As MLB teams vie for the services of free agent Shohei Ohtani, two well-known MLB insiders issued wildly conflicting reports Friday on the superstar’s plans.
MLB Network’s Jon Morosi broke what appeared to be huge news around 4 p.m., citing sources and saying, “Shohei Ohtani is en route to Toronto today.”
Sources: Shohei Ohtani is en route to Toronto today.
A representative of his agency, CAA, would not comment when asked about Ohtani’s travel plans.
At this hour, Ohtani does not have a signed agreement with any @MLB team. @MLBNetwork
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) December 8, 2023
If true, that would be huge news. And it would be a big coup for Morosi to get the story first. Ohtani’s free agency has been cloaked in secrecy, frustrating baseball insiders. In fact, Morosi got a taste of that earlier this week at the MLB Winter Meetings, when a Chicago Cubs executive reportedly exchanged “stern words” with him for reporting the Cubs were out of the Ohtani chase.
About an hour later, USA Today‘s Bob Nightengale issued a conflicting report on Ohtani’s whereabouts, going all caps to emphasize his point.
“Shohei Ohtani is NOT in Toronto,” Nightengale posted on X/Twitter.
“Ohtani is NOT on a flight to Toronto.”
“Ohtani is at home in Southern California.”
Shohei Ohtani is NOT in Toronto.
Ohtani is NOT on a flight to Toronto.
Ohtani is at home in Southern California.— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) December 8, 2023
Nightengale didn’t mention Morosi’s report, but he didn’t have to. The inference is clear he was disputing that initial report.
Obviously, both reports can’t be right. Perhaps we shouldn’t be surprised that in the race to be first on the biggest story of the MLB offseason, many bad reports have surfaced. That’s even less surprising given the intensely private nature of the negotiations.
Further muddying the water are troll reports. Podcaster Mason Hall tweeted a video Friday he said showed Ohtani arriving at the Toronto airport. Shrewd observers pointed out the video was taken in Los Angeles, as per the initial tweet Hall was quoting with the video (with many pointing out in the replies to that that the video also doesn’t appear to be from Friday).
Shohei Ohtani arriving in Toronto. pic.twitter.com/iCzDvVrTKI
— Mason Hall (@LoadedBasesPod) December 8, 2023
Got some boots on the ground. Shohei Ohtani is still in LA. For what it’s worth pic.twitter.com/XHOMAcRgKX
— Pine Tar Podcast (@PineTar_Podcast) December 8, 2023
But getting back to the Morosi vs. Nightengale battle, many MLB fans found it pretty amusing.
Source off! pic.twitter.com/jt07ArgapI
— Cameron Salerno (@cameronsalerno1) December 8, 2023
They have to be wearing mascot costumes
— Casey Payne (@payne_case89818) December 8, 2023
In the end, Nightengale looked right (at least for the moment) Friday night, with news that Ohtani was not on the particularly-tracked plane:
Our CBC photographer Evan Mitsui is messaging me from Pearson Airport right now.
He confirms new reports that Ohtani was NOT on the private jet.
It was in fact carrying Canadian businessman Robert Herjavec and his family.
— Devin Heroux (@Devin_Heroux) December 8, 2023
MOST TRACKED PASSENGER OF THE DAY AWARD.
It was actually Robert Herjavec, from Shark Tank, on that plane. pic.twitter.com/XYQzd77niK
— Mason Hall (@LoadedBasesPod) December 8, 2023
MLB Network’s Ryan Dempster brilliantly spoofed the Ohtani free agent secrecy Wednesday by noting a “secret team” had entered the negotiations, and he knew that because he spotted a hawk “flying outside Nashville with a rolled up scroll in its talons!”
If Dempster had spotted the hawk flying around Toronto, he might, or might not, have a real scoop.
