Baseball fans SLAM Shohei Ohtani’s ‘league-killing deal’ after it was revealed he will defer $680m of his eye-watering $700m contract… as rival supporters blast MLB’s ‘downright laughable’ decision to give green light
- Under Ohtani’s deal, most of the contract will be paid out after it expires in 10 years.
- Baseball fans were unhappy with this design and the fact that it was allowed to happen.
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The fallout from the Shohei Ohtani deal could lead to sweeping changes in the league after the Los Angeles Dodgers signed the superstar to a contract that has an intriguing payout structure.
The Dodgers officially announced they had signed Ohtani as a free agent late Monday, but key details of his 10-year, $700 million contract were known before it became official.
According to multiple reports, Ohtani will defer payments on his $680 million deal after it expires – meaning he will be paid an average annual salary of just $2 million per year.
After that, he will be paid $68 million every year from 2034 to 2043.
This will achieve several goals. First, the Dodgers won’t have to pay the luxury tax on Ohtani’s contract as long as he plays for them.
Shohei Ohtani’s contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers has baseball fans excited
Ohtani will defer $680 million of the $700 million he owes, meaning he will be paid about $2 million a year.
Another reason the Dodgers agreed to this is so they can continue to build around Ohtani while deferring his massive payout.
Ohtani also won’t have to pay California taxes on his income if he moves elsewhere after his contract expires.
Needless to say, it’s a very strategic report from the Dodgers – and a very bold deal on Ohtani’s part – that has angered fans of the sport.
Some are calling it a deal that will destroy baseball as we know it. Others praised the Dodgers for their guile.
“Allowing this contract with Ohtani would be very bad for baseball,” one Twitter user wrote. “We already had problems in small and medium-sized markets, and this will only make the situation worse. Baseball continues to kill itself and it frustrates me.”
Another user said: “Amazingly bad for MLB.” Unbelievable for Ohtani and his agent. Below, it’s just funny that MLB missed this. This is a killer deal in the league. The disproportion between franchises will only grow. This is very bad for baseball.”
“Ohtani killing the sport he was praised for saving is poetry,” another post said.
Another report said in part that these deals “set precedents” and added: “Agents and the MLBPA should be 100 (percent) concerned about this becoming standard contract terms. It kills the value of players and not every player is as lucky as Ohtani not being on the field.”
Fans on social media were outraged over the deferred payment structure of the deal.
One post praised the Dodgers: “Everyone is going crazy over the Shohei Ohtani deal, but the reality is LA just opened up a cheat code for all the other MLB teams who want to keep their star player. Shame on any team that didn’t take advantage of this loophole.”
MLB and MLBPA officials will not be able to challenge the deal Ohtani agreed to, thanks in part to the collective bargaining agreement.
As ESPN notes Jeff PassanArticle XVI of the CBA states that “there shall be no limitation on the amount of deferred compensation or on the percentage of the total compensation attributable to deferred compensation.