The Shohei Ohtani sweepstakes came to an end on Saturday as he and the Los Angeles Dodgers came to an agreement on contract terms.
He signed a 10-year, US$700 million deal, making that contract the richest in North American sports history.
Blue Jays fans were devastated when the news came out. They and the Dodgers seemed to be the two finalists in signing Ohtani.
The possibility of signing a once-in-a-lifetime player has come crashing down.
One of the main reasons why Blue Jays fans are upset is because of the social media rumour mill causing chaos.
Blue Jays fan Jacob Carinci said he feels betrayed by sports insiders and will have difficulty trusting them in the future.
“The thing I learned was to never trust any sports insider ever again until a deal is final,” Carinci said.
There is one sports insider that he is referencing: John Morosi of MLB Network.
Morosi reported Dec. 8 that Ohtani was on his way to Toronto to visit with the team.
The report sent shockwaves through the entire city of Toronto.
Fans were waiting at Toronto Pearson International Airport for the supposed arrival of Ohtani. They and the media were stalking different hotels, and probably the most insane thing, people were tracking of planes from Anaheim, home of the Los Angeles Angels, to Toronto.
A reputable source like Morosi made fans believe there was more than a chance Ohtani would sign with the Blue Jays, but that obviously turned out to be not real.
Blue Jays fans were receiving some hate from social media for getting their hopes up for something that seemed inevitable since the beginning of free agency.
It has been known for about one year now that Ohtani’s free agency destination would be the Dodgers and when Blue Jays fans thought that might not be true, they went all-out crazy in hopes of him signing.
Blue Jays star pitcher Kevin Gausman went on X (formally known as Twitter) to defend the city of Toronto and its fans from American media that dissed the Six.
“I hate seeing people talk bad about Toronto like they know it,” Gausman said. “If you live in Toronto, you know how special of a place it is and how passionate the people are.”
This situation brings to question how you can trust what is being said if it hasn’t been confirmed yet. Social media can start crazy rumours and have vulnerable people believe in those rumours.
Blue Jays fans are still one of the most passionate fan bases, after being heartbroken by the news of Ohtani.
Carinci said he and the Blue Jays would never forget Dec. 8, 2023, and how much buzz was around the city.
“No Blue Jays fan will ever forget what happened on Friday, December 8, 2023, and how excited Blue Jays fans were for a couple of hours,” he said.