As Los Angeles Dodgers fans celebrated the monumental $700 million signing of Shohei Ohtani, baseball enthusiasts in Canada were left disheartened and bewildered by what transpired.
On Friday, erroneous reports and rumors began to circulate, suggesting that Ohtani was en route to Toronto to meet with the Blue Jays. This news sent Jays fans into a frenzy of excitement, believing that their team was on the verge of acquiring the two-way superstar.
Tom Verducci of Sports Illustrated revealed that the Ohtani-Toronto rumors created “angst among” some Dodgers executives. This unexpected twist presumably prompted the Dodgers to enhance their offer to Ohtani, ultimately securing the richest contract in the history of professional sports, spanning a decade.
The uncertainty surrounding these rumors left Dodgers executives uneasy. One of them admitted, “You just don’t know. That’s the best way to describe it. We just didn’t know. It was not a comfortable feeling.”
So putting all the Ohtani pieces together it looks like …
– Ohtani hoped to land with the Dodgers (it was reported early he knew where he wanted to go), gave them chance for final offer
– Agent likely initially wasn’t getting the $$ he wanted
– Someone (Ohtani’s camp?)… pic.twitter.com/RvJYdocKWk— Brandon Wile (@Brandon_N_Wile) December 10, 2023
Whether Ohtani genuinely considered the Blue Jays remains known only to him and his representatives. Nonetheless, the Dodgers had always been the frontrunners in the pursuit of the two-time AL MVP, and their staggering $700 million offer was unmatched by any other team.
