2023/24 Blue Jays Off Season Thread

[Roof-Daddy]

Way too much perfect timing and coincidence for that whole Friday fiasco not to have been engineered by CAA (Ohtani's reps) in my opinion.

- That Herjavac guy flies from Anaheim to Toronto in the same type of plane Ohtani uses
- Herjavac is affiliated with CAA himself
- "Somehow" it gets out there that this plane is making that flight (not confirmed who's on it though)
- Gets "leaked" by reputable source (Morosi) that Ohtani is on it

That's not really crazy mind you, but when you combine it with:

- While this frenzy is happening it gets "leaked" to Dodger reporter and Dodgers Nation that Ohtani has picked the Jays, Dodgers are OUT
- We assume that at this time the Dodgers upped their offer because the next day Ohtani signed with them

[Jason14h]

Why do you need some massive elaborate plot though ?

Isn’t it easier for agent to just tell Dodgers “this is the Jays offer and we’re taking it if you don’t beat it “

It’s not like the agent isn’t allowed to direct tell the Dodgers what is going on and needs some secret leak

[nfotiu]

You're claiming the shark tank guy was in on it? That's kind of wild.

I'm sure these agents play these teams against each other all the time, and would have probably just brought what Jays were offering forward anyway. They didn't even get a particularly great deal from the Dodgers anyway.

[Roof-Daddy]

Originally Posted by Jason14h

Why do you need some massive elaborate plot though ?

Isn’t it easier for agent to just tell Dodgers “this is the Jays offer and we’re taking it if you don’t beat it “

It’s not like the agent isn’t allowed to direct tell the Dodgers what is going on and needs some secret leak

Ohtani clearly wanted to be a Dodger, and the Dodgers knew it.

Maybe they did tell the Dodgers “this is the Jays offer and we’re taking it if you don’t beat it “ but the Dodgers weren't budging and calling Ohtani's bluff. If that's the case, they have to make the bluff look real.

[Jason14h]

But why wouldn’t the Dodgers believe it ?

Does a Twitter account report make it more believable than the agent telling them ?

[Caged Great]

Originally Posted by Wastedyouth

Jilted lover vibes in here.

no. I never really thought it was going to be anything but the dodgers. Its the how that pissed me off. Wouldn't matter to me if he screwed over the Twins or Tigers in a similar fashion, I'd think he was just as much a jerk.

[KelVarnsen]

I'm over it already. Was hopeful on Friday until nothing happened by Friday evening and was like oh well he gonna be a Dodger.

[Inferno]

Originally Posted by Caged Great

no. I never really thought it was going to be anything but the dodgers. Its the how that pissed me off. Wouldn't matter to me if he screwed over the Twins or Tigers in a similar fashion, I'd think he was just as much a jerk.

Yep, I've seen plenty of non-Blue Jays fans say they don't like how it was handled.

[Roof-Daddy]

Jung Hoo Lee to the Giants

6/113 with an opt out after 4

[Roof-Daddy]

So far this off season I hoped:

- the Jays would get Ohtani - NOPE
- the Jays would get Soto - NOPE
- the Jays would get Lee - NOPE
- the Jays would get Yamamoto -

Good times lol

[nfotiu]

Originally Posted by Strange Brew

I assume he’s not really taking on any credit risk and that they built in language so Dodgers will be required to fund this liability similar to a pension fund. Otherwise this is quite likely the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard.

I guess the tax angle is that he avoids CA state tax (or any state income tax) if he is retired and living elsewhere. He’d still be subject to federal taxes.

In a league without a salary cap where AAV doesn’t matter, I wish they’d report these deals in today’s dollars.

Apparently it is required by the cba.

The CBA requires only that the “present value” be funded within that two-year period. According to a person with knowledge of how the league calculates such contracts, the present value of that $68 million payment in 2034 is worth about $46 million in today’s money (since money in the present, because of inflation, is worth more than money in the future). Also, funding mechanisms can include cash or “readily marketable securities.”

https://www.latimes.com/sports/dodge...-next-10-years

It really is exactly the same thing to the team as a 46m/year contract just when he takes his money out is all weird for whatever income tax avoiding or bragging rights reason. It's not even different from a cash flow perspective.

[flamingred89]

Apparently the Giants were on board with the exact same deal as the Dodgers and it was Shohei's decision between the 2. So, once again, any and all rumours of the Jays were to drive up price. Incredible how they got played.

[Beninho]

I wanted to believe Ohtani actually intended to sign with the Jays but it is a bit worrying that the Jays front office got lead down a golden goose chase without realizing they were being bamboozled. They are now officially behind the 8 ball and do look extremely foolish here wasting time with this bs

[KelVarnsen]

Atkins is a chump? I’m shocked.

[jayswin]

Originally Posted by flamingred89

Apparently the Giants were on board with the exact same deal as the Dodgers and it was Shohei's decision between the 2. So, once again, any and all rumours of the Jays were to drive up price. Incredible how they got played.

100% this. So stupid, we're always this guy in negotiations.

[SuperMatt18]

Why do people think Atkins and the Jays were bamboozled. There is nothing indicating the Jays front office thought they had him signed.

They made their pitch, Ohtani was open to hearing their pitch, and in the end he got the contract he wanted from the Dodgers. And really he was always going to get whatever contract he wanted, so not sure the whole "drive up the price" thing was ever true.

If you're trying to drive up the price wouldnt the idea the Giants made the same offer be a better tool to drive up the price than the Blue Jays. Considering they are a division rival in the same state.

Two people on Twitter were bamboozled, and as a fanbase we got excited it might be true. But there was no indication the Jays organization actually thought it was that close. Media around the team was dead silent on Friday and nobody close to the team even slightly indicated they thought he was a Jay.

[browna]

Yeah I think the Jays know they had an outside shot, which was likely more than they had thought a few weeks earlier. So they then played by Ohtani's rules with Atkins being in undisclosed locations. News getting out of the visit to Florida started that off, but that was 4 or 5 days after the fact.

Even Roberts' clear blunder in talking about Ohtani was an issue. Giants and probably others we didn't know about were involved, but all the pressuring was behind the scenes between teamsz not through media. I am sure the Jays, Dodgers and Giants all knew what each were offering, via Ohtani's camp, not throight the media.

Seperatley, big and small J journalists on Twitter and other "insiders" looking for followers or to hit on a long shot and get cred, whipped up the Internet and Jays fans and then it was a snowball that couldn't be stopped for random Twitter users trying to social engineer more followers via complete fabrications.

[butterfly]

It's hilarious to me how many Western Canadians hate Toronto when it comes to hockey and get bamboozled by Rogers into the Blue Jays.

[bluejays]

It sucks that the Jays got played but I don’t think it was the leaderships fault. He checked a lot of boxes off for what they wanted. Sure there may have been in person tells that something may have been amiss, and I’m sure they’re wondering that too, but what would they have done? Cut negotiations short and focus on someone else? The price the yanks paid was too high for Soto. So who else would they have focused on in the meantime? IMO, it’s all good. It’s not ideal to be played but in the grander scheme it was limited time wasted, minimal money spent, and our competitor spent a boatload. It’s not all bad.

[ben voyonsdonc]

Originally Posted by butterfly

It's hilarious to me how many Western Canadians hate Toronto when it comes to hockey and get bamboozled by Rogers into the Blue Jays.

Many of us were before Rogers bought the team in 2000.