Shohei Ohtani's contract contains a "key man" clause allowing him to opt out if Mark Walter sells his Dodgers stake, but a source with knowledge of his thinking confirmed to ESPN on Thursday that he'd be unlikely to do so in that scenario. This follows Walter's sale of his Lakers portion to Josh Kushner and Bob Iger for a record-breaking $12.5 billion on Wednesday amid a federal investigation into alleged tax fraud by other companies under his scope.

Two factors make an opt-out unlikely: money and satisfaction. Ohtani, who earns more in off-the-field endorsements than any baseball player, showed earnings weren't his foremost priority when he agreed to defer all but $20 million of his 10-year, $700 million contract. The Dodgers have provided Ohtani everything he has longed for, reinvesting 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 2023.

The clause applies specifically to Walter and Andrew Friedman, president of baseball operations. Dodgers CEO Stan Kasten, speaking from Dodger Stadium, said the Lakers sale came together quickly because Walter was being "opportunistic" and there was "no reason to think" it related to the federal probe. He stressed the Dodgers, MLB's highest-spending franchise, would not be affected: "This is a Lakers story; it's not really a Dodgers story."