Toronto Blue Jays Land Shohei Ohtani in Blockbuster Trade
Shohei Ohtani’s plane has finally landed at Pearson. On 19 March 2025, the Los Angeles Dodgers wrapped up their Japan Series at the Tokyo Dome and along with it, their Ohtani era. When the team arrived back in L.A., they announced at an improv runway presser that they had traded the superstar to the Toronto Blue Jays in exchange for Max Scherzer, Alek Manoah, cash considerations, a player to be named later, a footlong hotdog from the Rogers Centre, and a row of vintage blue seats from the stadium’s renovation—courtesy of the scrapyard that preserved the memorabilia. The reason for the trade: not enough pitching.
The Dodgers boarded the team plane and sent Ohtani on a separate private flight headed to Toronto. Reports indicate he was given no indication of the move prior to boarding. Instead, he was informed by his new interpreter mid-flight that there were new betting props available on the length of the flight and the runway number at which they were landing. Eventually, they also told him about the trade.
The Dodgers signed Ohtani to a ten-year, $700 million contract last year for his generational talent in hitting AND pitching. Sure, he made history last season by becoming the first player in Major League Baseball to go fifty-fifty (home runs and stolen bases). Yeah, he accomplished the feat in a game with three home runs, two stolen bases, and ten runs batted in, finishing six-six in the game. Okay, he just won his third unanimous MVP award. So what? How many pitches has he thrown since 2023? None—and the Dodgers already have enough hitters on the lineup, so I think they made a very reasonable choice in deciding to unload his contract to Toronto in return for some aces.
The Dodgers are reuniting with three-time Cy Young winner, Max Scherzer who recently carried the Texas Rangers to a World Series title. They are also getting a rising superstar in Alek Manoah, who has been taking a break to study Triple-A hitters. A young and healthy Scherzer might lead the Dodgers back to the World Series come October. As for Manoah, they may have just fleeced the Jays for a future hall of famer in exchange for a one-dimensional player in Ohtani—after all, who knows when, or if, he will pitch again. For the Jays’ front office, as long as they hype up this season as being different, add a big-name player, and disappoint in the fall, all is good—as long as the players go out there and remind themselves to have fun.
The Jays are also sending cash and a player (to be named later). A source close to both front offices said Toronto jumped at the chance to give away money to anyone willing to take it, and the Dodgers need whatever they can get to pay their players. The teams could not immediately agree on another player as part of the trade. The Dodgers are looking for another big-name bat to fill Ohtani’s spot, but one that does not pitch so they do not run into the same issue again. The Jays could not agree on which direction—I mean player—to choose.
Sources close to the Dodgers also indicate the addition of a Footlong hotdog is part of the team’s effort to move away from the famous Dodger Dog. The Footlong is two inches longer than the Dog, and the trade sample comes with an option to swap hotdog providers if the Dodgers like the one the Jays send over. If that happens, the Dodgers will be able to charge more for a longer dog to fund their payroll. As for the Jays, they would split and sell each Dodger Dog in half but market them as an imported delicacy, allowing them to charge double the price of what the Footlong was.
The Jays are also sending an undisclosed number of vintage seats preserved after the Rogers Centre’s renovations. The scrapyard that preserved them commented on their involvement in the trade, “We were given the opportunity to safeguard the seats on behalf of the Jays under one condition; we sell each at the cost of season tickets or dispose of them. The market is just not big enough to move this volume of seats at that price and landfills will not accept anything related to the Jays. Now, they proposed L.A. as an alternative destination where the seats would be salvaged and put to good use.” Indeed, the Dodgers are looking to make changes to Dodger Stadium by replacing some of the outfield bleachers with the blue seats, allowing them to market them as premium outfield seating, and of course, growing the payroll fund.
The trade comes in the wake of a similar move by the Dallas Mavericks in the National Basketball Association. This trade left many puzzled at first, but, as in this case, the Mavericks had a very good reason for trading away one of the faces in the league: he was not a big fan of the beep test. Teams across the North American major leagues are increasingly open to spending big bucks on their players. But in exchange, all they ask is that players be perfect, regardless of how historical and generational their performances and talent may be, respectively. Can we really criticize owners for that?
On paper, this trade does not make sense, but baseball is played on grass. So, in all honesty, I like this move for both teams. It seems to me both front offices are meeting their goals here. The Dodgers may be able to buy another World Series title, and the Jays will have yet another way to piss off their fanbase.