2026 Might be Shohei Ohtani's Last Year as a Dodger

Walter is reportedly under federal investigation over undisclosed loans tied to his insurance businesses, with exposure that some reports put at over $20 billion. Earlier this month, he stunned the NBA by selling the Lakers for $12.5 billion just over a year after acquiring a majority share. The timing has reporters speculating that Walter is liquidating assets to get out of his current bind.

The Dodgers have been owned by Guggenheim Management since 2012, a consortium that features Walter as a controlling owner. The Dodgers’ mammoth payroll and its influence on MLB has been a major discussion in the last few years, with their 2025 expenditures exceeding $500 billion. If Walter needs cash, hawking the team is a logical next step following his sale of the Lakers.

Dodgers president Stan Kasten has pushed back hard on any suggestion the baseball team is next, telling reporters the team is “not for sale” and that no process to sell it has started.

Outside investigators are less certain. Bill Plaschke published a piece for the LA Times this morning stating that “Dodgers fans should be worried” and that even with the money from the Lakers sale combined with divestitures from some of Walter’s other sports investments, it still wouldn’t be enough to get him off the hook.

With the Dodgers looking at a potential World Series three-peat, they are worth more on the open market than potentially any other time. It’s not like there isn’t precedent; the Seattle Seahawks are on the verge of a sale less than a year after winning the Super Bowl earlier this year.

In short, the waters are very muddy in LA right now, and you can’t take what anyone is saying at face value.

Ohtani’s 10-year, $700 million contract includes what’s referred to as a “key man” clause, a provision letting him opt out if either Walter or president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman leaves the organization. It’s one of the only clauses of its kind in MLB history. Sources close to Ohtani have said he’d be unlikely to actually exercise it even if Walter sold, since the deal’s heavy deferrals and the team’s spending have kept him happy in LA.

Still, a sale would theoretically change the math for everyone involved. A new owner facing pressure to control costs could push Friedman out and they will likely seek to renegotiate contracts and cut overhead. That alone could trigger Ohtani’s exit ramp even if he wants to stay in LA.

As the biggest name in the sport, Shohei would not have much trouble finding another team to pay him his due, especially if the Dodgers are open to paying him a portion of the new contract just to get him out the door.

The Dodgers have been the sport’s biggest name for over a decade, and Ohtani’s arrival turned that into a dynasty. Two World Series titles in two years, MVP level production, and a chase this season for a third straight championship that no National League team has ever pulled off. He’s the face of a franchise that represents Los Angeles, baseball, and modern sports success all at once, and is easily in the conversation for the best baseball player to ever live.

Brands have been quick to produce merchandise featuring Ohtani’s likeness and endorsement. Since 2023, he’s been estimated to rake in more than $100 million dollars in endorsement deals every year, eclipsing his salary with the team. In Japan, you can find his face in subway stations, fast food restaurants, and hair salons. There are special broadcasts of Dodgers games with a dedicated camera following Ohtani even when he’s sitting in the dugout.

Within and without Dodger Stadium there’s all kinds of Shohei Ohtani merch sold or given away. Shohei drink cups, Shohei beer cans, Shohei bobbleheads, Shohei children’s books. In 2024, his 50/50 season home run ball sold at auction for a record $4 million. Earlier this year, a Topps Chrome card featuring his signature in English and Kanji attracted offers of over $10 million.

In short, Shohei Ohtani’s tenure with the Dodgers is deeply meaningful to fans and collectors, and extremely lucrative for merchandisers. The recent rumors around Mark Walter’s ownership have put all of that in jeopardy, and there’s a real chance 2026 will be the last time we see him in Dodger Blue.

With only 15 home games remaining for the Dodgers in 2026, there aren’t a ton of opportunities to stock up on merch. There is one specific game we can call out though, the team’s September 2 matchup against the Cardinals.

The first 40,000 fans through the gates at this game will receive a replica of Shohei Ohtani’s 2025 World Series ring. This isn’t a top shelf collectible like some of the stuff we’ve covered in the past, but it’s notable.

Beyond that date, this is more about mindset than a specific shopping list. Nobody should go out and buy every piece of Ohtani merchandise sitting on a shelf. The Dodgers have already flooded stores with his face on everything from jerseys to bobbleheads, and most of that stock isn’t scarce enough to hold real resale value. What’s worth doing is paying closer attention. Any surprise limited edition drop, especially during an all-but-guaranteed postseason run, deserves a second look. Collectors, fans, and LA resellers should take stock of any piece of limited edition Dodgers merch featuring Shohei Ohtani. Don’t sell anything right now.

If Ohtani’s Dodgers tenure does end after this season, the pieces tied directly to this era, the back to back titles, the record contract, the chase for a third straight ring, are the ones most likely to move. Some day ten years from now an embittered Dodgers fan will look back on 2026 as the heyday of the franchise, and who knows what they’ll pay for the right piece of merch to recapture those feelings.