The Los Angeles Dodgers remain one of the final four teams bidding on free agent Shohei Ohtani, according to MLB insider Jeff Passan of ESPN. They are still seen as the favorites to land him, but a surprise contender has emerged as a threat to LA, the Toronto Blue Jays.
Toronto isn’t the only threat to the Dodgers in the Ohtani sweepstakes, but they seem to be one of the most significant ones. Other teams like the Chicago Cubs have positioned themselves nicely to go after the two-way superstar as well.
Here at Dodgers Nation, our very own Doug McKain spoke with MLB insider Bob Nightengale of USA Today. Nightengale gave some insight into why Toronto has emerged as a serious threat to take Ohtani from the Dodgers this winter. You can see the entire interview here!
“It’s a controlled environment. You got a retractable roof there every game. You’re in the AL East, so you get to play those big markets as well. But hey, it’s a long way away from Japan. Over 3,000 miles away to get there. He’s very comfortable in LA.”
Per Bob Nightengale via The Dodgers Nation YouTube Channel
The Blue Jays do make some sense for Ohtani, as they are an international city. He could basically run an entire country, just not one single city in the United States.
But there are downsides to choosing Toronto as well. They aren’t set up as well to win consistently as the Dodgers, and as Nightengale mentioned he loves the warm weather in Southern California.
Ohtani is a creature of habit, so by signing with the Dodgers, not much would likely change in his daily routines. He would just be trading in a red Angels jersey for a blue Dodgers one, and he would start to win more baseball games.
LA still feels like the landing spot for Ohtani, and some reports have said that he has known where he wanted to go all along. This would likely indicate him joining LA, but we should have more clarity on this entire situation very soon with the winter meeting taking place next week.
Photo Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports
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