False alarm? Insiders shut down report of Ohtani signing with Blue Jays

Shohei Ohtani watch continues for Toronto Blue Jays fans.

Though a report from one writer today suggested that he’d chosen Toronto as his free agent destination, it seems that a few MLB insiders are pouring cold water on that report.

Dodgers Nation’s JP Hoornstra went live with the report that the two-time American League MVP and 29-year-old two-way superstar will be signing a deal with the Jays that is expected to be the most lucrative in MLB history.

“The wait is over: Shohei Ohtani is signing with the Toronto Blue Jays,” Hornstra wrote. “According to multiple sources who spoke with Dodgers Nation on Friday, the two-way superstar has ended the suspense of the most lucrative free-agent pursuit in baseball history. A formal announcement is expected as early as tonight.”

However, Sportsnet’s Ben Nicholson-Smith and ESPN’s Alden Gonzalez both shut down the report of Ohtani signing shortly after Hoornstra’s story went live.

Source tells me and @ShiDavidi there is at present no decision made by Shohei Ohtani, nor is there a timeline for a decision#BlueJays are a finalist. We'll see where it leads.

— Ben Nicholson-Smith (@bnicholsonsmith) December 8, 2023

Source: Shohei Ohtani has not made a decision yet.

That’s not to say it won’t ultimately be the Blue Jays; my understanding is that, at this point, that decision has not been made.

— Alden González (@Alden_Gonzalez) December 8, 2023

Notably, Nicholson-Smith works for a network owned by Rogers, which also owns the Blue Jays. It’s not too hard to a well-connected source within the Toronto organization may have ended up passing along some key info to Nicholson-Smith if no decision has been finalized.

The Blue Jays are by all accounts a finalist to sign Ohtani, so Hoornstra’s reporting could end up holding true despite the initial doubt from his industry peers.

It’s been an interesting day online ever since MLB Network’s Jon Morosi suggested a decision of Ohtani was “imminent” earlier today.

One particular fun storyline to follow has been the departure earlier today of a private plane from Anaheim to Toronto that many speculated could contain Ohtani, though there’s no concrete proof he’s on the plane.

Toronto reportedly met with Ohtani earlier this week at its Dunedin, Florida, spring training and player development complex, though both Jays manager John Schneider and general manager Ross Atkins wouldn’t divulge any details when pressed by the media earlier this week about the meeting.

Ohtani hit .304 with 151 hits, 44 home runs, 95 RBIs, and 102 runs scored in 135 games this past season, while he had a 3.14 ERA and a 10-5 record on the mound in 132 innings pitched for the Los Angeles Angels en route to winning his second American League MVP.