The Toronto Blue Jays have jumped into the Shohei Ohtani saga as an ardent suitor.

Toronto, where Hyun-jin Ryu played until this season, is now making a concerted effort to land Ohtani. Ryu is eligible for free agency after the season, and while he hasn’t finalized a destination yet, he’s expected to part ways with Toronto. The Kansas City Royals and Los Angeles Dodgers have been mentioned as possible suitors for Ryu.

Toronto is currently “all in” on Ohtani. “Toronto officials have confirmed that they met with the Japanese ‘superstar’ behind closed doors at their spring training complex in Dunedin, Florida, on April 4 (local time),” The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal reported.

“While the timing of Ohtani’s free agency is not yet known, we do know that he is in the final stages of negotiations with clubs, including Toronto. The Dodgers, Cubs, 카지노사이트넷 and other potential suitors are in the mix, and Ohtani has reportedly met with more than one organization.”

The current favorites

Are the Dodgers, Cubs, San Francisco Giants, Atlanta Braves, Los Angeles Angels, and Toronto. The Dodgers are said to be the favorite, given their West Coast location and synonymity with the “big market,” but Toronto’s recent courtship has been significant.

Toronto general manager Ross Atkins did not attend the Major League Baseball Winter Meetings, currently underway in Nashville, Tennessee. The team said he was not in attendance due to “scheduling issues. Atkins also spoke to reporters via video conference, reportedly with a white wall behind him to avoid identifying his current location.

Atkins is believed to have traveled secretly to the team’s camp facility in Dunedin, Florida, where he met with Ohtani and his agent. Ohtani recently visited Oracle Park, home of the San Francisco Giants, in person, according to media reports, and this time he traveled to Toronto’s spring training facility for discussions.

According to The Athletic,

“Ohtani is constantly looking for an environment where he can focus on his workouts and the details of his contract. For him, a visit to the Toronto spring training facility would be a prerequisite to moving negotiations forward. Dunedin’s Spring Training Complex is a state-of-the-art, $100 million facility that opened in 2021.”

While the Dodgers have long been considered the frontrunners in the race for Ohtani, 토토사이트 Toronto has recently moved ahead of the Jays in their courtship. “The urgency with which Toronto is shuffling its feet reflects a series of circumstances that have put the club under intense pressure to win,” The Athletic said. “The team’s future is unclear, with recent investments and underwhelming results, as well as the impending free agency of Bo Bissett and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. With a need to turn a profit, Ohtani could be their best bet.”