Shohei Ohtani to Sign with Toronto Blue Jays over Los Angeles Dodgers: Sources
The wait is over: Shohei Ohtani is signing with the Toronto Blue Jays.
According to multiple sources who spoke with Dodgers Nation on Friday, the two-way superstar has ended the suspense of the most lucrative free-agent pursuit in baseball history. A formal announcement is expected as early as tonight.
The exact value of Ohtani’s contract isn’t known, but it is expected to shatter the value of Mike Trout’s record 12-year, $426.5 million deal with the Angels.
Blue Jays executives have been encouraged throughout the negotiating process with the two-way superstar, privately counting their chances as good as any team’s up until three finalists remained: themselves, the Dodgers, and the Angels.
The news comes as a major disappointment for the Dodgers, who made Ohtani the focal point of their off-season plans. They met with Ohtani in person last Friday in Los Angeles, before Ohtani held his final meeting with the Blue Jays.
It is not believed that manager Dave Roberts’ public confirmation of the meeting had any role in persuading Ohtani to choose Toronto.
The Jays are owned by Rogers Communications, a multimedia conglomerate valued at $24 billion. They are a leading provider of cable and internet north of the border, owning television stations and radio stations across the country – as well as the Blue Jays and NHL’s Toronto Maple Leafs. A half-billion dollar (or more) investment in the game’s greatest talent is relatively small for Rogers CEO Tony Staffieri, who has been intimately involved in the process, according to a source.
Toronto’s pitch to Ohtani in 2017, when Ohtani ultimately signed with the Angels, was spearheaded by team executives Mark Shapiro and Ross Atkins.
Key to Rogers’ pitch was something no other team could offer: the ability to command the attention of an entire country. The Blue Jays have been Canada’s only major league team since the Montreal Expos relocated to Washington, D.C. before the 2005 season.
Still, most within the industry saw the Dodgers as the front-runner to sign Ohtani, who played his first six seasons in Anaheim and seriously considered re-signing with the Angels. The Dodgers and Angels have issued lucrative contracts to star free agents before. The largest contract the Blue Jays previously issued was their six-year, $150 million deal with outfielder George Springer in 2021.
According to one source, Rogers is viewing the Ohtani signing as a corporate investment whose value transcends his impact on the field, with Staffieri willing to pay for the added international exposure Ohtani brings to his assets. Ohtani tripled the value of his off-the-field endorsement contracts from 2021 to 2022, according to Forbes, making him baseball’s most marketable player.
For the Dodgers, Ohtani’s choice means they must pivot to Plan B. They were already expected to focus on starting pitching, counting Japanese star Yoshinobu Yamamoto among their top free agent targets. The Dodgers have reportedly been targeting starting pitchers, including Dylan Cease, in trade talks as well.
Now, they must figure out how to fill the DH void left by free agent J.D. Martinez without Ohtani – perhaps by reuniting with Martinez for the 2024 season.
Photo Credit: Kyle Ross-USA TODAY Sports
We have an updated story answering the latest questions on the saga which you can read here.
GO Jays GO
Dodger Nation and Moross have lost a lot of credibility for their inaccurate reporting. Unacceptable. Even if Shohei eventually signs with Jays.
Agreed. I will no longer be getting my news from this unreliable source.
Goodbye DodgersNation. Hasta nunca!
Dodger Nation needs to issue a similar apology as Moross did. We readers rely on credible reporting and you have taken a big hit in this respect. Unacceptable even if Shohei eventually signs with Jays.
Nope…
Maybe next time bruh ???
Rogers does not own the Leafs.
Rogers owns the Jays
The Leafs, Raptors, TFC, & Argos are owned by Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment. MLSE are 37.5% each owned by Rogers & Bell, with Larry Tannanbaum owning the rest.
All you did was say Rogers Communications does not own the Leafs, and then proved that Rogers does indeed own the Leafs.
Stay off the internet.
This is my favorite reply of the day.
Rogers owns 100% of the Blue Jays. and 37.5% of MLSE, the conglomerate that owns the Maple Leafs, Raptors, Toronto FC and a bunch of real estate in Downtown Toronto.
Rogers doesn’t have much say in what MLSE does.
The ownership structure is more complicated than “Rogers does indeed own the Leafs” and this is all public information if you want to learn more.
The internet is no place for people who think a 37.5% share of something means you own it. Ownership and an ownership stake are similar, but different. I don’t mind if you stay on the internet though because your name is Ross and Ross’s rule.
