For the better part of two years, Shohei Ohtani was the one that got away for the Toronto Blue Jays. The winter of 2023 was so long ago in the eyes of most baseball executives, but for Blue Jays president of baseball operations Ross Atkins and his entire staff, it still serves a reminder of what could've been. Ohtani, a once-in-a-generation free agent, had narrowed his choice to two teams – the Dodgers and Blue Jays. While rumors circulated on social media the morning of Dec. 9 that Ohtani was on a flight to Toronto to sign a long-term contract, those falsehoods have since been confirmed.
Ohtani didn't fly to Toronto because the Blue Jays never stood a chance. It was the Dodgers front office and scouting department which spent years – the better part of a decade – forming a relationship with Ohtani and setting up shop in Japan. The Dodgers were Japan's team long before Ohtani ever signed with them, and Yamamoto and Sasaki followed. Los Angeles' commitment to international scouting, especially in Asia, is years past any other MLB organization.
But for a few hours, Blue Jays fans knew what it felt like to have the best player in baseball – and arguably one of the best in MLB history already – on their team. In the hours that followed, it all came crashing down. That's what makes this World Series matchup between the Dodgers and Blue Jays all the more impressive from Toronto's point of view. They survived a body blow and bounced back, climbing to baseball's mountaintop just two years later. But to win a ring, they'll have to defeat the same generational star they once coveted, and they're entering that matchup with the wrong mindset.
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Ohtani didn't give the Blue Jays their stuff back
Ah yes, as is the case with any breakup – typically of the long-term relationship variety, though that isn't the case here – the Blue Jays and Ohtani never divvied up their prized possessions. In this case, the Blue Jays gave Ohtani some garb after his visit, including a jacket for his dog Decoy, that they would like back.
"I hope he brought his hat ... and the jacket for Decoy, it's like give us our stuff back already," manager John Schneider said.
Schneider was trying to make a joke with the media gathered in Toronto prior to Game 1, but in doing so, he revealed the truth behind this matchup. Sure, winning the World Series would mean everything for the Blue Jays and Canada, but for those who invested so much time and effort into recruiting Ohtani, it means a little more. There's nothing wrong with that.
What could come back to haunt Toronto is poking Ohtani at all, who had the best performance in postseason history his last time out, striking out 10 Brewers hitters and slugging three home runs of his own in a pennant-clinching Game 4. Is this really the guy you want to give bulletin-board material, even if it was meant in a jovial nature?
The Blue Jays can't afford an underdog mentality
The Blue Jays are underdogs in the World Series despite having home-field advantage and the better regular-season record. That's because the Dodgers have a dominant roster which blitzed its way through the National League postseason, losing just one game in the process. However, it's rather surprising how open Schneider and his team are about that reality, and to this trained eye represents a defeatist mindset that won't do them any favors against their 'Goliath' as the veteran manager put it.
“The one thing we cannot do is look over there and say ‘That is Goliath’. That is a beatable baseball team that has its flaws and also its really, really good strengths," Schneider added.
Schneider is right, the Blue Jays cannot afford such a mindset...but by calling the Dodgers 'Goliath' in the first place, he is admitting there is some truth to the narrative at hand. And if he is comparing this World Series to the biblical storyline, he should also read until the end. Goliath loses to the scrappy underdog! That could be you, Toronto.
The Dodgers and Blue Jays met just one time this season, with Los Angeles winning two out of three games. In his career, Ohtani has dominated Toronto pitching, hitting .314 with 11 home runs and 27 RBIs. These rather basic counting stats alone are enough for the Blue Jays to be concerned about without getting in their own heads.