Ohtani's free agency could have been fun -- a celebration of baseball. Instead, there is silence and threats. This is a loss for Ohtani -- and for baseball.
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Somebody should ask Shohei Ohtani a really simple question about his free agency:
What is the point of all of this secrecy?
Of course, that would imply that anyone had heard from Ohtani in the past four months. Maybe his silence is Ohtani's choice, or maybe somebody is giving him some really awful advice. But the way this historic free agency has played out is unnecessarily joyless -- and completely antithetical to the way Ohtani competes, the way he loves his craft.
His short journey through free agency could have been a celebration of baseball. Ohtani has more leverage than any player ever. Everybody wants him, and everybody wants to give him a lot of money. This really should all be fun, generating excitement among baseball fans dreaming of Ohtani in the lineup of their favorite team.
Instead, his decision is being handled like delicate negotiations over a secret spy swap. There is silence and threats, with club executives rolling their eyes as they describe the warnings they have been given from Ohtani's camp about publicly discussing their efforts to sign the most dynamic and popular talent on earth. "Sorry, can't talk about the guy everybody is talking about," said one general manager, laughing.
At the winter meetings Tuesday, Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts confirmed that the team had recently met with Ohtani at Dodger Stadium. (NEWS FLASH: The Biggest Spending Team talks with the Most Prominent Free Agent!) Immediately, there were follow-up questions about why he would release the information in the face of the information blackout enforced by Ohtani's camp, which has said that it will hold leaks against teams with which they are negotiating. General manager Brandon Gomes admitted a few hours later that he was surprised Roberts had confirmed the meetings, refusing to comment on them himself.
None of this is necessary. At the All-Star Game, Ohtani circulates among temporary teammates, laughing and posing for pictures, signing autographs for them. There is so much respect for him and for his unique talent, and his free agency could have had the same feel.
Instead, this is our reality: A couple of weeks ago, Ohtani sat with a cute dog as he was awarded the Most Valuable Player. It raised a simple question: What's the name of the dog?
As discussed on the Nov. 20 BBTN podcast, calls were made to ascertain that small detail. The response, through channels, was this: Ohtani's camp was not prepared to release the dog's name. Again, maybe this was Ohtani's decision. Maybe he was getting bad advice. But it was really pretty silly.