LOS ANGELES — Shohei Ohtani can opt out of his $700 million, 10-year contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers if either of two key executives is no longer in place, a person familiar with the agreement told The Associated Press on Wednesday.

Ohtani, who will officially be introduced by the Dodgers at a news conference on Thursday, would be allowed to terminate his deal if Mark Walter no longer is controlling owner or president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman no longer is with the team, the person said. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the terms were not announced.

Ohtani’s deal, announced Monday, provides that 97% of the money be deferred without interest and not fully paid until 2043.

The Athletic first reported Wednesday that Ohtani’s deal contained a provision allowing him to opt out if the Dodgers made specific personnel changes.

The deal is still in the form of a letter of agreement between Ohtani’s representatives and the team, and a formal contract has not been submitted to Major League Baseball, the person said.

Ohtani’s contract calls for annual salaries of $70 million and of each year’s salary, $68 million is deferred with no interest, payable in equal installments each July 1 from 2034-43.

MLB reported Wednesday that Ohtani broke Fanatics’ record for the highest jersey sales within the first 48 hours of a release, topping soccer stars Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. Ohtani was out of sight at the stadium on Wednesday, meeting with teammates, including seven-time All-Star outfielder Mookie Betts and reliever Joe Kelly.

“I had a chance to talk to him,” Kelly said, surrounded by kids attending an outdoor holiday party with music blaring. “He was already working out, already grinding, getting bigger and stronger. His arm looked good to me.”

Ohtani’s deal includes a full no-trade provision and provides for a hotel suite on road trips, a premium luxury suite for home games and a fulltime interpreter. Ohtani will donate to the Dodgers’ charity an amount not to exceed 1%.

Ohtani last spoke with reporters on Aug. 9, two weeks before a pitching injury that required surgery and will keep him off a mound until 2025. He had the operation on Sept. 19, but the nature of the surgery was not fully announced. Ohtani had Tommy John surgery on Oct. 1, 2018.

A unique two-way star as both a hitter and pitcher, the 29-year-old left the Los Angeles Angels as a free agent after six years.

Kelly is switching uniform numbers after finalizing his $8 million, one-year contract with the team on Monday, opening No. 17 for Ohtani, who thanked him for the gesture.

“I wasn’t going to give it up to just anybody,” Kelly said. “If Shohei keeps performing, he’ll be a future Hall of Famer and I’ll be able to have my number retired. That’s the closest I’ll get to the Hall of Fame.”

RED SOX: Boston signed right-hander Cooper Criswell to a one-year deal, bringing in the former Rays long reliever as a potential arm for the bullpen or rotation.

Criswell, 27, made 10 relief appearances for the Rays last season, including four outings of at least four innings. He was 1-1 with a 5.73 ERA.

• The Red Sox signed catcher Roberto Peréz, a two-time Gold Glove winner, to a minor league contract that includes an invite to major league spring training camp. It allows him to receive a $1.4 million base salary if he’s on the major league roster.

Peréz, who Boston also had strong interest in signing last offseason, appeared in just five major league games last season with the Giants. The Puerto Rico native, who will turn 35 on Dec. 23, has appeared in only 70 major league games over the past three seasons, batting .171 (37 for 216) with nine homers, five doubles, 26 RBI, 28 walks and 87 strikeouts. Peréz won Gold Glove awards with Cleveland in both 2019 and ‘20.

METS: Manager Carlos Mendoza thinks it is too soon to determine whether infield prospect Ronny Mauricio can return at some point next season from a torn ACL.

“That’s hard to tell,” Mendoza said Wednesday. “He’s going through a lot of tests and we’ll see what the doctors – the reports that we get from the doctors and the medical department, and we’ll see where we at.”

The 22-year-old Mauricio, who made his major league debut Sept. 1, was hurt while playing for Tigres del Licey in the Dominican Winter League on Sunday night. Mauricio was on first base and started for second in what appeared to be a stolen base attempt, then stopped, fell and grabbed his right knee. He walked gingerly off the field.

New York said Tuesday that imaging revealed a torn ACL and added a timeline for his return will be determined after the operation. Many athletes return from torn ACLs in six to nine months.

 

 

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