Shohei Ohtani-Blue Jays leaks raise more questions than answers

Shohei Ohtani was on a plane to Toronto. Shohei Ohtani was close to signing with the Blue Jays. Remember the storylines?

Instead, the plane belonged to some guy on Shark Tank, who just so happens to be represented by CAA, Ohtani's agency. And rather than signing with the Jays, Ohtani remained in southern California, and inked a record contract with the team we all expected him to sign with -- the Los Angeles Dodgers.

So, what really happened here? I'll be frank: The media ethics in the Ohtani chase deserve some questioning. However, so do the ethics of said supposed sources. Whoever leaked information to MLB Network's Jon Morosi as well as Dodgers Nation's JP Hoornstra -- perhaps different people, who knows at this point -- was a trusted source with them. Neither reporter would go public without that.

Even Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic admitted he received some intel from someone in the know who suggested Ohtani was signing with the Blue Jays.

"I had an incredible source told me last night that it was going to be Toronto," Rosenthal said.

However, as Rosenthal and every reporter should do, The Athletic MLB insider double checked, and was told Ohtani had not decided. FanSided MLB Insider Robert Murray was also vehement that Ohtani had not chosen Toronto yet, along with many others. Eventually, Bob Nightengale of USA Today even disproved the flight tracking rumors in emphatic fashion.

Shohei Ohtani theories: Who leaked Blue Jays signing?

It should be noted that I have no real information here, purely speculation. Both reporters are unlikely to out their sources, as that would go against basic journalistic ethics. An easy way to theorize who may have leaked the false Ohtani information is simple -- who would benefit from such info getting out?

Ohtani's camp certainly would. There is something to be said for Robert Herjavec, a CAA client, being on the so-called Ohtani flight rather than the player himself. However, Ohtani's agency going to those lengths just to throw off the media is unrealistic. The flight tracking information was merely a reddit creation, and a fan theory run wild. Morosi suggesting Ohtani was actually on that plane is another issue entirely, and one I don't have the answer to.

Hoornstra is a Dodgers insider and not a bad one, I might add. He wouldn't just make up a report, especially one that involves Los Angeles losing a star player! An argument can be made that perhaps Hoornstra acted too quickly, and should have checked his source against the grain.

In the end, Ohtani had the most to gain by both keeping his free agency a secret, and leaking a supposed fit that was not, in fact, the reality. Hoornstra eventually doubled down on his article, suggesting that the Dodgers increased their offer late on Friday.

Los Angeles was always reportedly afraid of the Blue Jays interest in Ohtani, seeing them as a real threat for a player they have coveted for a decade.

We'll likely never know, but rather than blaming the media and moving on, it might be best to look behind the curtain.