"I feel strongly otherwise" - Blue Jays GM Ross Atkins refutes claims that Shohei Ohtani used Toronto to swell Dodgers deal

It was not too long ago when the Toronto Blue Jays were in the running to sign Shohei Ohtani, but ultimately, the Dodgers were able to secure Ohtani with the largest contract in MLB history.

Rumors of Ohtani’s visit to the Blue Jays’ $100 million training complex in Florida and his potential boarding of a plane to Toronto had Blue Jays fans anxiously awaiting good news. However, after he signed with the Dodgers, there were murmurs that Ohtani may have been using them as a bargaining chip to increase his value.

However, Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins denied these claims, stating that while he was “very disappointed” they were unable to land Ohtani, he was proud of the team’s effort.

“Absolutely not. I feel strongly otherwise (on Ohtani using Jays to increase contract value). We feel really good about the process. It was an incredible effort from ownership to business to baseball, people coming together," Atkins said to the Associated Press.

"We were obviously very disappointed with the outcome, and it was a very difficult phone call to receive, one of the more difficult ones in my career."

In terms of new additions, the Blue Jays have signed Kevin Kiermaier, a Gold Glove-winning outfielder, for a one-year, $10.5 million deal, as well as Isiah Kiner-Falefa, a former New York Yankees utilityman, to a two-year, $15 million contract.

While the Blue Jays have not made any major headlines yet, they are keeping their eyes on potential trade candidates and hot agents during the offseason in hopes of making a successful postseason run.

Toronto Blue Jays’ performance in 2023

The Toronto Blue Jays experienced one of their best regular season in 2023 with an 89-73 record (home: 43–38; road: 46–35). However, they were swept in the Division Series by the Minnesota Twins.

With a batting average of .264 and a .789 OPS, Blue Jays 1B Vladimir Guerrero Jr. scored the most RBIs on the team with 94, while George Springer recorded the most runs with 87. The 33-year-old Kevin Gausman led Toronto in the 2023 season with a 3.16 ERA in 185.0 innings with 237 strikeouts in 31 games.

They appeared in the postseason in 2023 but it has been three decades since they won the World Series against the Philadelphia Phillies in 1993.