Ohtani meets with Blue Jays at team's spring training complex: report
The dream of Shohei Ohtani joining the Toronto Blue Jays might be a little closer to reality.
According to The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal, the high-profile free agent was in Dunedin, Florida, on Monday meeting with the team’s management.
“In the clearest sign yet of the Blue Jays’ interest in Shohei Ohtani, club officials are believed to have met Monday with the Japanese superstar at the team’s spring training complex in Dunedin,” Rosenthal wrote in an article today.
“While a timetable for Ohtani’s free-agent decision is not known, the meeting would indicate that the negotiations with the Jays and other clubs are entering the final stages. The Dodgers, Cubs and potentially other teams remain in the bidding, and Ohtani reportedly has met with more than one club.”
Ohtani, the reigning American League MVP and the only full-time two-way player in the major leagues, is expected to land a lucrative long-term deal that could go upwards of $500 million wherever he ends up signing. Though Toronto appears to be one of few possible suitors for the 29-year-old superstar, getting an in-person meeting appears to be at the very least a positive sign.
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. Ohtani is unable to pitch in the 2024 season due to an elbow injury but is expected to be back at full capacity for the 2025 season.
The report of Ohtani’s meeting in Dunedin helps explain the circumstances of a media availability for Toronto general manager Ross Atkins, who was expected to appear in person at the annual MLB Winter Meetings for a press conference before taking the call on Zoom due to a “scheduling conflict.”
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