Does Shohei Ohtani’s New Contract With the Dodgers, HELP or HURT Baseball?

The baseball world got the shock of shocks with Shohei Ohtani going to the Dodgers.

Not just him going there but, from the sheer size of the contract to the format which seems illegal in every way.

Shohei Ohtani's deal with the Dodgers is for 10 years and $700 million.

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) December 9, 2023

LET ME BE CLEAR, NO PLAYER IS WORTH THIS MUCH PERIOD! NO PLAYER!

Then we heard there would be deferred money.

Shohei Ohtani's contract has significant deferrals that include most of his salary — an idea, a source said, that was Ohtani's. In deferring the money, it reduces the cost of the competitive-balance-tax hit and will allow the Dodgers to build a better team around him.

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) December 9, 2023

Then the latest blow form this bizarre deal:

Shohei Ohtani's $700 million contract calls for him to be paid only $2 million a year for the next 10 seasons, with $680 million deferred until the end of the deal, sources confirm to ESPN.

The CBT hit on the contract is going to be around $46 million, a huge discount for L.A.

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) December 11, 2023

EXCUSE ME??? $60 Million DEFFERED IN THE FOLLOWING FORMAT?

HOW IS THIS LEGAL?

So to my question, does this help or hurt the game?

Well there’s inexplicably no rule against this luxury tax manipulation actually:

For anyone wondering if MLB will challenge or cancel Ohtani's contract: The answer is unequivocally no. There is a specific article in the collective-bargaining agreement that addresses this. And it's very clear: Deferred money is limitless — even $680 million of $700 million. pic.twitter.com/DGNK0JulED

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) December 11, 2023

Yet, it still could damage the game to no end.

Imagine this, a small market team watches this deal go down then does an identical deal with a major, MAJOR FA for around $20 Million per due to deferrals.

IS THIS REALLY WHAT BASEBALL WANTS OR NEEDS?

This could either be one of the most brilliant decisions in MLB history or worst.

Ohtani, who is said to be the best player on the team making amongst the lowest AAV’s on the team?

Oh don’t worry, Ohtani will make $100 MILLION+ per year in sponsorships, endorsements, ETC. Due to being the most overrated player EVER!

That’s not the issue, the issue is this kind of payroll manipulation by a LARGE, LARGE market team.

Any of baseball’s other 29 franchises could’ve tried this but didn’t.

I could understand these tricks from a believed small market!

(THERE’S NO SUCH THING AS SMALL MARKET PROSPORTS CRANCHISES ONLY SMALL MARKET OWNERS WHO HAVE BNO BUSINESS OWNING FRANCHISES!),

Its the fact Baseball’s 2nd richest team to only the Yankees did it!

This contract mocks, belittles everything the luxury tax was put into baseball to accomplish.

Now don’t get me started on the communist luxury tax! That is mockery to baseball on its own.

IT HAS NO PLACE IN BASEBALL IN AND OF ITS SELF! NOHTIHNG LIKE A LUXURY TAX OR SALARY CAP DOES!

No one ever imagined such a contract could ever happen. NO ONE!

Then there’s the line that Shohei Ohtani HIMSELF came up with this contract structure out of desire to win and to help the Dodgers acquire other players.

DO WE BELIEVE THIS OR IS IT JUST A MEDIA LINE TO APPEASE FANS?

I for one do not buy for a second it came form Shohei Ohtani. NO CHACNE!

This was the Dodgers blatantly finagling baseball rules for their own gain!

I see no way this is good for the game under the game’s current rules construction.

If I was the MLB I would punish the dodgers is careful ways.

Such as ordering Yoshinobu Yamamoto to the Yankees (WHERE HE’S BELIEVED TO BE GOING ANYWAYS) to punish the Dodgers and keep such a high profile FA from them due to the blatant rules finagling.

This has happened before in every sport. League’s do everything keep it silent though.

The MLB needs to send a message now before every team tries this and destroys the game as we know it.

There’s no way this deal does not become a disaster for baseball and its fans in EVERY WAY!

BY: Adam King