Translation result.
▲ Fernando Tatis Jr.
[SPOTVNEWS=Reporter Park Seung-hwan] Fernando Tatis Jr. (San Diego Padres) has lost his lawsuit against investment firm Big League Advance (BLA) and was ordered to pay the company at least $34 million (approximately 51.5 billion KRW).
Multiple outlets, including the New York Post, reported on May 25 (KST) that Tatis Jr. was defeated in the legal battle with BLA.
Tatis entered the majors with San Diego in 2019 after being regarded as an elite prospect. He made an immediate impact: in 84 games he had 106 hits, 22 home runs, 53 RBIs and 16 steals, hitting .317 with a 0.969 OPS. He followed that up in the shortened 2020 season with 17 homers, 45 RBIs and 11 steals, a .277 average and a 0.937 OPS.
Before the 2021 season the Padres guaranteed his future with a 14-year, $340 million extension (approximately 515.1 billion KRW). In the first season of that contract he hit 42 home runs in 130 games — tying for the National League lead — and posted career highs with 97 RBIs, 99 runs and 25 steals, finishing with a .282 average and a 0.975 OPS.
Then came a major setback: Tatis tested positive for a banned substance and missed the entire 2022 season due to suspension and injuries. He returned to the majors in 2023 to rebuild his career, but has struggled this season.
▲ Fernando Tatis Jr. 
▲ Fernando Tatis Jr.
This year, Tatis has gone 51 games without a home run and is slashing .247 with a 0.615 OPS, a downturn that has drawn harsh criticism and online taunts suggesting he only hit homers while using performance enhancers. Against that backdrop came the court ruling.
According to reports, BLA provided Tatis a $2 million advance (approximately 3 billion KRW) before he signed with San Diego in exchange for 10% of his future earnings. The agreement was structured as an investment, not a traditional loan — if Tatis had never reached the majors, he reportedly would not have been required to repay the advance.
Early in his career Tatis publicly praised BLA, saying the $2 million allowed him to hire a trainer, buy a home and improve his diet.
After signing the 14-year, $340 million extension, Tatis sued to void the 2017 deal, claiming BLA used predatory tactics to disguise an illegal loan as an investment. The judge, however, rejected that argument.
The New York Post reported that a San Diego court formally dismissed Tatis’s suit seeking to void the controversial 2017 contract. The ruling leaves Tatis Jr. responsible for tens of millions in payments, including a previously awarded $3.2 million and more than $240,000 in the company’s attorney fees (roughly ₩4.8 billion and ₩360 million, respectively).
▲ Fernando Tatis Jr. 
▲ Fernando Tatis Jr.
The Post noted that four years after receiving the advance, Tatis signed the 14-year, $340 million deal (approximately 515.1 billion KRW) that ultimately generated roughly $34 million (approximately 51.5 billion KRW) for BLA — an outsized return on the firm’s $2 million investment. Tatis reportedly did not want to hand over that sum, but the court found the agreement legally enforceable and declined to void the contract.
Tatis’s legal team has said they will appeal immediately, the Post added, indicating the dispute may continue through the courts.
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