Shohei Ohtani "en route to Toronto" as Blue Jays pursue megastar: report

Christmas may have just come early for Toronto Blue Jays fans.

According to a report from MLB Network’s Jon Morosi, superstar free agent Shohei Ohtani is on his way to Toronto, though no deal with the Blue Jays or any team has been signed yet.

Sources: Shohei Ohtani is en route to Toronto today.

A representative of his agency, CAA, would not comment when asked about Ohtani’s travel plans.

At this hour, Ohtani does not have a signed agreement with any @MLB team. @MLBNetwork

— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) December 8, 2023

It’s been quite the up-and-down few weeks since Toronto was first reported to be interested in signing the MLB’s only full-time player that plays as both a starting pitcher and designated hitter.

The signing would immediately catapult Toronto into the upper echelon of World Series contenders, though Ohtani knows as well as anyone there’s no guarantees in baseball: he’s yet to play in the playoffs in his six-year MLB career.

News came earlier in the day from Dodger Nation’s JP Hoornstra that Ohtani had picked the Blue Jays, although the report was quickly nixed by both Sportsnet’s Ben Nicholson-Smith and ESPN’s Alden Gonzalez.

Thousands of fans found themselves tracking a private plane travelling to Toronto from John Wayne Airport, located in Santa Ana, California, close to Ohtani’s Newport Beach home. While there was no confirmation that Ohtani himself was actually on the jet, it didn’t stop the plane from ending up as the No. 1 most tracked plane in the world on FlightRadar24.

Toronto met with Ohtani on Monday at the team’s spring training complex, according to multiple reports, although both manager John Schneider and general manager Ross Atkins wouldn’t divulge any information about those when pressed at the MLB’s Winter Meetings in Nashville earlier this week.

Ohtani, the two-time American League MVP, is coming off one of the most electric seasons in MLB history at age 29.

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.

Though an elbow injury will prevent Ohtani from pitching in the 2024 season, he’s expected to be back at full health and full two-way duties for 2025.

*Update: New reports refute Morosi’s claim, saying Ohtani is still in California.

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