Like the rest of Major League Baseball and baseball fans everywhere, you better believe they were.
And one well-known Toronto player wasn’t thrilled with some of the response as the story developed and, eventually, the ramifications of the team missing out on the Japanese superstar.
Starting pitcher Kevin Gausman, who was a nominee for the Cy Young Award in 2023, took exception at some of the disparaging remarks about Toronto that he was reading from some Americans.
I detest hearing people speak as if they are experts about Toronto. Gausman shared content on X, the former name of Twitter. If you’re from Toronto, you are aware of the city’s unique qualities and the fervor of its residents.
Gausman’s fervent outburst was aimed at allegations that Toronto was just another North American outpost and that the team would be better off with Ohtani in Los Angeles.
That may be a common—and naive—perception among people who haven’t played here, but it ignores the years’ worth of experience that many Jays players have had here.
It is important to remember that Gausman was not catering to his support base. Since he agreed to a five-year, $110 million US contract with the squad on December 1, 2021, he has been a vocal supporter of the city. Gausman has voluntarily shared his love of Toronto’s food culture, his area, and the city’s overall atmosphere because he believes they are a good fit.
While on a much smaller scale than Ohtani’s free agent journey, Gausman was also thorough in his research before signing with the team. Both Gausman and his wife were impressed with the city on their free agent visits and embraced Toronto from the moment they arrived.
The Gausman family settled in North York and tried to live as normal lives as possible in a city they intended not to just view as a temporary workplace.
He caused a fun sensation in the middle of the season when he went to X and informed his followers that he was seeking the best cinnamon rolls in the city. The response was overwhelming for the 32-year-old native of Colorado.
ODDS ON
The 2024 World Series odds were drastically impacted by the Blue Jays’ seemingly serious pursuit of Ohtani, which sent pricing into a tailspin over the weekend.
Sports bookmakers all throughout North America witnessed a ton of movement on the Jays on Friday at the height of the craze, with Toronto’s chances of winning the pennant falling as low as 7-1 in some of them and dropping as low as 16-1 in others.
It appeared as though the false rumors that Ohtani was traveling to Toronto were a reliable “hot tip,” as gamblers flocked to the Jays. That flow obviously stopped when it became known that Ohtani was still living in his Newport Beach, California, apartment, perhaps taking advantage of the panic while his representative tried to get other teams to pay him more.
The next day, after Ohtani inked his record-breaking $700 million US contract with the Dodgers, some normalcy was restored to the betting market. The Jays’ World Series chances shot back up to 14-1 at that point.
The Dodgers, on the other hand, were the clear favorites to win the World Series and established themselves as such, with odds that fell as low as 5-1 in certain sports books.
The New York Post reports that the Jays are now the second-biggest liability for the BetMGM sports book, behind only the New York Yankees, who made the other major splash of the off-season by making a trade for outfielder Juan Soto with the San Diego Padres.
As the Ohtani situation has been resolved, Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins’ off-season activities have taken a different turn.
Given that Cody Bellinger is the only remaining top-position player and would fill the outfield void left by free agent Kevin Kiermaier, the Jays are anticipated to at least give him a look.
The 28-year-old’s occasionally potent left-handed bat fills a significant need, but it will probably cost a lot because there aren’t many elite free agents available.
The excitement around Bellinger’s weekend trip to Toronto intensified when his fiancée, model Chase Carter, shared an Instagram story including the Toronto skyline and the CN Tower.
