While the Los Angeles Dodgers remain the favorites to land two-way phenom Shohei Ohtani, manager Dave Roberts confirmed the organization did indeed meet with him.
… but he wasn’t exactly supposed to, it appeared.
On Tuesday, Roberts addressed the media and was asked about Ohtani’s meeting with the team at Dodger Stadium.
“Clearly,” Roberts said, via USA Today, “Shohei’s our top priority.’’
Later on, as USA Today’s Bob Nightengale reported, Roberts was approached by Dodgers public relations staff and had a quick meeting.
From Nightengale’s report:
“Roberts spoke freely and relaxed for 20 minutes, but his face became serious as he spent several moments reading a text message on his phone after his session. He immediately huddled with Dodgers public relations officials.”
During another scrum with Dodgers general manager Brandon Gomes, he was asked about the pursuit of Ohtani but said no comment. However, he did acknowledge, “Dave (Roberts) made a comment.”
Joel Sherman of the New York Post asked Gomes if Roberts’ comment hurt the team’s chances, to which Gomes responded, “I have no idea.”
“I would like to be honest, and so we met with Shohei,” Roberts continued to tell the media. “I don’t feel like lying is something that I do. I was asked a question, and to be forthright in this situation, we kept it quiet. But I think that it’s going to come out at some point that we met.
“So, I don’t think myself or anyone in our organization would want to lie about it.”
Roberts said the meeting wasn’t necessarily a sales pitch but wanted to ensure there was strong interest there.
As there should be.
With the MLB Winter Meetings moving at a glacial pace, the world awaits as Ohtani makes his decision. He looks to land a half-a-billion-dollar contract being the best player in the game.
Ohtani is coming off of his second AL MVP season where he slashed .304/.412/.654 with a league-leading 1.066 OPS. He also earned his third All-Star selection, a Silver Slugger Award, and the coveted Edgar Martinez Outstanding Designated Hitter Award.
About Jessica Kleinschmidt
Jess is a baseball fan with Reno, Nev. roots residing in the Bay Area. She is the host of "Short and to the Point" and is also a broadcaster with the Oakland A's Radio Network. She previously worked for MLB.com and NBC Sports Bay Area.