Aaron Judge signed a nine-year deal worth $360 million with the New York Yankees last year. It was one of the biggest in MLB’s history. However, the Japanese sensation changed everything. Moreover, Shohei Ohtani took Major League Baseball by storm. So far, he has played in six seasons and has won two AL MVPs. However, the Unicorn could have won the same award last year as well.
But Aaron Judge broke the home run record last season. Hence, the Yankees captain earned more points for the AL MVP. However, with the LA Angels, Shohei Ohtani never even got to the playoffs. But he looks pretty ambitious with this humongous contract. However, there is a concern over the opt-out clause in Shohei Ohtani’s deal.
Did Aaron Judge Influence Ohtani To Have An Opt-Out Clause In His Contract?
When Judge signed the massive nine-year deal with the NY Yankees, he had an opt-out clause. As per rumors, Aaron’s opt-out clause states that if Brian Cashman leaves the team, then it would trigger the clause. Recently, there are rumors that the contract of Aaron Judge inspired Ohtani to add such a clause in his contract. However, it might not be true. The rumor is not exactly true because in the contract of Aaron Judge there was a no-trade clause. However, Shohei Ohtani’s contract states his opt-out option can get triggered only if two key executives don’t stay part of the team.
Yankees offered Aaron Judge opt out if Brian Cashman were fired. The captain reportedly laughed.
— New York Porch Sports (@nyporchsport) December 14, 2023
Shohei Ohtani’s opt out as it relates to Andrew Friedman originated here. pic.twitter.com/AKjuI959sV
These executives are Mark Walter, part owner, and Andrew Friedman, the president of baseball operations of the LA Dodgers franchise. As per the Associated Press, the Japanese two-way superstar is the first Dodgers athlete to have a full no-trade clause in their deal. Hence, as per the contract, if Shohei Ohtani opts out of the deal after an MLB season, the Dodgers won’t trade him to any other team for the contract duration. The LA Dodgers front office has never offered such a deal before. It happened only after Friedman became the top executive.
Shohei Ohtani Wants To Win One Or Many World Series
With 62 home runs, the 16th captain of the New York Yankees history won the AL MVP in 2022. But with tremendous consistency, Shohei Ohtani won yet another AL MVP this year, making it his second. Clearly, the Unicorn was the biggest free agent available this offseason. It took a long time to decide for the two-way superstar to pick one team. In the end, he chose the Los Angeles Dodgers, and it seems he will end his career with the same team.
Moreover, the Japanese sensation signed the biggest contract in sports history. The LA Dodgers landed him for 10 years worth $700 million. However, the previous most expensive deal was Ohtani’s former teammate Mike Trout’s $426 million. Albeit, the deferrals are huge as it was the idea of the Unicorn himself. Ohtani will earn $2 million annually for the next ten years as he wants the Dodgers to use the money to form the best team possible. Clearly, Shohei Ohtani wants to win a World Series.
