Jon Morosi certainly isn’t the first reporter to be wrong on a big story.
But the respected MLB Network insider had the misfortune of being wrong on the biggest story of the baseball offseason, concerning Shohei Ohtani’s free agency decision, causing a huge stir in the sport Friday.
Several days later, Morosi said he’s learned some lessons — but he’s also been surprised by the amount of support he’s gotten from the MLB community.
Morosi reported Friday afternoon that “Shohei Ohtani is en route to Toronto today,” suggesting a meeting with the Blue Jays and a signing might be imminent.
Other baseball insiders quickly disputed the news, and several hours later, Morosi apologized for his report.
Ohtani, of course, signed a 10-year, $700 million deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers on Saturday.
In an appearance Tuesday on 670 The Score’s Parkins & Spiegel Show, Morosi admitted his inaccurate report was a “shock to your system,” but he’s thankful for the support he’s received.
“I’m really grateful that the (MLB) Network has been so supportive,” Morosi said (via Barrett Sports Media). “They knew I was trying the best I could on a very intense day to do the best reporting that I could and I obviously fell short, and I had a really, really bad day at the worst possible time is where it all fell for me, I think, on Friday.”
Morosi mentioned the support he’s received extends well beyond the MLB Network.
“I think that when you get a shock to your system like that, it’s not fun but it also makes you think a lot about the gratitude you have to be in a wonderful position like I am and the support of some great teammates who reached out — some privately; some publicly — and I had major-league managers calling me and players,” Morosi said.
“It’s been a pretty emotional few days, but it’s really underscored honestly how blessed I am to do what I do and it’s probably made me refocus and hopefully get even better in the future.”
Morosi said that it can be difficult for reporters to cover free agency, given the collective bargaining rules that restrict what baseball executives can say about players. But he said that’s no excuse for passing along inaccurate information. He said he trusted his sources on the Ohtani-to-Toronto report, and it cost him.
“I was confident that what I had was correct and that’s why I put it out there,” Morosi said. “But obviously it was a reminder that in the age of Twitter especially, there’s no such thing as being too careful.”
About Arthur Weinstein
Arthur spends his free time traveling around the U.S. to sporting events, state and national parks, and in search of great restaurants off the beaten path.