The top-secret pursuit of the most coveted free agent in baseball history may — or may not — have reached its conclusion according to a series of conflicting reports Friday morning.
If J.P. Hoornstra of Dodgers Nation and formerly the Southern California News Group, a partner of the Bay Area News Group, is to be believed, then the San Francisco Giants have come up short once again in their attempt to attract the game’s top talent on the open market.
Shohei Ohtani’s choice is in.
This is not a drill.
— J.P. Hoornstra (@jphoornstra) December 8, 2023
Hoornstra cited anonymous sources Friday morning saying that Shohei Ohtani had made his decision and that the two-way megastar from Japan will expand his global audience, eschewing the Giants and the perceived front-runners in Los Angeles for the Toronto Blue Jays. Multiple other reports, including ESPN’s Alden Gonzalez and Ben Nicholson-Smith and Shi Davidi of SportsNet, quickly pushed back and said no decision had been made.
However, MLB Network’s Jon Morosi reported later Friday that Ohtani was, indeed, en route to Toronto, though no paperwork had been signed yet. Morosi said Thursday that a decision was “imminent” and expected “within 24 hours” while ESPN’s Jeff Passan reported that a decision was expected by the end of the weekend. If a deal is finalized Friday, it will come on the anniversary of Ohtani’s surprise decision to sign with the Angels in 2017.
In the void of information through traditional sources, hawkeyed fans first tracked a private jet set from Orange County’s John Wayne airport, set to land Friday afternoon in Toronto. In an even more bizarre twist to one of the most mysterious free agency sagas in history, a Toronto opera singer posted on social media that Blue Jays pitcher Yusei Kikuchi had made a reservation for “50+” people at a Toronto sushi restaurant.
The most tightly held secret of all? The name of his adorable dog, who appeared with him while accepting his MVP award on MLB Network. Rumor is, according to multiple reports, that it might have something to do with his desired destination.
The entire pursuit has been shrouded in secrecy, reportedly at the request of Ohtani, and no club, nor his agency, CAA, has formally announced a deal, which is expected to set records for North American sports, potentially up to $600 million.
The Giants, meanwhile, were believed to have made their pitch to the two-time MVP Saturday at Oracle Park, with a San Francisco Chronicle photographer capturing president Farhan Zaidi, manager Bob Melvin and part-owner Buster Posey departing the ballpark.
That came a day after Ohtani met with the Dodgers, according to the Orange County Register’s Bill Plunkett. Manager Dave Roberts also spilled the beans, sharing some details to reporters at the Winter Meetings, that they met for “two to three” hours, calling Ohtani “clearly our top priority.”
Departing the Winter Meetings, however, it appeared momentum had shifted north.
On Monday, Ohtani visited the Blue Jays’ brand-new player development complex in Dunedin, Florida, first reported by The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal.
The consensus leaving the meetings was that Ohtani was down to at least the Blue Jays and Dodgers, with the Giants and Angels on the periphery.
If their pursuit did, indeed, fall short, Ohtani’s name will merely be added for a second time to a list of second-runs for the Giants after previously falling short in pursuits of Aaron Judge last offseason, Bryce Harper in 2019, Giancarlo Stanton in 2018 and Ohtani’s initial posting in 2017.
Still seeking the type of attraction they haven’t had since Barry Bonds, or at least Posey, Zaidi and Co. will turn their eyes elsewhere on the free-agent market, which is expected to heat up now that the biggest domino has fallen.
One consolation prize: he didn’t land with the division-rival Dodgers, long thought to be the favorites.
The Giants are heavily interested in Japanese right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who is said to be taking meetings this week. Offensively, Cody Bellinger and Matt Chapman would pack a punch in a lineup that needs it, while Korean center fielder Jung-Hoo Lee would surely help shore up their outfield defense.