Shohei Ohtani Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

Dodgers GM describes 'helpless feeling' of Shohei Ohtani pursuit

By Victor Barbosa | Last updated 2/22/24

It was only 11 weeks ago when it very much appeared that Shohei Ohtani would be joining the Toronto Blue Jays.

Los Angeles Dodgers general manager Brandon Gomes discussed his team's pursuit (and eventual signing) of the two-time AL MVP during Thursday's episode of the "Foul Territory" podcast.

Gomes specifically described what it was like not knowing whether Ohtani would choose the Dodgers and how he felt about the infamous Toronto-bound flight from Anaheim in early December.

"You didn't quite know what to do, it was a helpless feeling...we understood that Shohei was going to announce this himself... if we were out, we weren't gonna be told we're out"@Dodgers GM Brandon Gomes talks about the phantom Shohei flight heard round the world ✈️

▶️… pic.twitter.com/O3eLmKpI6q
— Foul Territory (@FoulTerritoryTV) February 22, 2024

At the peak of the Ohtani sweepstakes, thousands of people were tracking the flight online on the afternoon of Dec. 8. This came hours after MLB Network's Jon Morosi reported that the Blue Jays were one of the finalists in the Ohtani free-agency race.

The two-way superstar spent his first six MLB seasons with the Los Angeles Angels and called the Anaheim area his home.

The Dodgers were top contenders for Ohtani's services from the start and given the organization's recent knack for offseason spending sprees, his final decision wasn't a surprise.

During what turned out to be a random international flight though, it was reported by some media outlets that the three-time All-Star was choosing the Blue Jays.

Only three days later, Ohtani signed a 10-year, $700M contract with the Dodgers, kicking off what was another monster winter of additions.

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