Ohtani decision likely coming soon and Blue Jays still in the running: report
The biggest MLB free agent of the offseason is reportedly close to making a decision and the Toronto Blue Jays remain in the mix.
Baseball insiders and fans have set social media ablaze over the past few days as speculation on where Japanese superstar Shohei Ohtani will sign has reached a fever pitch. Just this last week it was revealed that the Blue Jays were among the teams making a hard push to sign Ohtani.
Now, according to MLB Network’s Jon Morosi, it seems like we are in the final stretch of the process. He reported on Sunday morning that Ohtani is likely to decide on where to sign in the next week.
Get ready for constant timeline refreshing for Shohei Ohtani news. 😳 pic.twitter.com/6cmnJb8atP
— MLB (@MLB) December 3, 2023
If the Blue Jays can convince the two-time AL MVP to sign in Toronto, it would be among the biggest moves in Canadian pro sports over the last decade.
The contract that Ohtani eventually ends up with is expected to be around $500 million in value, which would be among the most lucrative contracts signed in North American pro sports history.
The 29-year-old Ohtani spent last season playing for the LA Angels, rocketing 44 home runs and recording 167 strikeouts in 132 innings pitched. He is one of few players in MLB history to be among the league’s best hitters and pitchers at the same time.
Ohtani isn’t the only big-name player that the Jays have been linked to over the past few days. There has been heavy speculation that Juan Soto trade talks between the San Diego Padres and New York Yankees have stalled and that the Blue Jays could now be the favourites to land the three-time all-star.
How likely is it that the Jays can swing both Ohtani and Soto? Well, according to Morosi, it doesn’t appear like that is a possibility.
Could Shohei Ohtani *and* Juan Soto both join the Blue Jays this offseason?
No.
That is unrealistic.
The Jays have talked with the Padres about Soto and are not ruled out of the Ohtani sweepstakes.
They might land one. They won’t get both. @MLBNetwork @MLB
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) December 3, 2023
Nothing is set in stone at this moment, but Blue Jays fans must be having a great time seeing so many big players connected to the team.