While the assumption has long been that Shohei Ohtani wants to continue his MLB career playing on the West Coast, a new report claims that may no longer be the case, and a surprise team from the American League East could be a serious contender for his services.
Major League Baseball is in the middle of the 2023 playoffs but that isn’t stopping all the teams sitting at home from looking ahead to the winter and the ways they can improve their roster. And there is no bigger impact player on this year’s free agent market than Los Angeles Angels superstar Shohei Ohtani.
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Despite being headed to a second Tommy John surgery, the Japanese two-way talent is still expected to land a record-breaking deal this winter. There has been a lot of speculation about which teams could be contenders for him, however, there has long been an industry narrative that the 29-year-old wants to stay on the west coast since that was a preference during his first go-around in free agency in 2018.
- Shohei Ohtani stats (2023): .304 AVG, .412 OBP, .654 SLG, 44 HR, 95 RBI, 102 R
Toronto Blue Jays could be a sleeper team in Shohei Ohtani chase
Well, that idea may no longer be true. Earlier this week, Sportsnet MLB insider Shi Davidi revealed some interesting rumors around the game about the Shohei Ohtani free agent chase and one surprise team that has allegedly caught his attention.
“Some industry chatter in recent weeks suggested [Shohei Ohtani] would be more open to an East Coast club this time around, [and has] taken notice of the Blue Jays’ player-development resources and that the idea of adding a third country, Canada, to his prime fanbase carried some appeal for him. Whether that’s more than just the usual grist for the mill is a fair question, but it also underlines the current stakes for the Blue Jays.”
The Toronto Blue Jays have made the playoffs the last two seasons but were swept out of the Wild Card round both years. Clearly, they need another big piece to try and win their first World Series title since 1993, and Ohtani could certainly be that final ingredient to a championship recipe.