Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani ‘Escape Clause’ Resurfaces After Shocking Lakers Sale

The Los Angeles Dodgers have spent the past several seasons building one of baseball’s most star-studded rosters, and Shohei Ohtani remains at the center of the team’s hopes for a third straight World Series championship.

Ohtani’s unprecedented contract was designed around more than just money, however, with the two-way superstar tying his future to the people running the organization.

Now, that unusual provision has suddenly returned to the spotlight following a stunning development involving the team’s controlling owner Mark Walter.

Los Angeles Dodgers’ Unusual Shohei Ohtani's Contract Clause Back In Spotlight After Owner’s Sale

The Los Angeles Lakers announced a record-setting ownership transaction this week, with Walter selling his controlling stake in the NBA franchise at a reported $12.5 billion valuation. The deal immediately raised questions about what it could mean for Walter’s other sports holdings, particularly the Dodgers.

“Shohei Ohtani’s 10-year, $700-million contract with the Dodgers includes an unusual escape clause: If Walter is no longer the controlling owner, or if Andrew Friedman is no longer running the Dodgers’ baseball operations department, Ohtani can opt out of the contract,” Bill Shaikin reminded readers of the Los Angeles Times.

That clause is back in the spotlight as Walter’s sudden decision to sell the Lakers raised questions about whether he might do the same. His business is under federal investigation and it seems as if he is interested in divesting assets and raising cash.

But in the immediate aftermath of the Lakers sale, the Dodgers informed fans that Walter does not plan to give up control of the baseball team.

“Hours after Wednesday’s bombshell news that Dodgers owner Mark Walter was selling his majority stake in the Lakers at a record $12.5 billion valuation, Dodgers team president Stan Kasten was adamant that no changes were coming within the Dodgers organization,” Jack Harris reported for the New York Post. “Kasten also confirmed that Walter has no plans to sell the baseball team.”

Shohei Ohtani’s Los Angeles Dodgers Future Could Hinge On Owner’s Record-Setting Sale

Despite Kasten’s assurances, it’s possible that Walter will look to sell the Dodgers at some point before Ohtani’s contract comes to its end in 2033.

And if that’s the case, it could give Ohtani the freedom to leave the team, which suddenly seems more plausible as Major League Baseball fights to institute a salary cap for next year and beyond.

“If major league owners get their way in collective bargaining, the proposed salary cap would mean Ohtani at $70 million could eat up just about one-third of any team’s payroll,” Shaikin noted for the Times. “And, in his third year with the Dodgers, he has yet to complete a full season as a pitcher, and a left knee in which manager Dave Roberts says Ohtani suffers from ‘wear and tear’ could make him less of a two-way player as the contract winds down.”

A significant change to the economics of MLB could motivate Walter to sell the team and it could suddenly make Ohtani’s long-term contract less tenable.

For now, though, Ohtani's Dodgers future remains intact despite the sudden disruption to Walter’s sports empire. The Lakers sale simply serves as a reminder of how unusual — and potentially important — the superstar's contract language could become if the Dodgers' ownership or baseball leadership ever changes.

This article was originally published on Forbes.com