Why Dodgers fans can breath sigh of relief amid Shohei Ohtani opt-out concerns originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The recent sale of the Los Angeles Lakers sparked a lot of questions about whether Mark Walter would also look to sell the Los Angeles Dodgers.
It's become a real question, though the current indication is that he won't be selling the team. However, what if he does sell the Dodgers? Well, then superstar Shohei Ohtani would have the ability to opt out of his current mega deal with the franchise.
Fortunately for Dodgers fans, Sam Blum and Stephen J. Nesbitt of The Athletic report that even if Walter were to sell the Dodgers, Ohtani would not be likely to opt out of his current deal.
Shohei Ohtani opt-out rumors quelled with latest report
"It has also spurred interest in the 'key man' clause in Ohtani's contract, which would allow him to opt out of his contract if Walter or president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman left the organization," Blum and Nesbitt write. "But it appears Ohtani plans to stay put, sale or not."
This is a sigh of relief for Dodgers fans, as the sale of the Lakers could've opened the door to Ohtani being able to hit free agency again and either leave for a new team or get a much larger deal from the Dodgers.
But this report indicates that Ohtani doesn't plan on opting out of his current contract. However, that's just for now. What if Walter were to sell in the future? It's a similar answer as before for Ohtani: he plans to stay.
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"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," Nesbitt and Blum report.
Ohtani's $700 million contract over 10 years is a mammoth deal, and one that looks likely to be played out in full, even with these opt-out rumors.
Dodgers fans don't have to worry, as barring a major surprise, Ohtani isn't going anywhere anytime soon.
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