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.
The two-way superstar signed a 10-year, $700 million contract with the Dodgers on Monday, 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.
Splitting time with the Los Angeles Angels between pitching and serving as the designated hitter, he led the league with 44 homers, a .412 on-base percentage and a .654 slugging percentage. On the mound, he went 10-5 with a 3.14 ERA in 23 starts before an elbow injury kept him from pitching after Aug. 23.
In six major league seasons, all with the Angels, Ohtani hit .274/.366/.556 with 171 homers and 437 RBIs. He has a 38-19 pitching record with a 3.01 ERA in 86 starts.
–Field Level Media