For a little while in the offseason, Toronto Blue Jays fans thought they were getting arguably the most talented baseball player of all time.

Shohei Ohtani was a free agent in the winter, and rumors swirled he was en route to Toronto for a visit with the team.

It all started when it was reported by MLB Network that Ohtani’s decision on his next team was “imminent.” 

Then, a post on X, formerly Twitter, went viral that said Blue Jays’ Japanese pitcher Yusei Kikuchi made reservations for 50 people at a Toronto sushi spot. But the big bolt came when Reddit users found there was a plane from Anaheim, California, where Ohtani played the previous six seasons, on its way to Toronto.

MLB Network then reported that Ohtani was en route to Toronto, and another rumor swirled that the Blue Jays had called a press conference.

Those reports were quickly debunked, though, and Ohtani eventually stayed in southern California, switching to the Dodgers on a record-setting $700 million deal.

Ohtani made his first trip to Toronto this weekend since the plane rumors, and fans made their displeasure known by booing him intensely.

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How did he answer? By hitting a mammoth home run, of course.

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For the record, the plane in question actually belonged to Canadian businessman Robert Herjavec of “Shark Tank.”

Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Dodgers hits a solo home run during the first inning of a game against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre April 26, 2024, in Toronto.  (Cole Burston/Getty Images)

The boos continued Saturday, and he answered with a base hit that left the bat at nearly 120 mph, his hardest hit ever recorded.

Entering Saturday, Ohtani was off to his best start ever offensively, hitting .354 with an MLB-leading .681 slugging percentage. He is not pitching as he recovers from elbow surgery.

He led the majors in 2023 with a .654 slugging percentage and 1.066 OPS, his .412 on-base percentage was second in the league, his 44 homers were fourth and his .304 average was ninth.

Shohei Ohtani (17) of the Los Angeles Dodgers celebrates at the plate with Max Muncy as he scores on a Freddie Freeman single in the third inning of a game against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre April 26, 2024, in Toronto.  (Cole Burston/Getty Images)

Ohtani was also brilliant on the mound, going 10-5 with a 3.14 ERA and 167 strikeouts in 132 innings pitched. Among pitchers who threw 130.0 innings, his ERA was the ninth-lowest in MLB and his K/9 was sixth. Among AL pitchers with that number of innings, he ranked fifth and third, respectively. 

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The Rams opened Day 3 of the NFL draft by selecting Washington State defensive lineman Brennan Jackson in the fifth round. They did not have a fourth-round pick this year.

Brennan Jackson — Edge

6 feet 4, 264 pounds, Washington State, Round 5, Pick 154

Notable: Jackson, who played at Great Oak High in Temecula, had 20 career sacks, which ranks eighth in Washington State history. He also had 33½ tackles for lost yardage.

Last season: Jackson had 8½ sacks and 12½ tackles for lost yardage for the Cougars.

Why the Rams drafted him: Jackson’s selection continued the Rams’ heavy emphasis on pass rushers to help fill the void left by Aaron Donald. The Rams selected Florida State edge rusher Jared Verse in the first round and Florida State tackle Braden Fiske in the second. Jackson joins a position group that includes second-year edge rusher Byron Young and veteran Michael Hoecht.

At long last, the NFL Draft finally has gotten underway from the city of Detroit.

The first round is officially in the books, and each of the 32 selections bring a renewed sense of hope to the franchises that made those picks. But plenty of work remains. Rounds 2 and 3 take place Friday night, and then Saturday features Rounds 4 through 7.

It’ll take some time to see how these picks pan out, but that won’t stop us from reacting and analyzing.

We’re taking a look at the winners and losers of the first round.

Winners

Quarterbacks — Quarterbacks flew off the board Thursday night with six of them going in the first 12 selections. Caleb Williams (Bears, first), Jayden Daniels (Commanders, second), Drake Maye (Patriots, third), Michael Penix Jr. (Falcons, eighth), J.J. McCarthy (Vikings, 10th) and Bo Nix (Broncos, 12th) combined to tie the historic 1983 QB draft class for the most taken in the first round. But never have six gone off the board as fast as they did Thursday night. Some of these quarterbacks will likely start right away. Others may sit for a bit. But for now, they serve as symbols of hope of brighter days ahead for their new franchises.

Offensive players — Each draft reflects a different trend, and this year has a strong offensive flavor to it because it took 14 picks before the first defensive player came off the board. That player was UCLA edge rusher Laiatu Latu, who went 15th to Indianapolis. In all, 23 offensive players went in the first round while only nine defensive players were drafted.

