MLB free agency the past two years has featured unique talents Shohei Ohtani and Juan Soto, both of whom are superstars in their own right.
But there’s been one glaring difference in how Ohtani navigated reaching free agency for the first time in his career, and what’s unfolded with Soto so far on the open market.
Specifically, Ohtani and agent Nez Balelo gave teams a directive of wanting to operate in secrecy. There were few updates along the way, though that in its own right still led to a media circus when it was erroneously reported Ohtani decided to sign with the Toronto Blue Jays and was on a private flight to Canada.
That was the type of scenario and rumor Balelo said he and Ohtani wanted to avoid, per Bob Nightengale of USA Today:
“I didn’t want what happened to create a frenzy in the country of Canada,” Balelo said. “These are good people, quality people, and for the journalist to do what he did was so reckless. It hurt the organization, the fans of the organization, and the country of Canada.
“Organizations we were still having discussions with reached out to me, and I said, ‘No, I’m not on a plane to Toronto. Shohei is not on a plane to Toronto. We are here.’ The only organization that didn’t reach out to me was Toronto. They knew I wasn’t on a plane.
“I felt really bad for the fans, the organization, and the country, because for a minute there, they all felt he was coming. That was the biggest disappointment in the process. Everything was so seamless, so good, and for that to happen.”
Meanwhile, there have been daily Soto rumors as it’s believed he nears a decision. Some of the speculation included erroneous reports over having decided to sign with the Boston Red Sox, and the son of New York Mets manager Carlos Mendoza revealing a purported 15-year, $700 million contract offer.
Balelo noted the daily distractions were not what he and Ohtani wanted in free agency last year:
“That’s why Shohei and I kept quiet,” Balelo said. “I didn’t want speculation. I didn’t want the negotiations to go public. … I didn’t want anything interfering with the discussions that I was having with the various organizations.
“I didn’t want any speculation or rumors to affect the results of what we wanted to go. It’s just a healthy way to go about your business … We ultimately wanted to control the narrative and wanted to control the results.”
Ohtani wound up announcing his decision to sign with the Dodgers on Instagram. Shortly after, MLB reporters shared details of his 10-year, $700 million contract that included a staggering $680 million in deferred salary along with a full no-trade clause and key-man clause tied to Mark Walter and Andrew Friedman.
Will Juan Soto break Shohei Ohtani’s contract record?
Ohtani’s Dodgers contract currently represents the richest deal in MLB history and North American sports. However, it’s now expected to be exceeded in total value by Soto’s contract.
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