have the option to opt out of his new contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers if the team’s owner or general manager leave the club, multiple media outlets reported Wednesday (Thursday in Manila).
The two-way superstar signed a 10-year, $700 million contract with the Dodgers on Monday (Tuesday in Manila), and multiple media reports indicated that he will receive just $2 million annually through the life of the deal, with the remaining money deferred.
Now comes reports that Ohtani can rip up the remainder of the contract at the end of any season during which either Dodgers owner Mark Walter or president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman exits the franchise.
A baseball executive told USA Today that the clause involving other team personnel is believed to be the first of its kind in major league history. However, manager Joe Maddon had a similar clause in his contract that allowed him to leave the Tampa Bay Rays when Friedman departed the team in 2014 to join the Dodgers’ front office.
Ohtani, 29, was selected the American League Most Valuable Player for the second time this year– the first player ever to win two MVPs with unanimous votes. — Field Level Media
