Shohei Ohtani is now a star for the Los Angeles Dodgers. That statement can take time for fans to get used to, including supporters of the Toronto Blue Jays, who felt as though the Japanese baseball unicorn was headed north of the border during the MLB free agency.
The Blue Jays were willing to pay Shohei Ohtani a mammoth amount
That ultimately did not happen even though the Blue Jays, according to a source of Sportsnet's Ben Nicholson-Smith, had an offer that was in the financial vicinity of what the Dodgers gave Shohei Ohtani.
As for how close the Blue Jays came to landing Ohtani, that’s a question only the two-time MVP himself can really answer, but sources familiar with the negotiation say the Blue Jays’ best offer was in the same financial ballpark as the Dodgers. One source with knowledge of the talks said the Blue Jays were “right there” with an offer described as very competitive.
It is possible that Ohtani did not decide to go to the Dodgers on his own, and perhaps even leaned toward signing with the Blue Jays at first only to be swayed in a different direction by the people around him.
At the end of the day, Shohei Ohtani preferred staying on the West Coast — but with the Dodgers — and the rest of the league will just have to find a way to beat an incredibly loaded LA squad that has plenty of reasons why it's expected to be a heavy favorite to win the 2024 MLB World Series.
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