The Shohei Ohtani sweepstakes are in full swing as the MLB Winter Meetings continue this week. This saga may be reaching its conclusion as teams step up their pursuit of baseball's prized free agent. Usual suspects such as the Los Angeles Dodgers and the San Francisco Giants are involved. However, the Toronto Blue Jays have drawn a lot of attention in this regard, as well.

The latest update around Ohtani may confirm speculation about the former Los Angeles Angels star and Toronto. There is a league-wide belief that the two-way phenom and Blue Jays officials met in person on Monday, according to The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal.

Rosenthal points out that other teams are still involved. The Dodgers, Chicago Cubs, and others remain in the mix for Shohei Ohtani. That said, this reported meeting is certainly noteworthy. And, as Rosenthal notes, it could signal that Ohtanti's free agency is reaching its final stages.

Shohei Ohtani in a Blue jays uniform

Earlier buzz around Shohei Ohtani, Blue Jays

Toronto became a surprise inclusion in this frenzy less than a week ago. Reports indicated that Ohtani previously liked his stops in the city while playing for the Halos. Furthermore, a low-pressure environment could be appealing to the two-way star.

More recently, clues emerged linking the Blue Jays and Ohtani together. General manager Ross Atkins moved his scheduled media availability from in-person to Zoom. Manager John Schneider moved his availability from Monday to Tuesday, as well. Schneider's change reportedly occurred on Friday.

Ohtani's part in this stems from his agent, Nez Balelo. Reports indicated that he was not in Nashville on Monday night for the Winter Meetings. Ohtani himself was believed to be at home.

Rosenthal's report lends credence to this more recent speculation. Atkins and Schneider certainly wouldn't publicly comment on meeting with Ohtani. Balelo's absence from the Winter Meetings also could be explained by an in-person meeting.

Of course, this is still rumor and speculation at this point. That said, fans definitely need to keep their eyes on this situation as the Shohei Ohtani sweepstakes may be nearing a wild conclusion.