The Blue Jays “want to do something big” this winter, are viewed as a “sleeper” to sign Shohei Ohtani

This is the winter of Shohei Ohtani.

Free agency has been open for over two weeks now but nothing has happened as teams wait to see where baseball’s biggest name decides to play.

The usual suspects are all in the mix for Ohtani: heavy spenders like the Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Mets, and Texas Rangers, while big markets who missed the playoffs in 2024, like the Boston Red Sox, Seattle Mariners, Chicago Cubs, and San Francisco Giants, are involved as well.

Staying in L.A. but moving from the Angels to the Dodgers seems like the obvious move for Ohtani, as he’d remain in the same city while moving from a team that didn’t make the playoffs once during his first six seasons in the Major Leagues to one that’s won the National League West in 10 of 11 years.

But don’t forget about the Toronto Blue Jays, who have been mentioned twice this week by prominent insiders as a possible destination for Ohtani. Jeff Passan noted earlier this week that the Blue Jays “want to do something big” this winter and Ken Rosenthal said on Thursday morning that a rival executive views the Blue Jays as a “sleeper” Ohtani.

Where there’s smoke, there’s often fire. It’s reasonable to suggest the Blue Jays are a legitimate possibility for baseball’s two-way superstar, considering the team needs a powerful left-handed bat, they have the pitching depth to let Ohtani take his time recovering from off-season elbow surgery, and, most importantly, Rogers Communications has the money to make it happen.

Again, it’s the most reasonable bet to assume that Ohtani will move from the Angels to the Dodgers and stay on the West Coast for the same reasons he landed there six years ago when he left Japan to play in the Major Leagues. Still, it’s exciting to see Toronto consistently mentioned as a candidate to sign the biggest name on the market because it indicates the team is willing to do something interesting this winter, even if they strike out.