Shohei Ohtani’s secretive free agency is a missed opportunity for him and MLB،
Someone should ask Shohei Ohtani a very simple question about his free agency:
What's the point of all this secrecy?
Of course, that would imply that anyone has heard from Ohtani in the last four months. Maybe his silence is Ohtani's choice, or maybe someone is giving him really bad advice. But the way this historic free agency unfolded is needlessly sad — and completely antithetical to the way Ohtani competes, to the way he loves his craft.
His short run in free agency could have been a celebration of baseball. Ohtani has more influence than any player. Everyone wants him and everyone wants to give him a lot of money. This should all really be fun, sparking excitement among baseball fans dreaming of Ohtani on their favorite team's roster.
Instead, his decision is treated like delicate negotiations over a secret exchange of spies. There is silence and threats, club executives roll their eyes as they describe the warnings they were given by Ohtani's camp about publicly discussing their efforts to recruit the most dynamic talent and the most popular on the planet. “Sorry, I can’t talk about the guy everyone’s talking about,” one general manager said with a laugh.
During Tuesday's Winter Meetings, Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts confirmed that the team recently met with Ohtani at Dodger Stadium. (NEWS FLASH: Biggest spending team talks to top free agent!) Immediately, follow-up questions were asked about why he would release the information in the face of an information blackout imposed by the Ohtani camp, which said it would do so. keep leaks against the teams they negotiate with. General manager Brandon Gomes admitted hours later that he was surprised that Roberts had confirmed the meetings, declining to comment on them himself.
None of this is necessary. At the All-Star Game, Ohtani circulates among his temporary teammates, laughing and posing for photos, signing autographs. There is so much respect for him and his unique talent, and his free agency could have had the same feel.
Instead, this is our reality: A few weeks ago, Ohtani sat with a cute dog as he received the Most Valuable Player award. This raised a simple question: what is the dog's name?
As noted in the November 20 BBTN podcast, calls were made to verify this small detail. The response was: Ohtani's camp was not ready to release the dog's name. Then again, maybe it was Ohtani's decision. Maybe he was getting bad advice. But it was really quite stupid.
He is arguably baseball's biggest international star since Babe Ruth, transcending the sport's typical orbit, and the potential impact of that during his free agency has been squandered. Imagine how much better served we all would have been if this window had been managed incrementally, rather than paranoia. Just as he did on the field, Ohtani could have set a new standard – this time for free agent campaigns.
Imagine if Ohtani had concluded his visit with the Toronto Blue Jays — one that neither manager John Schneider nor general manager Ross Atkins would have confirmed Tuesday, given multiple opportunities — with a Zoom call with reporters. He could start with a tribute to the city of Toronto, before describing the impressive tour of the team's new spring training complex. He could have talked about the power of Vladimir Guerrero Jr., the aggressiveness of Bo Bichette at the plate, the splitter of Kevin Gausman. He could have mentioned Schneider's humor, thanked Mark Shapiro and Atkins for their time. He could have ended his thoughts with an observation about the Maple Leafs, about Joe Carter's home run. And he could have concluded by announcing a donation to Jays Care – say $50,000, pocket change for a player who already earns tens of millions of dollars in sponsorships, before getting the richest contract in history of North American professional sports. — to help children. He could have ably answered a few questions from local reporters, easily deflecting the question of where he intends to play by saying he was still going through the process.
He could have done the same thing with the Chicago Cubs, Dodgers and every other team he considered. Regardless of which team he ultimately chose, time spent with each franchise would have energized the organization, its players and raised awareness of their charity. He could have lifted the baseball.
Ohtani is of course entitled to his privacy, and as we've seen in other sports, job choices made in the glare of fan scrutiny can go wrong. LeBron James has excelled at managing his career, but we wonder if he would stream The Decision again, if given the chance to do it all again.
And Ohtani's instinct has always seemed to be to take as little responsibility for the media and fans as possible, as was clear during his years in Anaheim. But the biggest stars in sports – Michael Jordan, Derek Jeter, Patrick Mahomes and others – have understood that by talking to the media, they are talking to the customers of their sport: the fans – the paying customers.
Ohtani has yet to seize this opportunity. And as he approaches his decision amid an imposed information blackout, he missed an opportunity to serve the game he loves.
