Not everybody follows sports.
But anybody having a holiday dinner with a sports fan in their life may want to do at least a little bit of homework on a guy named Shohei Ohtani.
The guy Toronto didn’t sign
The 29-year-old Ohtani was, until recently, the most in-demand free agent in major league baseball.
The three-time all-star and reigning, two-time American League MVP is a superstar player with a rare combination of talents as a top-flight pitcher and a slugger.
Naturally, a lot of teams wanted him on their roster next year. Including the Toronto Blue Jays
But on Dec. 9, Ohtani announced he’d agreed to terms with the Los Angeles Dodgers for a 10-year, $700-million US contract. He was formally welcomed to the organization the following Thursday, when he spoke at a news conference about his signing
Didn’t he get on a plane to Toronto?
No, that was Robert Herjavec, the Canadian entrepreneur who used to be on Dragons’ Den.
But you’re not wrong if rampant speculation about a free agent’s in-the-air whereabouts sounds familiar.
In July 2019, Toronto Raptors fans were in a fever about whether basketball superstar Kawhi Leonard would re-sign with the Raptors or go elsewhere.
Like Ohtani, Leonard went to an L.A. team.
A $700M US contract?
Yes, a $700-million US contract. That is in the ballpark — pun intended — of $950 million Cdn at current exchange rates.
Isn’t that a lot?
It’s the most money any MLB player has ever signed for.
Some of it is deferred, yes?
Yes, if by “some” you mean “most.” Los Angeles will reportedly pay Ohtani $2 million US annually for the next 10 years, after which he’ll be paid $68 million annually for the 10 years after that.
Have similar deals been inked?
Nine-digit deals are not a new development in major league baseball. Alex Rodriguez signed a $250-million US deal with the Texas Rangers almost exactly 23 years ago.
Salary deferrals have also occurred, such as in the much-covered case of Bobby Bonillaa now-retired, six-time MLB all star, who is being paid nearly $1.2 million US annually through 2035 because of such an arrangement with the New York Mets.
Too pricey for Toronto?
Blue Jays owner Rogers Communications was said to have been “right there” in bidding for Ohtani’s services, according to reporting from Sportsnetwhich is a Rogers Media company.
In recent years, the Blue Jays have paid the money to land some in-demand free agents, including pitchers José Berrios and Kevin Gausman, whose contracts both topped the $100-million mark, as did the deal that brought outfielder George Springer to the team.
Way back in 2006, the Jays signed outfielder Vernon Wells to a $126-million contract extension — also during Rogers’ ownership of the team.
Didn’t he already play for an L.A. team?
Ohtani just spent six seasons with the L.A. Angels. He’ll now play for the L.A. Dodgers.
Is L.A. more competitive than Toronto?
At Ohtani’s introductory news conference in Los Angeles this week, he said there were a number of reasons that he picked the Dodgers. One was that he prioritizes winning, and he felt the organization did as well.
The Blue Jays have had some exciting seasons lately but the Dodgers have had more of them — and that’s been the case for a while.
The southern California ball club has won 90 or more games in 10 of its last 11 seasons. The only exception was 2020, when the Dodgers went a league best 43-17 in a pandemic-truncated MLB season and won that year’s World Series.
The Dodgers made the playoffs in 2013 and every year since, including three World Series appearances (2017, 2018 and 2020) during this time.
In comparison, the Blue Jays crossed the 90-win milestone just three times over the same time span, and has managed five playoff appearances (including the bat-flip year).
As for the World Series, Toronto won back-to-back championships in 1992 and ’93, but hasn’t seen that kind of success since.
Toronto had a shot though, right?
That’s what the media said.
What’s Toronto’s record in signing big free agents?
While Toronto has inked some big-name free agents over the years, many of the best-known Blue Jays landed in town via being drafted, traded or other scenarios not involving free agency.
This is true of stars from the pre-World Series years like Jesse Barfield and Dave Stieb (both early Blue Jays draft picks); key members of the championship teams like John Olerud (another draft pick) and Joe Carter, who landed in Toronto via a blockbuster trade; as well as more modern-era stars like Roy Halladay (a Toronto draft pick who had a Hall of Fame career) and José Bautista (who arrived via a trade from Pittsburgh).
Notable free agents who signed deals with Toronto and subsequently became World Series champs include DH Dave Winfield (in 1992), as well as Paul Molitor and Dave Stewart (both played for the 1993 squad).
Other marquee free agents from over the years included Roger Clemens, winner of two Cy Young trophies in Torontoand knuckleballer R.A. Dickey, who signed with Toronto after winning a Cy Young of his own.
So, yes, the Jays have taken some big swings on free agents and had success. But like in Ohtani’s case, they have also struck out.
What about all that chirping?
Well, there was a rant from ballplayer-turned-broadcaster Jerry Hairston Jr., who suggested Ohtani wouldn’t want to go to Toronto for reasons that included having to hear two national anthems at games and the fact that “Canada is too cold, man.”
And that wasn’t the only chirping directed toward the Blue Jays.
While there’s no indication any of this impacted Ohtani’s decision to join the Dodgers, it stirred reactions from at least one Toronto broadcaster — and it roused some spirited defences of Canada and Toronto by current and former Blue Jays.
Ricky Romero, a now-retired starting pitcher who twice was the Jays’ opening day starter, questioned why some sports writers “act like Canada is some outer space type of place.”
He took to X, formerly known as Twitter, with a post lauding Toronto as the home of “passionate fans that love their sports!”
A similar message blasting those who were trashing the city was posted by Gausman, a key member of the Blue Jays’ starting pitching rotation.
“If you live in Toronto you know how special of a place it is and how passionate the people are.”
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