Blue Jays will try to sign Shohei Ohtani in free agency: report
The Toronto Blue Jays don’t appear to be sitting back this offseason.
The team is apparently preparing for a “strong push” to land free agent superstar Shohei Ohtani, according to a report from USA Today’s Bob Nightengale.
“The New York Yankees, New York Mets, Toronto Blue Jays, San Francisco Giants, Seattle Mariners, San Diego Padres, and Texas Rangers will all make strong pitches,” wrote Nightengale on Sunday morning.
Landing Ohtani would be perhaps the biggest offseason acquisition ever by the Blue Jays. The Japanese dual threat has spent his entire MLB career with the Los Angeles Angels, where he has lit the league on fire with both his pitching and his hitting.
Ohtani hit 44 home runs and batted in 95 RBIs last season before going down with an injury in September. On the pitching side of the ball, the 29-year-old had a 10-5 record and an ERA of 3.14.
Of course, the Jays will be one of many teams that will be trying to secure Ohtani’s services. At the moment, Nightengale reports that the Los Angeles Dodgers are the heavy favourites to land Ohtani with the Chicago Cubs being a sleeper pick.
The next contract he signs could become the most expensive in the MLB, with some estimates coming in at $500 million.
The Jays have a large amount of money coming off their payroll this offseason. All of Matt Chapman, Hyun Jin Ryu, Kevin Kiermaier, Whit Merrifield, Brandon Belt, and Jordan Hicks are set to hit free agency.
There is some hesitation around signing Ohtani to such a big deal as he suffered a torn UCL in his right elbow that forced him to miss the last stretch of the 2023 season. It was reported in September that he had undergone successful elbow surgery and would be ready to bat in time for the 2024 season.
However, he will not be able to pitch in the Major Leagues until at least the 2025 season.
MLB Free Agency opens up on Monday.
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