By: Jovian Kwong

Photo by Mogami Kariya CC by 2.0 on Flickr

As this article is being written, two-way MLB superstar Shohei Ohtani has yet to select a team for the upcoming season commencing in April 2024. Countless teams have tried to sign Shohei and meet with him, but dropped out sometime later. However, the Toronto Blue Jays are believed to still be in the run for the two-way superstar.

In a recent report by ESPN’s Jeff Passan, Passan reported that, “If visits between Ohtani and a team are reported publicly, it will be held against the team, so the circles will be tiny and tight”.

According to Bet365, the Los Angeles Dodgers have a -175 chance to sign Ohtani with the Blue Jays who are behind them at +160. Most baseball fans and the baseball world were saying that the Dodgers would likely sign Ohtani before the season even ended. Just recently, it was revealed by Dodgers manager, Dave Roberts, that the Dodgers had recently met with Ohtani for 2-3 hours, saying “I think it went well”. As for the Blue Jays, it was believed that the team had met with Shohei Ohtani at their Florida Complex, according to a FOX reporter, Ken Rosenthal. 

What’s interesting here is that both teams had their meetings revealed, even though Ohtani gave no permission for a meeting between him and a team to be publicized. As for Ohtani’s meeting with the Blue Jays, the meeting was brought to media attention by a reporter who is unaffiliated with the Jays’ organization. However, for the Dodgers, their supposedly secret meeting was revealed by Doger’s manager, Dave Roberts, himself. Dodgers fans were furious on X (formerly Twitter) about what Roberts did. As of now, the Dodger’s are at huge risk of not being able to sign the two-way phenom. 

The question still arises. Does Shohei Ohtani sign with any of those teams now that the information has been leaked all over the media? Nobody knows, but we still have yet to find out which team the two-way superstar will sign with.

Works Cited 

“File:Shohei Ohtani (52251755266) (Cropped).Jpg – Wikimedia Commons.” Wikimedia Commons, commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Shohei_Ohtani_(52251755266)_(cropped).jpg. Accessed 7 Dec. 2023. 

Lauletta, Tyler. “MLB Fans Confused as Shohei Ohtani’s Secret Free Agency Talks Appear to Be Going Public.” Sports Illustrated, 5 Dec. 2023, http://www.verdenews.com/news/2023/dec/06/mlb-fans-confused-as-shohei-ohtanis-secret-free-ag/. Accessed 7 Dec. 2023. 

Walker, Teresa. “Shohei Ohtani Met with the Dodgers in La for 2-3 Hours, Manager Dave Roberts Says.” Yahoo! Sports, Yahoo!, 5 Dec. 2023, ca.sports.yahoo.com/news/shohei-ohtani-met-los-angeles-201910782.html. Accessed 7 Dec. 2023. Wilson, Jason. “Shohei Ohtani next Team Odds: Where Will Ohtani Land This Offseason?” Covers.Com, 6 Dec. 2023, http://www.covers.com/mlb/shohei-ohtani-next-team-odds. Accessed 7 Dec. 2023.