San Diego Padres outfielder Fernando Tatis Jr. has filed a lawsuit aiming to void a financial agreement he signed as a teenager with Big League Advance (BLA), a company that provides upfront payments to minor league players in exchange for a percentage of their future earnings. According to the suit, filed in San Diego County Superior Court, Tatis received $2 million from BLA in 2017, when he was just 17 years old and still in the minor leagues. In return, he agreed to pay the company 10% of his future Major League Baseball earnings. That arrangement could now entitle BLA to more than $30 million following the 14-year, $340 million contract extension Tatis signed with the Padres in 2021.
Tatis and his legal team argue that the agreement with BLA was misleading and potentially unlawful under California consumer protection laws. They claim the contract functioned more like a high-interest loan than an investment and that BLA failed to properly disclose its licensing status. The lawsuit alleges the company took advantage of Tatis at a young and vulnerable point in his career, when he lacked the legal and financial guidance to fully understand the long-term implications of the deal. It further states that BLA’s practices amount to predatory lending and that the agreement should be considered unenforceable under state law.
In addition to seeking to void the contract, Tatis is asking the court for an injunction that would prevent BLA from entering into similar agreements with other young athletes. He says the lawsuit is about more than just his own finances—it’s about protecting future players from being locked into unfair deals before they’ve had a chance to establish themselves in the major leagues. In a public statement, Tatis noted that young players should be able to focus on developing their skills and enjoying the game without the pressure of complex financial arrangements that may exploit their inexperience. The case could set a precedent for how athlete-advance agreements are treated under the law, especially when it comes to minors entering professional sports.
