By Hailey Bell, Tulane Sports Law
On September 11, 2025, arbitrator Anthony J. Carpinello ordered Fernando Tatis Jr. of the San Diego Padres to pay Big League Advance (“BLA”) $3.74 million for defaulting on contractual duties. BLA invoked an arbitration clause in Tatis’ contract after alleging he stopped payments to the company in 2024. The court rejected Tatis’ request for a stay of the arbitration pending a lawsuit he filed against BLA.
BLA is a company that contracts with baseball players, giving them an upfront payment in exchange for a percentage of any earnings the players make in the MLB. When Tatis was 18 years old in the minor leagues in 2017, he signed a contract with BLA, agreeing to give the company 10% of his future earnings for a $2 million upfront payment. After stopping payments to BLA last year, Tatis filed a lawsuit against the company in June 2025, seeking to void the agreement on the grounds that BLA lacked a license to operate in California. Tatis alleged that he was lured into a loan agreement with BLA and accused the company of engaging in predatory tactics, which form the basis of his lawsuit. Although Tatis’ lawsuit against BLA is independent from the arbitration, Carpinello’s decision in favor of BLA does not bode well for Tatis’ fate in the California court.
Tatis alleged that BLA lacks a license to issue loans and stated it “preys on young, unsophisticated athletes, offering lump-sum advances in exchange for significant portions of their future earnings.” Tatis is represented by Robert Hertzberg of Pepper Hamilton, LLP in Southfield, Michigan. BLA is represented by Luke T. Cadigan and other attorneys at Cooley LLP. With Carpinello’s decision, Tatis will owe BLA $34 million over the course of his current 14-year, $340 million contract extension he signed in 2021. On September 24, 2025, BLA filed a petition with the Superior Court of the District of Columbia to confirm the still-pending arbitration award against Tatis.