Roger’s 37.5
bce 37.5
Larry Tannenbaum 15%
various other holdings the rest
I think the internet has proven to be exactly the right place for people who think things… Ross’s of the world, unite!
Perhaps, you don’t understand the concept of controlling interest. If they have a minority interest then sure they still have a stake, but they would not be considered “the owner.” You might reconsider your time on the internet as well.
37.5% is not control. Its faith. I have 99.9% interest in my wife, who has 99% control over the ongoings of the house. 37% is a lot, and also a lot short of ownership.
They own both part with bell for leafs
I’m not sure if people can trust any info right now. Earth shattering news regardless of who he signs with but Toronto came out of the woodwork on this one if this is indeed how it unfolds.
Even as a proud Torontonian living in LA I thought the Blue Jays pursuit of Ohtani was a largely futile exercise. Typically big ticket free agents(in dny sport the last decade+) avoid Toronto like the plague unless it comes with a significant level of overpay(The Toronto Tax).
Baseball is treated differently with free agents in Toronto. The jays signed the top free agents in 3 out-of the last 5 years. It’s the nba that has the stigma. That’s a whole other can of ignorance that might get me flagged if I explain the true reason why.
LOL they don’t sign actual “top’ free agents. Their biggest free agent was George Springer who was $150M contract. The top free agents only come around once in a while and their contracts are generally $300M+ maybe $200M+ if they are older.
At the time of the signing, 150MM for George Springer was a top 25 biggest contract of all time. Since then, there is plenty of bigger contracts like Trea Turner, Corey Seager, Xander Bogaerts, Aaron Judge & others north of 300MM. The signing of George Springer, Kevin Gausman & Hyun-Gin Ryu was a top-3 free agents on their respective years. So the Jays are more than often in the mix for the biggest free agents available, and they sign them pretty often based on the last couple of years.
Pretty often “based on the last couple of years”?? That’s a contradictory statement. First of all Ryu wasn’t a top of the market free agent at only 4 years and $80M. So they signed 2 free agents in the $150m range and have only done that in the last few years like you said. That isn’t an organization that is used to (or known for) signing big contracts. Most teams have something that size on their books. Do you think that Rogers is ready to pay the 100% CBT tax rate on future free agents since they will likely have to go over the Cohen tax with Ohtani on the books? That makes a $150M signing cost them $300M in the future. Even with added corporate revenue from Ohtani it would be wiped out by the tax. Its why Angels won’t make a real bid for him, they got the added revenue while staying under the CBT having Ohtani in his cheaper years.
2023 Chris Bassitt – MLB ranked him the #4 top pitcher available
2022 Kevin Gausman – MLB ranked him the #3 top pitcher available
2021 George Springer – MLB ranked him #3 overall
2021 Marcus Semien – MLB ranked him #7 overall
2020 Hyun-Jin Ryu – MLB ranked him #3 starter
Yes Virginia, they do sign actual ‘top’ free agents.
California has one of the highest tax rates in the USA. The tax argument is not valid.
Bahshaha
Its not even CLOSE to the taxes for Toronto. You can’t even compare them. lol
The ontario tax rate is pretty much identical to California’s. At this contract amount the tax difference is negligible. Don’t forget, his salary will go around 40% further in Canada based on the exchange rate.
I don’t believe this until it’s official which this is not.
New York is claiming a 2-way race for Yamamoto. AF and team will need to hit the trade market hard for pitching. Busch and Sheehan need 26 man spots. Trade Muncy. Busch can hit under 200 with random, untimely streaks at a 10th of the price with the upside that comes with the POTY.
Who’s the source?
Maybe he didn’t like our manager.
His mom
If signing Ohtani was indeed the Dodgers priority (and their priority for at least a couple of years,) then the fact that they weren’t able to sign him means that the organization has failed once again.
What an incredibly short-sighted comment.
Thanks Mr. Friedman.
I don’t see it as a potential failure. Paying one player 500 plus million is wayyyy too much for a player on a team. Unlike Toronto , LA will benefit little from added attendance draw, they typically lead the majors.
Dodgers can chop up $500 million and lock down 2-3 solid stud players.
All is not lost!
I absolutely agree – as good as O is, and he is phenomenal – is he twice or three times better than others (plural) that could be had for that much money? We badly need pitching this year, and this would free up funds to acquire arms and still stay under the spending limit. These days, quantity seems at least as important as other considerations the way injuries are hitting so many pitchers. Also, I really hope they are talking with J.D. about returning. His relationship with our coaches should help. If O goes to the BJs, I wish him well and am glad to see he stays in the AL.
