Shohei Ohtani was the main storyline of the offseason as he was leaving the Los Angeles Angels and trying to decide where he was going to play next. He ended up signing with the Los Angeles Dodgers, but there was a time where it looked like he was going to go play for the Toronto Blue Jays. There were incorrect reports that Ohtani was on a plane to Toronto because he had reached a deal. It wasn't true, but Ohtani did get a plane to Toronto this week as the Dodgers play the Blue Jays this weekend.
For a brief moment, the Blue Jays thought they were getting the best player in the game. It didn't happen, and they will now have to up against Shohei Ohtani and the Dodgers this weekend. Ohtani didn't create the false reports, however, so there shouldn't be any bad blood.
“If anything, just tell him we want our Blue Jays hat back that he took with him after our meeting,” Blue Jays manager John Schneider said, according to an article from MLB.com.
During the offseason, Ohtani saw the reports that he was headed to Toronto and that a deal was coming. He knew that those reports weren't true, so he was a bit puzzled by them.
“I was just following the news,” Ohtani said through his interpreter. “I knew I wasn’t on that flight, so I was curious too.”
Shohei Ohtani did meet with the Blue Jays and he had a lot of great things to say about the organization. However, he decided that the Dodgers were the best fit for him.
“In regards to the offseason, I was as surprised as any fans, in terms of the news that was going around,” Ohtani said. “But I did meet with the Blue Jays organization. And the impression that I got was it was a really, really great organization. The fans are really good. The city, too. So I’m really looking forward to going to Toronto.”
How will Blue Jays fans react this weekend?
It's going to be interesting to see what kind of reaction the crowd has when they first see Shohei Ohtani this weekend. The fan base thought they were getting a generational talent, but they never did. It wasn't Ohtani's fault, but still.
“It might be a little different,” Schneider said. “Especially with those 12 or 24 hours in Toronto in December. Hopefully they give it to him a little bit, but man, he’s a hell of a player. He’s a great player. You don’t like watching him from the other dugout, but you have to appreciate how good he is. It will be interesting to see how the fans welcome him.”
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts has thought about this as well, and he doesn't think that the fans will react poorly towards Ohtani.
“I think he should get a fine reception,” Dave Roberts said. “A lot of that stuff that kind of came out wasn’t his doing. So it’s not like he disrespected the fan base at all. He entertained them and had nice things to say about them. So I expect him to be just fine.”
Game one of the series between the Blue Jays and Dodgers will get going on Friday night at 7:07 ET.
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