Shohei Ohtani’s free agency process has been a fairly long one, but the two-way star has made his decision, according to one reporter.
J.P. Hoornstra, who previously covered the Los Angeles Dodgers as a beat reporter for the LA Daily News, published a report for Dodgers Nation on Friday. Hoornstra reported that Ohtani will sign with the Toronto Blue Jays.
Hoornstra’s report was disputed by other notable MLB reporters, who said no decision had been made yet. So nothing is official to this point.
The Blue Jays have been considered as one of the finalists for Ohtani, along with the Dodgers and Angels. Other reports have suggested the San Francisco Giants, Chicago Cubs and Atlanta Braves were also in consideration for Ohtani.
The amount of money Ohtani signs for will almost certainly stand as a record for North American professional sports. Bidding for the two-time AL MVP reportedly had well surpassed $500 million.
The largest contract the Blue Jays have given out in the past was the 6-year, $150 million deal they gave George Springer prior to 2021. Toronto has made the wild card round of the playoffs in three of the last four years but they were swept in all three series. They did not make the playoffs in 2021 but went 91-71 that season, which resulted in a 4th-place finish in the tough AL East.
A superstar choosing to sign with the Blue Jays over any other team would go down as quite a surprise. But this is the same player who already shocked the baseball world when he chose to sign with the Angels upon coming to MLB. When it comes to Ohtani, anything can happen.
