Shohei Ohtani Free Agency News and Rumors

Dec. 9: Ohtani, Dodgers reach record-breaking agreement
After numerous reports Friday that Ohtani had settled on the Blue Jays, the 29-year-old announced via Instagram Saturday that he has agreed to terms on a long-term deal with the Dodgers. Ohtani’s agent, Nez Balelo, has released a statement disclosing the value of the unprecedented 10-year, $700 million contract, with most of his salary reportedly deferred. More >

Dec. 8: Rumors swirling around new team for Ohtani
Following early-morning news that Ohtani could sign as soon as Friday, a report from JP Hoornstra of Dodgers Nation had the two-way superstar potentially on his way to the Blue Jays. However, Sportsnet’s Ben Nicholson-Smith and ESPN’s Alden González, among others, have reported that while Toronto remains a finalist in the Ohtani sweepstakes, no final decision has been made.

Dec. 8: Ohtani’s decision could come Friday
The baseball world has been waiting all offseason for Ohtani to pick his next team. This week’s Winter Meetings in Nashville did not provide an answer, but we may not have to wait much longer.

According to MLB Network insider Jon Paul Morosi, Ohtani could bring his free agency to a close as soon as Friday. Coincidentally (we think), that would come six years to the day after Ohtani’s announced his decision to sign with the Angels on Dec. 8, 2017 (also a Friday).

The Dodgers, Blue Jays, Giants, Angels and Cubs are thought to be the clubs still involved in the bidding for Ohtani, but perhaps one will emerge as the winner before we reach the weekend.

While the Dodgers have long been considered the favorites, it’s possible that status is wavering. Appearing on MLB Network’s “Hot Stove” on Friday morning, Morosi noted that “momentum has built for the Blue Jays” over the past week, adding: “In the last several days, the Jays have certainly improved their standing.”

Dec. 6: With Ohtani ‘days away’ from decision, which teams are still in?
The Dodgers. The Blue Jays. The Giants. The Angels. And possibly the Cubs.

Those are the teams reportedly still in on Ohtani as the two-way superstar gets close to ending a free-agent odyssey that has been shrouded in mystery and filled with intrigue.

Reporting from the Winter Meetings in Nashville, Tenn., MLB Network insider Jon Paul Morosi said Wednesday that Ohtani is “days away from deciding, according to what a lot of people close to this process have told me here this week. Again it may not be today, but it’s going to be soon.”

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts confirmed Tuesday that the team recently met with Ohtani, and Morosi notes that there are “strong indications” Ohtani also met with the Blue Jays and Giants. It’s unclear if he met with the Cubs or has plans to do so. After a report surfaced Tuesday about the Cubs being out of the Ohtani sweepstakes, Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer refuted that claim, and MLB Network insider Jon Heyman later reported that the “Cubs have not been informed they are out.”

Dec. 5: Blue Jays ‘all-in’ on trying to land Ohtani (report)
On Monday, The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal (subscription required) reported that Blue Jays officials were believed to have met with Ohtani at the club’s Spring Training complex in Dunedin, Fla. By all accounts, the Blue Jays appear to serious about landing the superstar.

Rob Longley of the Toronto Sun reported that the Blue Jays are “all-in” and “put its best foot forward” in trying to land Ohtani, according to a highly placed source familiar with the team’s chase of Ohtani.

“Now it feels a little bit like the show The Bachelor, waiting to see if we get picked,” the source told Longley about the Jays’ involvement.

Longley reported that Ohtani has expressed his affinity for Toronto during the process. MLB Network insider Jon Heyman similarly reported that Ohtani told people that he had a “positive feeling” about Toronto (and a few other cities/clubs, including the Dodgers). 

Longley goes on to say that while the Dodgers appear to be frontrunners, there is a sense the Jays’ momentum is “real and tangible.” Longley’s source also suggested that the team is “willing to go well north of $500 million”, which would put them squarely in the mix from a financial perspective. 

While Blue Jays coaches and front office members have unsurprisingly been tight-lipped about the connection to Ohtani at the Winter Meetings, there’s been enough buzz and reporting to suggest Toronto is a serious option for the two-way superstar.

Dec. 5: Ohtani believed to have met with Blue Jays, Giants, Dodgers (reports)
Blue Jays officials are believed to have met with Ohtani on Monday at the club’s Spring Training complex in Dunedin, Fla., according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic (subscription required). If true, the news indicates Toronto is clearly one of the finalists for the two-way superstar.

