TORONTO – The Toronto Blue Jays Brass used all the bells and whistles when they tried to land two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani in the fall of 2023.
As author Keegan Matheson writes in his new book, “Franchise: The Toronto Blue Jays,” the once-in-a-lifetime pursuit of Japanese free agent included Ohatani and interpreter, who had several special touches on his tour of the team's renovated player development complex.
Three lockers in the clubhouse were reserved for Otani, along with jerseys, gear, hats, bags and accessories. It was part of an elaborate effort to sell him on the team.
The impressive Otani, whose camp wanted a complete secret throughout the process, left the facility in Dunedin, Florida, with a bag of team gear and a Blue Jays hat on the head, Matheson writes.
Otani stopped to take a photo with an interpreter who also played sports to the Toronto Kit. Superstar dog “Decoy” ran out to join the Canadian dog jacket the Blue Jays bought for him.
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“The presentation they gave Otani was incredibly impressive and I don't think they were the second team to be used just side by side as the others at the negotiation table,” Matheson said. “They almost signed him, so they were second.”
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The behind-the-scenes colours and details from Matheson's interviews and descriptions brings an interesting, memorable, and truly surreal chapter in the team's nearly half a century of history.
Otani eventually signed a 10-year, US$700 million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers. It was a major blow to Canada's lonely big league team and its national supporters conditioner.
The Blue Jays eventually signed their own big fish and locked up a 14-year extension to the star base-handed Vladimir Guerrero Jr. worth a team record of $500 million last April. Megadeal helped ease the prolonged pain from Ohtani's situation and also showed that the franchise would be willing to spend effort to become a consistent candidate.
But from that Otani offseason – a strange Zoom call with general manager Ross Atkins to false reporting that Otani had chosen the Blue Jays and was on a plane to Toronto, Matheson was the “worst experience” he would expect as a reporter.
“The game that got into it was really appealing,” Matheson said in a recent interview. “We are trying to keep secrets in a world where we want to know everything about what's going on with our favorite teams and our favorite players.
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“It's more of a TV drama and the amount of work that has left it to be kept secret captivating me.”
The book also explores the team's early days, playoff successes in the early 1990s, near-stop successes over the past decade, and many players (on and off the field) who have made it all come true.
The stories and anecdotes are not always obvious.
From a fun story of the dynamics of manager athletes, to homecoming after a 670-day break between home games due to Covid-19, Matheson touches on all the bases, from sipping chicken noodle soup in the frigid exhibit stadium.
“Instead of asking the pitcher why he lost three times or why he hit three times, this was the opportunity to ask him, 'Hey, tell me about the best day of your life,'' said Matheson, who covers the MLB.com team.
“Tell me about your memory of golf tournaments and coffee shops where everyone is always asking you at the bar.”
“Franchise: Toronto Blue Jays” is a 302-page book published by Triumph Books and available at a retail price of $38.
The report by the Canadian Press was first published on June 11, 2025.
& Copy 2025 Canada Report