Why Fernando Tatis Jr. Will Have to Pay an Investment Fund 10% of His Career Earnings

Fernando Tatis Jr. agreed to a deal with Big League Advance in 2017, when he was just 18 years old. | Denis Poroy-Imagn Images

Fernando Tatis Jr. suffered a significant loss in the courtroom on Saturday––one that will cost him millions of dollars.

Tatis was embattled in a lawsuit against the company Big League Advance, with whom he signed a contract in 2017 at the age of 18. In that agreement, Tatis received $2 million in exchange for 10% of his future earnings. Four years after reaching the agreement with BLA, Tatis signed a 14-year, $340 million deal with the Padres.

Tatis accused BLA of using predatory tactics in order to “fraudulently induce” him into signing a deal. Tatis signed with BLA in 2017, and he argued the company played up the promises of immediate financial aid for himself and his family while downplaying the long-term impacts of such an agreement.

A San Diego Superior Court judge dismissed Tatis’s case on Saturday, meaning the Padres star will owe the company owned by former MLB player Michael Schwimer 10% of his career earnings. The ruling from the judge means that Tatis will have to pay $3.2 million immediately, as well as $240,000 to cover Big League Advance’s legal fees. Tatis’s attorney said they intend to appeal the decision from the judge.

10% of Tatis’s mega-deal with San Diego equates to $34 million. He’s under contract through the 2034 MLB season and will be an unrestricted free agent at the age of 36, at which point he might have the opportunity to sign another short-term contract, of which 10% would still be owed to BLA.

What is Big League Advance?

Big League Advance is an investment fund that provides minor league baseball players with upfront capital in exchange for a percentage of their future earnings. Additionally, the company aims to provide those players with a professional network and analytical support.

Players in the minors that are still working their way to MLB often struggle financially without a lucrative big-league salary. The average minor league salary in 2025 ranged from $20,430 to $36,590, depending on their level, per Baseball America. BLA aims to identify players that will go on to be successful big leaguers and effectively invest in their future, offering them some immediate financial security in exchange for a stake in their future earnings.

BLA strictly states that agreements with the company are not considered loans. In its own words, BLA deals are “structured as an investment in the player’s athletic career. There’s no principal to repay and athletes only pay BLA if they earn professional income in the leagues that BLA defines as Professional Earnings.”

Which MLB players have agreements with Big League Advance?

Tatis is not the only MLB player to have done business with BLA. BLA’s website states it has agreements with over 700 athletes. Some notable names among those include current MLB standouts Elly De La Cruz, Jazz Chisholm Jr., Keibert Ruiz, Bailey Ober, Yainier Diaz, Keider Montero, Brayan Bello, Julio Rodriguez and many more.

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