The Toronto Blue Jays have signed Shohei Ohtani, ending the wait.
Several people who talked with Dodgers Nation on Friday claim that the two-way superstar has put an end to the speculation surrounding the most lucrative free-agent chase in baseball history. It’s anticipated that an official statement will be made tonight.
Although the precise amount of Ohtani’s contract is unknown, it is anticipated to surpass Mike Trout’s record 12-year, $426.5 million agreement with the Angels in value.
Throughout the two-way superstar’s negotiation process, Blue Jays management have been upbeat and have secretly considered their chances to be as excellent as any team’s until there were only three teams left: the Dodgers, the Angels, and themselves.
The Dodgers, who made Ohtani the centre of their off-season plans, are extremely disappointed by the news. Before Ohtani’s latest meeting with the Blue Jays, they had a face-to-face meeting in Los Angeles last Friday.
Ohtani isn’t thought to have chosen Toronto in part because of manager Dave Roberts’ open confirmation of the meeting.
Rogers Communications is a $24 billion multimedia corporation that owns the Jays. Along with owning radio and television stations across the nation, as well as the Toronto Maple Leafs of the NHL and the Blue Jays of the NBA, they are a major provider of internet and cable services north of the border. According to a person closely involved in the process, Rogers CEO Tony Staffieri considers a half-billion dollar (or more) investment in the best players in the game to be quite small.
Toronto execs Mark Shapiro and Ross Atkins led the team’s pitch to Ohtani in 2017, the year he inked a contract with the Angels.
The capacity to command the attention of an entire nation was a key component of Rogers’ presentation, something no other team could match. Since the Montreal Expos moved to Washington, D.C. prior to the 2005 season, the Blue Jays have been the only major league franchise in Canada.
Even Nevertheless, the majority of professionals in the field believed that Ohtani, who spent his first six seasons in Anaheim and gave the Angels serious consideration to resign, should sign with the Dodgers. Star free agents have previously received large contracts from the Dodgers and Angels. The six-year, $150 million contract that the Blue Jays gave outfielder George Springer in 2021 was the richest contract the team had ever awarded.
A source claims that Rogers sees Ohtani’s signing as a business venture with value that goes beyond his performance on the pitch, and Staffieri is prepared to pay for the increased global exposure Ohtani gives to his roster. According to Forbes, Ohtani tripled the value of his off-field endorsement deals between 2021 and 2022, making him the most marketable athlete in baseball.
The Dodgers will need to adjust to Plan B as a result of Ohtani’s decision. As one of their primary free agent targets is Japanese great Yoshinobu Yamamoto, they were previously expected to concentrate on starting pitching. According to reports, Dylan Cease and other starting pitchers have been the Dodgers’ main targets in trade negotiations.
Without Ohtani, they now need to figure out how to replace the DH vacuum created by free agent J.D. Martinez; they might consider teaming up again for the 2024 campaign.