They are 7ws winners and 14 WS losers in History and Roberts is 1and 3. They have been failing since inception.
Sure, tell that to the teams/franchises with fewer than 7 WSs – and the ones with none. There are 24 of them with fewer than 7. Only 5 franchises with more than 7. 6 of LA’s 14 losses came in a 16 year span to the NYY from ’41 – ’56 in a period where NYY won 12 and appeared in 18 out of 22 WSs (’41 – ’62). You know, kind of what we’d call dominance. And where is Roberts’ 3rd WS loss? 2017 to the Astr*s (and should have been vacated anyway) and 2018 to the Red Sox. 2016 and 2021, lost in NLCS. 2019, 2022, and 2023, lost in NLDS. Just a weird – and inaccurate – metric by which to define them “failing since inception”.
As a Torontonian with a son living in LA I have mixed feelings about this. OK, who am I kidding? This is just amazingly good news.
I am probably the only Dodgers fan not upset by this development. The amount of commitment needed to sign Ohtani is really limiting a team’s overall well being, no matter how much money a team has. One only has to look at the Angels signing of Albert Pujols to see what impact it had on the rest of their roster; they still haven’t recovered.
I also hope that the fans do not blame this on Dave Roberts. If the comments that Roberts made had the effect to send Ohtani to Toronto, then do we really want a player that has that much control over a team? I think not!
Agreed. They made the effort, but I am sure aren’t too disappointed in the result. More money for multiple players.
“The amount of commitment needed to sign Ohtani is really limiting a team’s overall well being, no matter how much money a team has.”
You are not considering the amount of return the Blue Jays are getting back in sponsorship deals. Conversatively speaking, the Jays will get back approximately $40 million or more PER YEAR from sponsorship alone. This does not account for additional ticket sales, merchandise, concessions, parking fees, etc. If the Jays pay Ohtani $60 million per year, 60% of his salaries are ready “paid” for. Think of it as “cash back” on a credit card purchase. It’s as much as an economic decision as it is a talent decision.
Good post
I t totally agree with you sir. I’ve been a dodger fan since 1958 spending 600 million bucks on one player is crazy the DH from last year had I think over 33 home
Runs the Dodgers can take that 600 million and get two or three really top-notch players some pitching and they’re gonna come out on top
Let me tell you all something the difference between Albert Pujols which by the way I am from St.Louis, Ohtani is on a completely different universe…Albert was generational, but Ohtani….is something we and I mean anybody alive on this planet right now has never seen. He may not even be the best hitter…but he’s definitely top 5 or 10 for sure no questions asked…and he may not be the best pitcher but when healthy he’s top 10…who in the hell can do that today or even ever, besides the Babe, and even he wasn’t as good of a pitcher as Ohtani… plus the physical part of the game now is way more challenging and demanding…if he doesn’t hold up but a few more years….let’s says 5 even, he goes down as the greatest ever… nobody right could even attempt to do the things he does at the level he gets them done at…. I don’t care what it would take to get him ,if u have to empty the whole farm,house, bank whatever…U DO IT!!! but its going to be up to him to look at what they have to give up for him and think if that will have enough left to win with what they got left….is it about the money or is it about legacy…that will be up to him… but if I’m a owner I give up whatever it takes to get that name signed on that paper and worry about peiceing the other puzzle pieces latter
You are not the only one, I think the same as you. Now lets get JD back, and a couple of aces, and we’re good, with plenty of payroll to spare for re-inforcements as needed.
As a Dodger fan since Don Drysdale pitched I will comment that you are not the only Dodger fan that could care less about Shohei Ohtani coming to the Dodgers.
And what about now….
If signing Ohtani really was the Dodgers’ priority, then losing him to the Toronto Blue Jays is the latest organizational failure perpetrated by the Los Angeles Dodgers.
come on dodgers get ohtani already
I’m not disappointed at all. In fact I’m relieved. Spending that much of your payroll on single player is crippling for a team so the Dodgers dodged a bullet. Besides, he’s left handed; how many lefties can you have in the lineup? The Dodgers need a big right handed bat and should pay Chicago whatever it takes to pry Luis Robert Jr.
