Shohei Ohtani is the most coveted free agent in MLB history, but he has kept the process private so far, leaving fans and executives alike desperate to find out information about his next club.
It is believed the two-way star has narrowed his list of suitors to five teams and could sign as soon as next week, with the Los Angeles Dodgers and Toronto Blue Jays considered the two favorites. Aside from that, very little is known about Ohtani’s free agency plans.
The 29-year-old reportedly informed interested clubs earlier this offseason to not leak information about their meetings with him to the public. That’s why it came as a surprise when Dodgers manager Dave Roberts revealed the team met with Ohtani at Dodger Stadium last week.
General manager Brandon Gomes admitted he was taken aback by Roberts’ comments, per Jack Harris of the L.A. Times:
“I was surprised,” Gomes said of his initial reaction to seeing Roberts’ comments. “But like I said, I’m not going to go into any kind of detail on exactly how things played out.”
Gomes added that he isn’t sure if Roberts’ comments will impact the Dodgers’ pursuit of Ohtani:
Gomes, when asked in a scrum whether the Dodgers’ chances of signing Ohtani were impacted by Tuesday’s developments, claimed he had “no idea” and that the process would “play out how it’s going to play out.”
Roberts’ comments came on the heels of reports that Ohtani visited the Toronto Blue Jays’ Spring Training facility in Dunedin, Florida. The Blue Jays, Dodgers, Chicago Cubs, Los Angeles Angels and San Francisco Giants are perceived finalists.
“I don’t feel like lying is something that I do,” Roberts said when asked why he shared the news of the Dodgers’ meeting with Ohtani. “I was asked a question, and yeah, I think to be forthright in this situation, we kept it quiet.
“But I think that it’s going to come out at some point that we met, and it obviously already has. So, I don’t think myself or anyone in our organization would want to lie about it.”
From the front office perspective, they rarely, if ever, discuss and share their plans and information with the public, so them declining to discuss it should not come as a surprise.
From Ohtani’s perspective, it would make more sense if he just didn’t want fans and media to know which airport and city he would be at prior to the meetings rather than holding it against a team for later confirming the obvious.
Ultimately, it seems unlikely to affect his decision either way as he looks to find the best fit for him and his career.
Dodgers pleased with Shohei Ohtani meeting
Roberts also revealed the Dodgers’ meeting with Ohtani lasted for several hours and that the team feels good about their chances of signing him. “It’s a good possibility, Roberts said.
“I think that, yeah, we met with him. I would like to be honest, and so we met with Shohei. We talked and I think it went well. I think it went well.
“But at the end of the day he’s his own man and he’s going to do what’s best for himself, where he feels most comfortable.”
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