Mad Dog Russo rips into MLB for allowing Dodgers to get away with deferred Shohei Ohtani deal: "It's an absolute disgrace"
Chris Mad Dog Russo is a sports radio host known for his controversial taste. With the biggest news of the offseason transpiring over the past week, Russo was quick to give his take.
Less than a week after signing a 10-year, $700 million deal with the Dodgers, Shohei Ohtani announced that he would be taking a mere $2 million per year in salary. Under the deferment, Ohtani would see $680 million held for him until 2034, when his contract with the team expires. Although the 29-year-old Japanese star gained widespread praise for the move, not everybody is on board.
On a recent appearance of his afternoon show, Mad Dog Unleashed, Russo reflected on the former Los Angeles Angels star's decision. The 64-year-old described the move as an "absolute disgrace" and insinuated that the notion was unfair.
"That is completely bogus," Russo said. "That's circumventing the salary cap, is what that is. The whole idea of the luxury tax is to prevent hoarding of major league players. This is an absolute disgrace. This is completely unfair to the ethics of the game. Baseball cannot allow this. You've got to look into this and change this. Why don't we just give the Dodgers every player? Is this what baseball wants?"
By saving $68 million per year on Ohtani, the Los Angeles Dodgers find themselves some $24 million under the MLB's luxury tax threshold. The luxury tax is a marginal charge implemented to deter richer teams from loading up their payrolls with expensive stars.
Although many would agree with Mad Dog Russo's point, the host's credibility took a big hit this year. Ahead of the D-Backs' final two NLCS games against the Philadelphia Phillies in October, Russo claimed that he would step down from his position if the Snakes emerged victorious. When they did, Russo did not step down.
Mad Dog Russo brings up an important point about MLB salaries
In the days of ever-larger contracts, the idea that players can defer to free up more money for their team is certainly a novel one. Before Ohtani, only a handful of players opted for deferrals. Now, teams may see this strategy as a good way to load up on talent in the short term and worry about payment later. Regardless, it looks like Ohtani will be a member of the Dodgers for a long time to come.