Kyler Murray — The Arizona Cardinals quarterback last season made his comeback from reconstructive knee surgery but returned to an offense short on game-changing talent. But Cardinals officials used the fourth pick of the draft to acquire Marvin Harrison Jr., who is regarded by many as the best wideout in the draft. Harrison gives Murray and the Cardinals a polished route runner that also boasts good size and speed.

Philadelphia Eagles — The Eagles needed cornerback help, and they even made calls about potentially moving up in the draft so they could better position themselves to take the corner of their liking. But none of the teams ahead of them had a pressing need at corner and Quinyon Mitchell landed in their laps at No. 22 without Philly having to part with additional assets.

Daniel Jones — The New York Giants did a lot of homework on the quarterbacks in the draft. There was talk that they could have used the sixth pick on a passer, which could have signaled the end for Jones, who has largely disappointed since New York drafted him sixth in 2019. However, the Giants instead used the sixth pick on LSU wide receiver Malik Nabers, and that means Jones will likely get another chance to establish himself.

LSU wideouts — First Nabers at sixth, and then Brian Thomas Jr. went 23rd to Jacksonville. It’s the first time that LSU has had two first-round wide receivers. Now, Nabers and Thomas will look to join Ja’Marr Chase, Justin Jefferson, D.J. Chark and Odell Beckham as the next great wide receivers from LSU. It was a big night as a whole for wide receivers as a total of seven came off the board in the first round.

(Photo: Gregory Shamus / Getty Images)

Losers

Kirk Cousins — Just months after they signed him to a four-year, $180 million contract, the Atlanta Falcons stunned Kirk Cousins by drafting Penix. Cousins, who didn’t learn of the team’s plans until the Falcons were on the clock, is coming off of a torn Achilles, but his recovery from surgery is going well, and he was looking forward to making Atlanta home. But now, Cousins could be looking for another opportunity sooner than he anticipated (most of the guaranteed money in his deal is in the first two seasons). Penix will likely sit and learn this year, and if Cousins falters in 2025, the Falcons could turn things over to the kid.

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Cousins stunned Falcons drafted Penix Jr. in first round

Las Vegas Raiders — The Raiders needed to find their long-term answer at quarterback and were believed to have interest in moving up in the draft to ensure they were in position to take one. Well, the Raiders didn’t manage to move up, and by the time they got on the board at No. 13, all six of the quarterbacks viewed as potential franchise saviors had been taken. For now, Aidan O’Connell and Gardner Minshew remain the Raiders’ only options at quarterback. They could look for a passer in the second or third round, but such a player would likely be a project.

Zach Wilson — The Broncos took Wilson off of the Jets’ hands just a few days ago, and it looked as if Wilson might have a chance to reset, learn from Sean Payton and potentially salvage his career in Denver. But then the Broncos used the 12th pick to draft Nix. Now, the best Wilson can hope for is a slow learning process for Nix and struggles from Jarrett Stidham, who started two games in Denver last season, so he can somehow work his way on the field. Otherwise, his practice reps and playing opportunities will be severely limited.

Defensive backs — Cornerbacks endured a long wait Thursday night as 21 players came off the board before Mitchell went to the Eagles. Mitchell, a Toledo product, does land in a good spot on a defense with a strong front. But he could’ve done without the wait. Mitchell’s wait wasn’t the longest, however. Two picks later, Alabama corner Terrion Arnold finally got the call as the Lions traded up to take him 24th. It was the longest cornerback wait endured since 1995 when Tyrone Poole went 22nd to Carolina and Ty Law 23rd to New England.

Buffalo Bills — Buffalo brass delivered a head-scratcher as they moved back in the first round after a trade of picks with the Chiefs. Kansas City used that pick to draft the speedy Texas wideout Xavier Worthy. Buffalo needs help at wide receiver, and the Chiefs are the one team Buffalo can never figure out how to beat in the playoffs. So, to pass up on a chance to help themselves, and then to help strengthen a chief adversary could really come back to haunt the Bills. Then, to make matters worse, the Bills turned around and traded out of the 32nd pick, moving back to 33rd. The Panthers, who moved into that spot, used that pick to take South Carolina wide receiver Xavier Legette — another player that really could have helped Buffalo.

Required reading

(Photo: Gregory Shamus / Getty Images)