Shohei Ohtani Contract Details: 1st Dodgers Full No-Trade Clause Under Andrew Friedman

The Los Angeles Dodgers made the biggest splash in MLB offseason history as they signed the new face of their franchise in Shohei Ohtani, finalizing a 10-year, $700 million contract.

Within his deal, $680 million of his total salary is deferred until after his time with the Dodgers. The purpose is to allow the team to remain flexible with their roster construction, keeping Ohtani’s number against the competitive balance tax (CBT) at a manageable spot.

Ohtani and his camp offered the same contract structure to interested teams, while also including language in his deal to ensure the Dodgers continue to build a high quality roster.

During president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman’s tenure with the Dodgers, they’ve been reluctant to include non-flexible clauses within player contracts, such as a no-trade clause. However, that changed with the signing of Ohtani, per Jack Harris of the L.A. Times:

Ohtani was given full no-trade protection , which is believed to be the first time the Dodgers have included such a protection in a player contract since Friedman took over as the top executive.

Dodgers ownership and Friedman peeled back previous restrictions on both spending, and commitment with the signing of Ohtani. His unique stature as a player and phenomenon provides them with an investment both on and off the field.

Ohtani and the Dodgers elevates their quality of star power while providing them with a two-time Most Valuable Player, who now has a chance to compete for a playoff spot throughout the life of his deal – something he never had with the Los Angeles Angels.

Shohei Ohtani contract with Dodgers ties him to Andrew Friedman

Also part of Ohtani’s deal is a clause that creates a level of consistency within the front office and with team ownership.

He added language within the deal that ensures that Dodgers controlling owner Mark Walter and Friedman will remain with the team for the duration of his contract. If either of them are no longer with the club, Ohtani has the ability to then opt out the following season.

This would be another first for the Dodgers, and perhaps in any contract in Major League Baseball history, that ties a player to front office members or owners. However, the notion that consistency matters and the chance to win for Ohtani is the strongest takeaway.