Best comment I’ve read so far you are on the money
single stupidest comment here, thinking it has anything to do with $, will they pay what hes worth? yes, but dodgers wont lose more games not having him, they buy whatever they want anyway, youll be crying when theyre broken by midseason, trying to turn it into a positive just backfired on you in a major way
sorry man this must be tough for you
Why would you spend $600M on a DH that MIGHT pitch in a year? Grab Snell and Yamamoto, and resign Martinez for less than Ohtani. Be serious. No one knows if he will ever pitch again! Snell is a 2 time Cy Young winner at $225M.
It might have something to do with that DH who might pitch being the best baseball player on the planet, and the team that signed him has the ability to contend if they fill some holes, and a powerful LH bat is one of those holes.
There’s also the fact that the team is owned by a communications conglomerate positioned to make a large share, if not all or more of that money back. This move is a no-brainer for Rogers Comm/Blue Jays – it was just a matter of the player choosing to be there over other highly competitive bids and teams, and it looks like they hit on this one.
People tend to forget how rich the jays are. Rogers had revenues of $15 billion. MLB as a whole had revenues of $9 billion. They really should win any bidding war they want.
Guggenheim group that owns the dodgers are worth 295 billion……
This is not what Guggenheim is worth, it is the amount of “funds under management”. Which means that other people gave them this amount of money to invest and manage. The people that run this fund are Guggenheim Partners and they make money by taking a commission from the interest earned by the investments of the funds under management. The Partners themselves are not worth $295B…not even close.
$295B is their “funds under management”…not the actual worth of the company or the owners.
Check your sources jp. And take this down. Otherwise , you’re out of a job.
Unless his source is right.
Yes. Unless he’s right.
This sure aged well. LOLOLOL
Thank God it’s wasn’t the Dodgers or the stYankees. They both try to buy the free agent market in an attempt to buy the World Series!! It’s a team sport not just a bunch of star players. Baseball needs a hard salary cap to stop this nonsense!!
As a Dodger fan, I am fine with this. Ohtani is overrated. He’s just 1 guy. His sky high salary would handicap any team, including LA.
Glad he and his $$$$$ are staying in the AL and will be somebody else’s problem. Let’s build a strong TEAM, not just a top-heavy one like we’ve had here lately.
Love your comment! Dodger Nation Baby! He made a bad choice which apparently is good for everyone. When was Toronto a great team????
Remember 1992-1993 ?
Back to Back baby
It’s obvious that Robert needs to study baseball history
Wonder how your “overrated ” tune changed ? ?. Good luck with him!!
As for my humble opinion free agency killed baseball for the average Joe and his family. All who attend games know what it cost for tickets, parking, some hotdogs and sodas for the kids and a couple of beers for the wife and himself.JMHO
Absolutely agree!
Who cares at this point. Dodgers may end up dodging a Bullet….NO PUN. Let Ohtani go!! And move on!! Nobody is worth half a billion dollars! And don’t blame Roberts! Ohtani seems he may be another head case.
Dewey Defeats Truman! Irresponsible writing This isn’t official!
sOuRcEs
Want to bet that the dodgers just miss on Yamamoto. Friedman comes from a long line of dodger charlatans who bs the fans.
Long live the AL east…now w Soto joining Yankees and Ohtani going to blue Jays, should be a great division as usual….
“”Long live the AL East”…you do know how the AL East did in the playoffs last season right? 0 wins. This coming from a Jays fan.
And for all the Dodgers fans yhat said good riddance, or overrated, or dodged a bullet. Wondering what your saying now? ? ?
I wish him well. I witnessed him play for the Angels & the crowd ( both team’s fans) were mesmerized & proud to see a guy play that truly showed respect & love for the game. Many fellow Japanese fans bowed in reverance!!!
I have been to more Dodger games than I care to count; no one came on the field with such reverence.
JUST SAYING act like you care every time you stand on the field.
Delete this man it’s not true yet he’s at his home in SoCal and hasn’t made a decision
Confirmed Ohtani NOT in Toronto. He’s still in LA. So bummed out right now. He’s undecided still.
He’s at his home in SoCal and hasn’t made a decision yet..
He’s at his home in SoCal and hasn’t announced his decision..
Why not wait to post this article until it’s official?
Now, admit it,
Admit it. Wasn’t that the best way to spend a quiet day at the office? I tracked that place all the way from California to Ontario. The truth is out there.
let’s all overreact to unconfirmed, under-researched reports from reporters rushing to be the first one to report, even at the expense of being WRONG…
Who cares who owns what. All the quotes are from a bunch of kids. The signing is the topic.
