Shohei Ohtani’s Future: “Dodgers Fans Should Be Worried”

For the past few days, the Mark Walter case has been the talk of the baseball world. The Dodgers' owner, as we know, is suspected of using illegal funds to benefit his team.

He hasn't been found guilty (or even charged), but an investigation is underway.

And since Walter is in need of cash right now, people are wondering if the Dodgers might be sold. The Lakers, which were also owned by Walter, were recently sold, raising the question of whether the Dodgers will be next.

And even though the team's president, Stan Kasten, has stated that it won't come to that, there are those who believe Walter will eventually sell the Dodgers. Bill Plaschke of the Los Angeles Times calls this a “reasonable prediction.”

But Plaschke goes even further: in his view, if potential new owners don't give Andrew Friedman a stake in the team, he might leave and try to rebuild another dynasty elsewhere.

And in such a scenario, Plaschke asserts that Ohtani could opt out of his contract—one that owners without deep pockets would struggle to afford. He therefore paints a picture in which Ohtani could, in fact, leave.

A “reasonable guess” would be that Mark Walter will end up selling the Dodgers and they will lose Shohei Ohtani and Andrew Friedman, per @BillPlaschke

“Unless the new owners give Friedman a piece of the team, he could set off to build another dynasty elsewhere. And Ohtani has a… pic.twitter.com/7gAZzt5cc0

— Punchoutpitch (@Punchoutpitch) August 24, 2026

Plaschke says that, as things stand, Dodgers fans should be pretty worried. And obviously, losing Ohtani would be a huge blow to the Dodgers.

After all, we know he's a special talent… and that he brings in a ton of money all on his own.

One might wonder, however, whether the Dodgers—who have enjoyed Ohtani's prime years—would really be that unhappy to see the Japanese star opt out of his contract. The team would free up a ton of deferred money for a player who's been plagued by injuries this year and who, at 32, already has a lot of wear and tear on his body.

Seeing Ohtani leave would certainly weaken the Dodgers considerably, of course. But it might not be the worst-case scenario: seeing Friedman leave and/or the new owners being much less willing to spend would likely be far worse.

Created by humans, assisted by AI.