Source: Shohei Ohtani likely wouldn't opt out if Dodgers sold - ESPN

LOS ANGELES — Although Shohei Ohtani's contract contains a «key man» clause that would allow him to opt out in the event Mark Walter sells his stake in the Los Angeles Dodgers, a source with knowledge of the two-way star's thinking confirmed to ESPN on Thursday that he'd be unlikely to do so in that scenario.

In the wake of Walter selling his portion of the NBA's Los Angeles Lakers to Josh Kushner and Bob Iger for a record-breaking price of $12.5 billion on Wednesday, speculation has run rampant that Walter, under federal investigation for alleged tax fraud by other companies under his scope, would sell off other assets as well, but sources were quick to state that there were no plans to sell the Dodgers.

Even if they eventually are sold, Ohtani ultimately would not opt out, the source said, citing two factors.

The first is money. Players exercise opt-out clauses in order to re-enter the free-agent market and maximize their earning potential. But Ohtani, who makes more in off-the-field endorsements than baseball player by a wide margin, showed that wasn't his foremost priority when he agreed to defer all but $20 million of his 10-year, $700 million contract.

The other, just-as-relevant factor is that the Dodgers have provided Ohtani everything he has longed for, re-investing the savings triggered by his deferrals while allowing him to win back-to-back MVPs and back-to-back championships since joining them in December of 2023.

A key man clause is a unique provision allowing players to essentially terminate their contracts if certain people are no longer involved with the organization they sign with. In Ohtani's case, that clause applies specifically to Walter and president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman.

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