Blue Jays "still in the bidding" for landing Shohei Ohtani: report

The Toronto Blue Jays are “still in the bidding” for landing Shohei Ohtani, according to a report from ESPN’s Jeff Passan.

“It would be foolish to count out any high revenue team, though by now the field for Ohtani’s services has winnowed, sources said,” Passan wrote in an article today for ESPN.

“The Texas Rangers, Boston Red Sox and New York Mets, who were among the initial group of suitors, have turned their attention to other players, sources said. Among those confirmed by sources to be still in the bidding: the Los Angeles Dodgers, Chicago Cubs, Toronto Blue Jays and [Los Angeles] Angels. The San Francisco Giants have long had a fondness for Ohtani, though where they stand in these sweepstakes is unknown.”

Earlier this week, Passan noted that the Jays were one of several teams “chasing” the high-profile free agent, who is expected to land one of the most lucrative contracts in sports history for his services.

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 132.0 innings pitched for the Angels.

During the campaign, he won the American League MVP for the second time in his career since coming to North America as a 23-year-old in 2018.

While Ohtani is not expected to pitch at all in the 2024 season due to an elbow injury suffered in August, he’s still expected to be available to bat next year before returning as a pitcher in 2025.

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