This appears to not be true.
The Dodgers do not need addition offense (except in the post season?). They should go out and sign a couple of studs of the Cease and Burnes quality along with a solid middle rotation starter. Sprinkle in Buehler and Miller and they’ll be just fine and capable of a deep playoff run.
Bad decision if true. He’ll be an albatross around the neck of the Blue Jays and opting out in a few years and with 2 TJ surgeries may never be an effective pitcher again. LMMFAO at the revenue estimates , Canada’s GDP is 2 trillion and California’s is 3.6 trillion.
it aint over the need to ohtani
Sources? What a Crock…
Sources? What a Crock….
Horse S____!
Jumping the gun a little?
It’s all for the click bait…
Blue Jays are trash, obviously just a money grab.
I heard that Sushi is much better in Toronto!
He’s hesitating to contemplate an offer from darkhorse bidder…the Mariners!
Thank you Dave Robert’s. Your big mouth cost us Shoehie. Your blabbing had nothing to do with integrity but everything to do with stupidity and secure to be the center of attention.
Ohtani is really dumb. All his talk about wanting to compete for championships and he signs with a team that’s a few years away instead of the Dodgers who are perennial contenders. His exposure is going to be limited in Toronto relative to what he would have had here in L.A. with the Dodgers.
Toronto has been in playoffs three of the last four years. Their rotation and bullpen is better than the Dodgers. Toronto is a national team as compared to all others that are regional. Rogers is the richest ownership group in MLB.
I bet your uncle works at Nintendo too. “Sources” lmao. You lied, you didn’t know anything.
GOOD! LAD saved half a billion. Now let’s move on!
I love ???
I love ???
Unamed sources = Fake News. This story appears to be an epic fail. At the very least it is premature. Maybe Ohtani will end up signing with the Blue Jays. Maybe not. Let’s wait for official confirmation before reporting stories like this.
Where’s the retraction? This story is as bad as Jon Morosi’s inaccurate reporting of Ohtani being on a plane to Toronto. If you got it wrong fine but have the fortitude to print a retraction saying you got it wrong. At least Morosi did.
I hope the dodgers get him pay 6 million and choke in the playoffs again … Worse fan base …. Dodgers fans are trash … Team is a overpaid joke with no heart … That world series doesn’t count *66 games. I still say they haven’t one since 1988. The only thing blue is the balls on a dodgers fan waiting for a championship. Dave Roberts is a terrible manager . Ohtani is going waste more of his carrer playing with another team that has a disgusting disrespectful fan base.
Excellent post! Well thought out, good grammar, good spelling. Are you a Harvard professor, by any chance?
having one player eat up a good % of your payroll is a recipe for disaster. Dodgers would be smarter to use the $500M to get 2 SP’s, a DH and some back end help(Hader/Hicks). a better way to improve you chances in Oct. I like Sho,but, he didn’t help Halos much to win a WS. good luck Toronto.
has he signed with the jays
AF needs to tell Ohtani to pound sand and move on the addressing the real needs of the team. Starting pitching.
When you do a report like this and get it wrong, you should resign. Be accountable.
Nice call.???
And how did that Dewey/Truman thing turn out?
This aged… poorly.
Wow, this article didn’t age well! It didn’t even make 24 hours before Ohtani has now signed the biggest contract in sports history with the Dodgers.
This story is still wrong and should never have been published. This is why the public doesn’t trust journalists. Ohtani had obviously not decided to sign with the Blue Jays and the Dodgers obviously did not lose out. This story is almost totally driven by anonymous sources, except for the “fact” that Rogers owns both the Blue Jays and the Maple Leafs. (That’s wrong, too. Rogers is a minority stakeholder along with a direct competitor. The ownership mix of the Leafs is public and freely available.) In my mind, if you’re willing to trust nameless sources, your should take full responsibility when those sources turn out to be wrong. Which they were.
He just signed with the Dodgers. 10 year 700 million dollar deal.
1) How are you still working here?
2) How are you leaving this article up?
The clickbait is over.
Fire yourself and invest in better “sources”
Epic fail!
Yep, you were wrong. Find some new sources!
This just solidified Dodgers Nation as the World’s Worst Sports Blog. Please go back to reporting from your Mom’s basement and Never, Ever report on anything without a real source. Thank God majority of fans did not fall for this Clickbait garbage.
What a absolute joke this article and the author is!!!
Well someone was wrong here
How is this article still out there? Hoonstra is a clown