Who may be the favorite to sign Shohei Ohtani remains unclear but by all accounts his group of finalists is comprised of the Chicago Cubs, Los Angeles Angels, Los Angeles Dodgers and Toronto Blue Jays.
Some consider the San Francisco Giants to still be in the running as well, and they reportedly hosted Ohtani at Oracle Park over the weekend. It was also reported the Atlanta Braves remain a possibility to sign the two-way star but the level of their interest has since been refuted.
The Dodgers caused a bit of a stir by not staying at the Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center, the host hotel for the 2023 MLB Winter Meetings in Nashville, Tennessee. Some agents viewed that as being related to their pursuit of Ohtani and preferring a more private setting.
That was then trumped by a report late Monday night that the Blue Jays met with Ohtani at their Spring Training complex in Dunedin, Florida.
According to Mark Feinsand of MLB.com, the Blue Jays are thought to have realistic odds to sign Ohtani and the Angels are still a possibility:
The industry consensus all offseason has been that Ohtani will wind up moving 30 miles up I-5 to Dodger Stadium, but sources say that two other teams — the Blue Jays and Angels — remain firmly in play.
It has been assumed that Ohtani would be leaving Anaheim, looking for a club with a better opportunity to win. But multiple sources have speculated that a reunion with the Angels remains a realistic possibility, as owner Arte Moreno knows what Ohtani means to his franchise both on the field and to the club’s bottom line. One source speculated that Ohtani is a creature of habit who has enjoyed his time in Anaheim, so as long as the money is there, the idea of staying put is appealing to him.
While Ohtani’s free agency has been shrouded in secrecy, one common belief that’s held true throughout the process is he has placed a priority on being part of a contending team.
That seemingly would rule out the Angels, who never reached the postseason in Ohtani’s first six Major League seasons, but familiarity with the organization and comfort level are wild cards of sorts.
During his media availability at the Winter Meetings on Monday, new Angels manager Ron Washington declined to comment when asked how closely he’s followed Ohtani rumors.
“I don’t have much to say about that yet because I don’t want to let anything out the bag,” Washington answered.
Washington then was pressed about the possibility of the Angels having Ohtani news to share, and he reiterated, “I don’t have anything to say about that right now because I don’t want to let anything out the bag.”
Toronto Blue Jays secret meeting with Shohei Ohtani?
Speculation of the Blue Jays meeting with Ohtani stemmed from general manager Ross Atkins changing his media availability from in-person to over Zoom. That was coupled with late last week the Blue Jays also changing plans for manager John Schneider to not meet with reporters at the Winter Meetings until Tuesday.
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