Blue Jays Are Out Of the Shohei Ohtani Sweepstakes (But Thankfully So Are the Yankees and Red Sox)

MLB’s next great Japanese superstar will not be playing for the Toronto Blue Jays in 2018, according to a tweet from Shi Davidi:

That’s the bad news. It’s also pretty thoroughly unsurprising news. The good news? Ohtani’s strong preference toward playing on the west coast, and in a smaller market, means that the fucking Yankees and Red Sox are out, too.

So there you have it. Or… not it. But enough of it that Jays fans can comfortably move on, and the front office can continue on with the business of their offseason. It’s a disappointing moment, because I can’t lie, I could never quite shake the idea that there was a small glimmer of hope that he might end up here — and the way it’s playing out suggests that Ohtani was definitely being genuine about looking for the right fit — but obviously the fact that he’s not going to be playing with the fucking Yankees or fucking Red Sox or fucking Orioles or fucking Rays is a pretty goddamned tasty consolation prize. As is the fact that this isn’t anything that can get spun into something to be outraged about. Geography was clearly just too important to Ohtani, and working too hard against the Jays.

I dunno. I wish Ohtani well and hope he finds what he’s looking for. Now let’s finally let the damn offseason begin!