New guide explores Blue Jays’ 48-year historical past | Globalnews.ca

TORONTO – Toronto Blue Jays brass used the entire bells and whistles after they attempted to land two-way famous person Shohei Ohtani within the fall of 2023.

The once-in-a-lifetime pursuit of the Japanese unfastened agent, as creator Keegan Matheson writes in his new guide, “The Franchise: Toronto Blue Jays,” incorporated taking Ohtani, his agent and interpreter on the time on a excursion of the staff’s renovated participant construction complicated, entire with a couple of particular touches.

Three lockers within the clubhouse had been put aside for Ohtani, at the side of jerseys, tools, hats, luggage and equipment. It used to be all a part of an elaborate effort to promote him at the staff.

An inspired Ohtani — whose camp sought after overall secrecy all the way through the method — walked out of the Dunedin, Fla., facility with luggage of staff tools and a Blue Jays hat on his head, Matheson writes.

Ohtani stopped to take photos along with his interpreter, who used to be additionally wearing some Toronto equipment. The famous person’s canine, “Decoy,” got here working out to sign up for them in a Canadian canine jacket the Blue Jays had purchased for him.

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“I think that the presentation they gave Ohtani was incredibly impressive and they were not the No. 2 team just to be strung along and used as the other person at the bargaining table,” mentioned Matheson. “They were No. 2 because they almost signed him.”

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The behind-the-scenes color and main points from Matheson’s interviews and outlines convey an intriguing, memorable and downright surreal bankruptcy within the staff’s close to half-century historical past to existence.

Ohtani would sooner or later signal a 10-year, US$700-million maintain the Los Angeles Dodgers. It used to be a large blow for Canada’s lone big-league staff and its countrywide contingent of supporters.

The Blue Jays would sooner or later signal a large fish of their very own, locking up superstar first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. to a 14-year extension final April value a staff document $500 million. The megadeal helped soothe any lingering ache from the Ohtani scenario and likewise confirmed the franchise used to be prepared to spend large to be able to be a constant contender.

But that Ohtani low season — from a extraordinary Zoom name with common supervisor Ross Atkins to the misguided record that Ohtani had selected the Blue Jays and used to be on a airplane to Toronto — used to be the “strangest experience” Matheson expects to have as a reporter.

“The game that went into it was really fascinating,” Matheson mentioned in a up to date interview. “Trying to perform in secrecy in an international the place we need to know the entirety that’s happening along with your favorite staff and along with your favorite participant.

“This was more of a TV drama and the amount of work that went into keeping it secret fascinates me.”

The guide additionally explores the staff’s early days, the playoff successes within the early 1990s, the near-misses within the earlier decade, and lots of the avid gamers — off and on the sector — who made all of it occur.

The tales and anecdotes aren’t all the time the most obvious ones.

From avid gamers sipping hen noodle soup at a frigid Exhibition Stadium, to a laugh stories of manager-athlete dynamics, to the homecoming after a 670-day destroy between house video games because of COVID-19, Matheson touches the entire bases.

“Instead of asking a pitcher why he lost or asking someone why they struck out three times, this was an opportunity to ask someone, ‘Hey, tell me about the best days of your life,’” mentioned Matheson, who covers the staff for MLB.com.

“Tell me about that memory that everyone always asks you about at the bar, at golf tournaments and coffee shops.”

“The Franchise: Toronto Blue Jays,” a 302-page guide printed by way of Triumph Books, is to be had now at a retail value of $38.

This record by way of The Canadian Press used to be first printed June 11, 2025.

&reproduction 2025 The Canadian Press