The Los Angeles Dodgers traveled north to Canada on Thursday, representing the third country they’re poised to play in this season as they face the Toronto Blue Jays.
A friendly face awaits them in Justin Turner, who signed with the Blue Jays during the offseason after spending 2023 with the Boston Red Sox. However, that signing came following their failed pursuit of Shohei Ohtani, who, of course, chose L.A. over Toronto.
Ohtani was connected to the Blue Jays throughout his free agency, and a few erroneous reports about him being poised to sign there forced the two-way star and agent Nez Balelo into an awkward bit of time. The news even escalated to a report that Ohtani was on a plane to Toronto to sign his contract.
But that was debunked, and it was instead “Shark Tank” panelist Robert Herjavec on the plane from Southern California to Toronto, so speculation about Ohtani’s next destination resumed.
Ohtani’s focus has always been baseball, and his decision on which team he ultimately joined was a private one. When that false information began to spread, Ohtani was taken aback by the reports, via Andy McCullough of The Athletic:
“I was as surprised as any fan, in terms of news that was going around,” Ohtani said. “But I did meet with the Blue Jays organization. The impression that I got was that it was a really, really great organization. The fans are really good, too. Love the city, too. So I’m really looking forward to going to Toronto.”
The Dodgers ended up signing Ohtani to a sports record 10-year, $700 million contract, with the majority of his salary deferred over time. The deal pays him just $2 million per year over the length of it, and there are numerous perks in the contract as well.
The deal with the Dodgers allowed them for a boatload of financial flexibility, and they’ve utilized that to their fullest potential, assembling an incredibly talented roster for the 2024 season and signing multiple players to long-term deals.
Blue Jays proud of Shohei Ohtani pursuit
Despite falling short in their pursuit of Ohtani, Blue Jays president and CEO Mark Shapiro believes the two-way star was attracted by the idea of playing in Toronto, and that his organization has improved their ability to sign big-name free agents.
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