They thought they had him.
The 2023 free agency period was all about Shohei Ohtani. Perhaps the most gifted player in the history of the sport was a free agent, and that gave a host of franchises the opportunity to show why the iconic athlete should sign with them.
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Several reports seemed to indicate Ohtani narrowed his focus to the Los Angeles Dodgers and Toronto Blue Jays. Ohtani could stay on the West Coast and perform for a juggernaut – or he could head east and represent an entire country’s flagship team. Both opportunities seemed to deliver some real benefits, both business and on the ground.
Ultimately, despite the posted flight logs and utter hysteria, Ohtani signed with the Dodgers, much to the chagrin of the approximately three million people who live in Toronto and almost 42 million in the country of Canada.
Ohtani’s return to Toronto as a World Series opponent will be interesting. Blue Jays manager John Schneider was asked about Ohtani and the entire recruiting process last season. He made a statement that was probably intended as a joke, although the somewhat deadpan manner in which it was delivered had more than a handful of people talking.
‘I’ll say it again, I hope [Ohtani] He brought his hat, the Blue Jays hat that he took from us during our meeting, I hope he finally brings it back – and the jacket for Decoy, you know, it’s like you’re already giving us our stuff back,” Schneider said.
This was certainly a good-natured comment from Toronto’s skipper, even if it came across as a bit strange.
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As Schneider revealed, Ohtani met with the franchise and really thought about the Blue Jays. As fate would have it, Ohtani will be involved in a World Series appearance in Toronto…alone with the other team on the field.
Photo credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
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