One of the most controversial topics in this World Series is undoubtedly what it would have meant for Shohei Ohtani to join the Toronto Blue Jays, as he was close to signing with the Canadian franchise before ultimately choosing the Dodgers. Against this backdrop, the Japanese star now faces a playful demand to return the items he was given during those meetings.
John Schneider sent a direct message to Ohtani
When Ohtani was a free agent two years ago, the Blue Jays’ manager, John Schneider, met with the player and described the meetings as positive. He even admitted he was surprised Ohtani didn’t accept their terms.
He recalled it with humor, but surely with the lingering thought of “what could have been” if they had landed a player of his caliber.
“You never know,” Schneider said. “I think when we met with him, he felt good about it. You felt good about the feedback he was giving about our organization and opportunity here. But you never really know what a player is feeling in free agency. There’s a lot of things that have to line up for them personally, too. So, you can’t really think about what-if. You think about the 26 that we have. He’s a great player.”
This was when he jokingly remarked that he’d like Ohtani to return the gear he received, even the one for his dog!
“I’ll say it again-I hope he brought his hat, the Blue Jay hat that he took from us in our meeting-I hope he brought it back finally. And the jacket for Decoy [Ohtani’s dog]. You know? It’s like, give us our stuff back already.”
Was Ohtani really close to joining the Blue Jays?
Very close, in fact. According to various reports, Toronto was willing to make a significant push to secure the signature of the two-way star, Shohei Ohtani. It’s said the organization did everything possible, even providing a jacket for his dog, Decoy, a Kooikerhondje.
In the end, Schneider has nothing but praise for the player and feels at peace with how things turned out.
“He’s a great player,” Schneider continued. “But that aside, I think that we have a great team and just an unbelievable cast of characters and players. I think things worked out the way they meant to work out.”
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