MLB Rumors: Surprise Yelich trade, Red Sox-Yamamoto downer, Ohtani opt out
- Shohei Ohtani can opt out of his historic deal after all
- Red Sox might not engage in Yamamoto bidding war
- Could Chrisitan Yelich be on the move?
MLB Rumors: Shohei Ohtani appears to have an opt out in his contract after all
When Shohei Ohtani signed his record-setting ten-year deal worth $700 million to join the Los Angeles Dodgers, it was reported that there were no opt-outs in the contract. Ohtani was fully committed to the Dodgers regardless of what was going to happen.
Ohtani does appear to be mostly committed, but there is a creative opt-out inserted in his deal. If either owner Mark Walter or President of Baseball Operations Andrew Friedman leaves the organization, Ohtani can opt out of his deal at the end of that season.
It's unlikely their controlling owner will be looking to sell the team anytime soon when he can reap the benefits of having Shohei Ohtani, but the more surprising insertion here is the requirement that Andrew Friedman remain with the Dodgers. Friedman has been with the Dodgers for over a decade now and builds contending teams year after year, but has only won one World Series title, and that came in the shortened 2020 season.
It's unclear how long Friedman has remaining on his contract, but this gives him the ultimate leverage to ask for whatever he wants with Los Angeles obviously having no interest in losing Ohtani. Friedman has built a stacked roster surrounding Ohtani with players like Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman locked in long term, but there's still more work to be done to get this Dodgers team to where they want to be.
Fortunately for Friedman, he appears to have the ultimate job security, as even if things go downhill it's unlikely he's fired anytime soon.