This follows a report from the San Francisco Chronicle’s Susan Slusser, who wrote Sunday that there were “rumblings” that Ohtani was in San Francisco on Saturday while a number of the Giants’ top decision-makers were at Oracle Park. On Tuesday, Dave Roberts also confirmed that the Dodgers have met with Ohtani in recent days.

While Ohtani might not sign during this week’s Winter Meetings — more on that below — he is expected to ink a free-agent contract in the coming weeks. Whether that deal will be with the Blue Jays remains to be seen, but according to Heyman, Ohtani recently told some people that he has a “positive feeling” about the Blue Jays and Dodgers, along with other cities and clubs.

The news of the reported meeting between Ohtani and the Blue Jays comes after Toronto general manager Ross Atkins’ scheduled scrum with reporters at the Winter Meetings in Nashville, Tenn., was shifted online just over an hour before it began due to “a scheduling conflict” for the GM.

After a report surfaced on Tuesday about the Cubs being out of the Ohtani sweepstakes, Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer refuted that claim.

“I don’t know where that came from. There’s nothing to report whatsoever,” Hoyer told reporters at the Winter Meetings.

Dec. 4: Is Ohtani bound for a return to Angels?
When it comes to where Ohtani might sign what is sure to be a record-breaking free-agent contract, don’t count out the Angels. MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand said Monday night on MLB Network that a reunion between Ohtani and the Halos is certainly still possible.

“I think the Angels are very much in this,” Feinsand said during a roundtable with MLB Network’s Greg Amsinger, Bob Nightengale of USA TODAY Sports and Jon Heyman of the New York Post. “In the last 24 hours, I’ve had several people tell me they think he will ultimately go back to the Angels.”

The Angels have reportedly been one of the teams still in on Ohtani, the reigning American League MVP, who will hit but not pitch in 2024 after undergoing elbow surgery in September. Heyman said Sunday that the Dodgers, Cubs, Blue Jays and Giants are believed to be the other finalists.

The Dodgers still appear to be the favorite, with Nightengale putting their chances to sign Ohtani at 70% and Heyman projecting a 50% figure. Feinsand and Nightengale both assessed the Angels’ chances of bringing back Ohtani at 20%.

Feinsand said any idea that the Japanese superstar prefers a West Coast team is merely speculation. Ohtani is said to value winning, and the Angels haven’t made the playoffs since he signed with the club in December 2017, but a return to Anaheim could still be in the cards for the two-way star.

Dec. 4: Ohtani might not sign until after Winter Meetings (report)
While many are hoping for an Ohtani blockbuster to take place during the Winter Meetings, it’s possible that he won’t sign until after they end. MLB Network insider Jon Heyman reported in the New York Post that Ohtani plans to meet with teams after the Winter Meetings, according to a high-ranking executive for a team interested in Ohtani.

While Ohtani might not ultimately sign this week, Heyman reported on Sunday that the two-way superstar has already received multiple bids “well north of $500 million,” and some are wondering if the bidding could reach $600 million. Heyman said that the Dodgers, Cubs, Blue Jays, Giants and incumbent Angels are believed to be the finalists for Ohtani, though it’s possible a new suitor could emerge.

In terms of when Ohtani could sign, MLB Network insider Jon Paul Morosi reported on Sunday that one source “engaged with the top end of the free-agent market” said the two-way superstar is expected to pick a team within the next week.

Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet reported on Friday that a “small group” of teams were expected to meet with Ohtani and his representatives in Los Angeles over the weekend. Industry sources told Nicholson-Smith that negotiations with the two-time MVP were entering their “final stretch.”

Dec. 3: Ohtani has received multiple bids north of $500 million (report)
The Ohtani sweepstakes is heating up. MLB Network insider Jon Heyman reports in an article for the New York Post that the two-way superstar has already received multiple bids “well north of $500 million,” and some are wondering if the bidding could reach $600 million by the time things are said and done.

Per Heyman, the Dodgers, Cubs, Blue Jays, Giants and incumbent Angels are believed to be the finalists for Ohtani, though it’s possible a new suitor could emerge.

Ohtani’s decision could come soon, with MLB Network insider Jon Paul Morosi reporting earlier Sunday that one source “engaged with the top end of the free-agent market” said the two-way superstar is expected to pick a team within the next week.

This comes after Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet reported Friday that a “small group” of teams were expected to meet with Ohtani and his representatives in Los Angeles this weekend. Industry sources told Nicholson-Smith that negotiations with the two-time MVP are entering their “final stretch.”