2023-12-12 02:41:38
[OSEN=이상학 기자] The Toronto Blue Jays’ interest in Shohei Ohtani (28) was genuine. Although he was rejected, it turned out that he offered terms comparable to those of the LA Dodgers.
Canadian media ‘Sportsnet’ reported on the 11th (Korean time) that Toronto offered Ohtani a contract of a similar level to that of the Dodgers. On the 10th, Ohtani signed a 10-year contract with the Dodgers worth $700 million, the largest contract in professional sports history in the world.
According to Sportsnet, Toronto also made a very competitive offer to Ohtani. Although the final amount is not specifically known, Sportsnet explains that the final bidding amount is expected to be well over $600 million. Toronto general manager Ross Atkins and Ohtani’s agency, CAA Sports, both declined to comment.
Sportsnet said, ‘It ended in frustration and conspiracy theories for many Blue Jays fans who had hoped Ohtani would choose Toronto. There was an incorrect report that Ohtani boarded a plane to Toronto and signed with the Blue Jays, and the disappointment that he chose the Dodgers grew even more. However, it is difficult to blame Ohtani for choosing the Dodgers, who offered him a record-breaking 10-year, $700 million contract and have advanced to the playoffs for 11 consecutive years, including a massive deferral of salary payments.’
However, Sportsnet said, ‘Cynical people might say that Ohtani planned to choose the Dodgers from the beginning and used Toronto as leverage. He also developed a conspiracy theory, saying, “Is Ohtani’s visit to Toronto’s player development facility in Dunedin, Florida genuine interest, or was it a ploy to extract more money from the Dodgers?”
The Dodgers were also nervous until the rumor that Ohtani boarded a plane to Toronto on the 9th was revealed to be false. According to ‘Sports Illustrated’, the Dodgers’ leadership held an emergency meeting that day. An official who attended the meeting acknowledged that there was an atmosphere of uncertainty within the club, saying, “We just didn’t know the situation, but we didn’t feel comfortable.”
As the trip to the Dodgers was confirmed on the 10th, the very next day, it would not be surprising if Ohtani was seen as using Toronto. Sportsnet said, ‘It may have been an elaborate ruse. By creating a rumor regarding the charter flight to Toronto, he may have scared the Dodgers into making a higher offer. (The actual passenger) raised a conspiracy theory, saying, “It may have been intentional that no one noticed when the 61-year-old businessman got off the plane.”
However, Sportsnet said, ‘As one industry insider pointed out, if Ohtani wanted to scare the Dodgers, wouldn’t he have leaked a rumor that the San Francisco Giants were pushing harder than Toronto? “This is plausible considering that San Francisco might pose a bigger threat to the Dodgers because they are from the same district,” he said. “Ohtani and the CAA agency have benefited from the rumors surrounding Toronto, but that doesn’t mean the events of the past few days have all been attributed to agent Nez Valero.” “It cannot be seen as a conspiracy,” he explained.
Regardless of the truth of the conspiracy theory, it is clear that Toronto was sincere toward Ohtani. It is expected that Toronto will either play a big role in the remaining Stove League or take advantage of this move. It might have a direct or indirect impact not only on free agent recruitment but also on extension contract negotiations with Toronto’s leading stars, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette. /waw@osen.co.kr
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