Where did Shohei Ohtani sign in free agency?

It wasn't with the Twins, but Shohei Ohtani's decision will impact everyone.

Los Angeles Angels v Minnesota Twins
Los Angeles Angels v Minnesota Twins / Brace Hemmelgarn/GettyImages

While the Minnesota Twins have several things to get done this offseason, something everyone is paying attention to in the background is where Shohei Ohtani signs in free agency.

Minnesota isn't a finalist, but the market feels like it's waiting for Ohtani to sign before it truly opens up. The Yankees traded for Alex Verdugo and Juan Soto, while the Braves landed Jarred Kelenic, but there hasn't been the normal flurry of activity we're used to seeing.

A reduced payroll means the Twins will have to get creative in how the front office makes important additions, and the trade market will be key. With valuable chips like Jorge Polanco and Max Kepler to flip, Minnesota has potential moves that might be on the horizon to help land a front-line starter, but nothing seems like it's going to happen until Ohtani makes his decision.

Which team did Shohei Ohtani sign with? (Updated)

After all the hullabaloo about where he might go, Ohtani ended up signing with the Los Angeles Dodgers

While the Winter Meetings didn't deliver the way we all hoped they might, things have started to heat up in a big way in the days after. Ohtani is playing things close to the chest, and secrecy is the name of his game, but Friday things almost blew up the way we've been expecting.

A report started circulating that Ohtani had agreed to sign with the Blue Jays. Unsurprisingly this caught fire, but almost equally unsurprising was that it later turned out to be a false start. Baseball writers around the country and in Canada cautioned against believing the report, with Jeff Passan retweeting another reporter debunking the initial claim.

That's where we're at with this whole saga, but it's honestly the most exciting action we've seen since Ohtani officially hit the market.

Toronto made a ton of sense, even if it seems a bit strange. Ohtani would play on the east coast, widening the audience who gets to see him play, and would be on a team primed to make a World Series run.

Moving to the AL East doesn't make things easy, but there's strong infrastructure there that Ohtani doesn't have with the Angels.

Te Dodgers always seemed like the front runners, though, so it’s no surprise they ended up landing him.

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