- People thought the Blue Jays were a dark horse in the race for the hero. But sources told the Mail that Toronto is now the most likely place for him to sign.
- One of the most expected and watched baseball stories this winter is the race to sign Shohei Ohtani. There seems to be a clear winner now.
The Los Angeles Dodgers, the San Francisco Giants, and the Los Angeles Angels are all in the running to sign the Japanese talent. The Toronto Blue Jays are currently the favorite to sign him.
There are many reasons why Ohtani might sign with a Canadian team, including money. However, reports say that his desire to win is one of the main reasons he made this choice.
According to sources, he thinks that Toronto will be able to fight for many years to come. He also thinks that other free agents would want to join him to make a winning team. “He would also be able to live his life without being in the spotlight all the time in Los Angeles.”
However, sources say that playing for the Dodgers could be scary for the player because he values his privacy. He is already familiar with California from playing for the Angels since moving to North America.
Because the Dodgers are still in the running for the World Series, Ohtani knows that “there will be a lot of baggage that comes from being on that team and always having to be the star off the field while he is making his star continue to rise on the field.”
“He needs a little more convincing for what many people think is inevitable—that he will join the Dodgers. It is definitely not a guarantee,” say sources.
Ohtani wants to make his choice before Christmas, and sources say again that “it’s really looking like Toronto will be the pick.” Other teams will have to make him a huge deal and give him a great situation for him not to choose Toronto.
Ohtani has been a star in Major League Baseball since he joined the Angels in 2018. His two-way skills have been compared to Babe Ruth.
In 2018 and 2021, he won AL Rookie of the Year and AL MVP.
Ohtani hit the most home runs, got on base more often, hit more sluggers, had the highest OPS, and stole the most bases in 2023.
Many people thought that Toronto would be a good place to try to sign Ohtani, but now it looks like he’ll be moving to the Great White North soon.
The Blue Jays made it to the AL Wild Card round last year, but the Minnesota Twins beat them all.
People like Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette are already on the Toronto team if he does decide to join.
In the last four years, the Jays have made the playoffs three times. In those three Wild Card matches, they never won a game.
The last time Toronto went all the way to the ALCS was in 2016, when they lost to the Cleveland Indians in five games.
