NEW DELHI: Toronto Blue Jays’ general manager Ross Atkins expressed regret over losing out on Shohei Ohtani, who chose the Los Angeles Dodgers over the Blue Jays for a historic $700 million, 10-year contract. In a recent statement, Atkins confirmed that Ohtani visited Toronto’s spring training facility in Dunedin, Florida, marking a notable encounter between the team and the superstar.
While Atkins refrained from specifying the date of Ohtani’s visit, he acknowledged the disappointment in the outcome, describing it as one of the more challenging moments in his career.
Ohtani’s decision to join the Dodgers was revealed five days after Atkins addressed reporters during the winter meetings.
“We were obviously very disappointed with the outcome, and it was a very difficult phone call to receive, one of the more difficult ones in my career,” Atkins said. Despite the setback, Atkins emphasized the positive aspects of the process and the collaborative effort involved in pursuing Ohtani. He noted the team’s confidence in the authenticity of the process and dismissed the notion that the Blue Jays were used to extract a better offer from a competitor.
Atkins stated, “Absolutely not. I feel strongly otherwise. We feel really good about the process. It was an incredible effort from ownership to business to baseball, people coming together. Not the outcome we wanted, but feel really good about the process and absolutely felt like it was authentic and real.”
The Blue Jays have been active in reshaping their roster since missing out on Ohtani. They secured a one-year, $10.5 million deal with Gold Glove outfielder Kevin Kiermaier and added utilityman Isiah Kiner-Falefa with a two-year, $15 million contract. Atkins revealed that outfielders and designated hitters are the positions they are likely to focus on before the start of spring training.
“We have a very good team in place that we are exceptionally excited about,” Atkins said. “We could be open to a trade. We are not actively looking to trade away from our major league team.”
Despite falling short in the pursuit of Ohtani, the Blue Jays are optimistic about their current roster and are poised for further additions as they prepare for the upcoming season.
