Blue Jays manager jokingly asks Shohei Ohtani to return team gifts from free agency meeting
NEWNow you can listen to News articles!
Before Toronto Blue Jays fans started dreaming of winning a World Series, they dreamed of Shohei Ohtani signing with them in free agency.
The two-way megastar met with the Blue Jays on December 4, 2023 at their spring training complex in Dunedin, Florida, before eventually signing with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Game 1 of the Fall Classic begins at 8 p.m. ET on Friday at Rogers Center and will air exclusively on News. And Ohtani will be the first batter the Blue Jays face.
The Blue Jays gave Ohtani a hat and jacket for Decoy, Ohtani’s dog. Both gifts, Blue Jays manager John Schneider joked, he would like to get back.
“I hope he brought his hat, the Blue Jay hat that he took from us at our meeting. I hope he finally brought it back,” Schneider said Thursday.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON News
The Los Angeles Dodgers and the Toronto Blue Jays will meet in the 2025 World Series. (News)
“And the jacket for Decoy,” he added. “It’s like, ‘Give us our stuff back now.'”
Ohtani smiled when he heard Schneider’s comments and simply said through a translator, “It’s in my garage.”
Last season was Ohtani’s first with the Dodgers, and he won the National League Most Valuable Player award, batting .310 with 54 home runs, 130 RBIs and 59 stolen bases while helping the Dodgers win the World Series title.
This season he returned to the mound and continued his dominant play. Pitching in a limited role after returning from elbow surgery, he hit .282 with 55 home runs, 102 RBIs and 20 steals, going 1-1 with a 2.87 ERA in 14 starts, striking out 62 in 47 innings.
THE DODGERS TRY TO JOIN THE EXCLUSIVE RANKS OF THE MLB IN THE DEFENSE OF THE WORLD SERIES TITLE VS. blue jays
Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Shohei Ohtani celebrates his victory against the Milwaukee Brewers in the National League Championship Series at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles on October 17, 2025. (Brynn Anderson/AP Photo)
His solid regular season has him in contention to win the fourth MVP award of his career.
Ohtani’s latest feat was one of the most legendary performances in MLB postseason history. He hit three home runs while pitching six scoreless innings and striking out 10 against the Milwaukee Brewers as the Dodgers completed a four-game sweep of the National League Championship Series.
“He’s a great player,” Schneider said. “But other than that, I think we have a great team and an incredible cast of characters and players. I think things went the way they should.”
CLICK HERE TO GET THE News APP
Los Angeles Dodgers two-way player Shohei Ohtani (17) celebrates with third base coach Dino Ebel (91) as he runs home to score after hitting a solo home run against the Milwaukee Brewers in the seventh inning during Game 4 of the National League Championship Series at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles on October 24, 2025. (Kirby Lee/Image Images)
The Blue Jays manager said he wasn’t sure how close the team came to signing the Japanese superstar.
“When we met with him, it felt good and he felt good about the feedback he was giving about our organization and the opportunity here,” Schneider said. “But you never really know what a player is feeling in free agency, and there are a lot of things that have to line up for them personally as well. So, you can’t really think about what if. You think about the 26 (players) we have.”
Nearly two years after Ohtani’s decision in free agency to choose the Dodgers over the Blue Jays, both teams are in the World Series.
The News contributed to this report.
Follow News Digital sports coverage in Xand subscribe to the News Sports Huddle newsletter.
Ryan Canfield is a digital production assistant for News Digital.