The Toronto Blue Jays are the unexpected front-runners to sign Shohei Ohtani this winter. The Angels star is willing to put on-field success ahead of money and leave the Los Angeles spotlight, and he wants a decision before.
Sources claim that Ohtani’s desire to succeed is one of the primary factors influencing his decision to sign with a Canadian team, despite the fact that there are many other factors at play as well, money being one of them.
According to sources who spoke to MailSport, “he feels that Toronto will be able to compete for years to come and he would be a beacon for other free agents to join him to create a winning team.” “And he would be able to live his life away from the spotlight that is always on him in LA.”
Although he has played for the Angels since coming to North America, sources claim that he is somewhat familiar with the state of California; however, because he values his privacy, playing for the Dodgers could prove to be challenging.
Sources also state that while many people think that he will eventually join the Dodgers, this is not a given. He needs some more persuasion. According to sources, Ohtani is hoping to decide before Christmas. “It looks like Toronto will be the pick,” they say. It will require an incredible offer and circumstance from a different team for him to decline Toronto’s offer.
Ohtani, whose two-way skills have drawn comparisons to Babe Ruth, has been a star in Major League Baseball since joining the Angels in 2018.In addition to winning AL MVP in 2021, he was named AL Rookie of the Year in 2018.Ohtani led the league in 2023 in slugging percentage, home runs, on-base percentage, and OPS.
It was widely believed that Toronto would be the dark horse in the race to sign Ohtani, but it now seems inevitable that he will move to the Great White North. The Minnesota Twins swept the Blue Jays in the AL Wild Card round the previous season. Ohtani is drawn to Toronto because of their current success and lack of pressure compared to Los Angeles.
Should he sign with Toronto, he’ll be a part of a team that includes other superstars like Bo Bichette and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Together, they’d help create another formidable Jays team.
The Jays have qualified for the postseason in three of the previous four seasons, but in the three Wild Card series they played in, they have never won a game. The last time Toronto went deep into the postseason was in 2016, when they advanced to the ALCS before losing in five games to the Cleveland Indians.