Blue Jays’ Atkins can’t say where he is or why he can’t say, but it’s tied to Ohtani

Baseball

Published 05.12.2023

Blue Jays’ Atkins can’t say where he is or why he can’t say, but it’s tied to Ohtani

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — In the most recent instalment of, Don’t admit you’re attempting to signal Shohei Ohtani whenever you’re actually, actually, actually attempting to signal Shohei Ohtani, Toronto Blue Jays GM Ross Atkins moved his winter conferences media session on-line after which refused to disclose the place he was.

“Due to a scheduling conflict,” he mentioned Monday, “I wanted to ensure, out of respect for each of you, to not change this, and Zoom permitted me to do that.”

That a easy query about his whereabouts, when almost your entire baseball trade is on the Gaylord Opryland resort, is fraught sufficient to generate such an ambiguous non-answer, underlines simply how delicate and delicate the pursuit of Ohtani is for golf equipment.

Clearly Atkins was not in Nashville — a scheduling battle, in any case, is definitely resolved by a easy time change if he’s on website — that means his absence needed to be related to the courtship course of.

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One logical guess is that he was nonetheless in Los Angeles, the place shows are believed to have been made to the celebrity free agent over the weekend. Another chance, perhaps even a extra probably one, is that he was again in Toronto, consulting with the senior management of proprietor Rogers Communications Inc. (which additionally owns this web site) on the place issues stand.

Late Monday evening, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reported that Ohtani is believed to have met with the Blue Jays on the membership’s Player Development Complex in Dunedin, Fla. If that’s certainly the case, it’s the clearest sign but that there’s mutual curiosity between the perimeters.

For the time being, although, it’s all conjecture, with an unusually excessive diploma of secrecy across the course of. And whereas Atkins is predicted at this sprawling biodome venue Tuesday, his uncommon obfuscation demonstrated each the size groups are going to win over Ohtani, and the way they’re keen to play by his guidelines, too.

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All of which made Atkins’ media session concurrently off-the-charts bizarre and completely comprehensible, as nobody this far alongside desires to journey within the residence stretch, and for those who’re nonetheless within the operating, you’re clearly ready to do what it takes.

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That the Blue Jays are nonetheless in play for what’s anticipated to be a half-a-billion-dollar-plus deal is outstanding in so some ways, particularly when you think about that in September 2000, Rogers purchased an 80-per-cent stake within the membership for US$112 million (on the time roughly C$165 million) earlier than buying the remaining 20 per cent for an undisclosed sum in November 2004.

Ohtani, clearly, is a business resolution greater than a baseball resolution, as his match on the sector is common for all 30 big-league groups, however solely a handful are geared up to completely leverage all he brings to the desk. One government instructed that he’s so priceless financially the Angels couldn’t deal him previous to the commerce deadline due to all of the sponsorship obligations tied to him.

In each manner, then, the tantalizing chance of his signing captures the creativeness and the ensuing intrigue has taken on a lifetime of its personal inside the Blue Jays fan base. So too has the notion that Juan Soto, the one-year rental slugger being shopped by the salary-dumping San Diego Padres, may very well be added as effectively in NBA-styled super-team push.

Using profiles that describe each, Atkins pumped the brakes on that chatter, saying “it would be exceptionally difficult for us to land two players that are, don’t hold me to this figure, but that are five win and above, $25 million AAV and above.”

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At the identical time, he undoubtedly didn’t kill the potential for including one participant who matches that description, on the threat of elevating expectations that might very effectively find yourself being unmet.

“The fact that we’re in a position to attract marquee free agents, to be in a position to potentially trade for really good players, is a very, very good starting point and one that we are embracing,” Atkins mentioned. “What we’re embracing is the opportunity and (are) entirely focused on that. In terms of expectations, listen, we’re going to do everything we can to make our team better. There are certain players in the game that any team in baseball would like to have, and it’s extremely competitive. We will do everything in our power to build upon this very good team. And that could happen in a lot of different shapes. We’re pushing very hard to do so.”

To that finish, Atkins spoke extra like a covert spy operative than a baseball basic supervisor, refusing to reveal the place he was or what he was doing, selecting his phrases much more rigorously than normal, absolutely cognizant that any small element may be the distinction.

Even when requested if the highest of the Blue Jays acquisition choice checklist was nonetheless in play Atkins provided up a muddy-water reply, saying, “nothing has happened this off-season that has put us in a position that is less strong from our perspective.”

The wut, you ask?

Those are the phrases of somebody refusing to confess a pursuit of Ohtani, whereas refusing to lie a few pursuit of Ohtani, from a location they will’t reveal tied to Ohtani. This actually is uncharted territory for the Blue Jays, in each single manner possible.