SF Giants made their mess even worse by losing Ohtani chase to Dodgers

The San Francisco Giants once again finished runner-up, or third or fourth, for a superstar free agent who would have gained instant credibility both on the field and with the fan base. And this time it’s even worse.

Shohei Ohtani is heading to the Dodgers, a team that Giants fans never wanted him to go to, for a staggering $700 million over 10 years. It’s a feeling all too familiar with Aaron Judge and Carlos Correa last year, Bryce Harper a few years before that, and Vlad Guerrero many years before that. But those mistakes were just incidents. Disappointing; this is soul crushing. Ohtani will play for the Dodgers for the next 10 years. Three presidential elections will pass before his contract expires. That’s a nightmare.

There seemed to be no reasonable expectation from fans that the Giants would sign Ohtani — in fact, most fans had given up on the chance — but the Giants convinced their fan base that they would sign Ohtani. I made the mistake of offering that slight glimmer of hope. They were serious candidates for his service. There are whispers that big-money teams like the Cubs are pulling out. Ohtani didn’t want to play in New YorkDave Roberts defeats Omerta When forced by Ohtani’s agent to confirm their meeting, it seemed like everything might break the Giants’ path. Fans, against their better judgment, began to believe.

I can’t help but think of the interrogation scene in The Dark Knight where the Joker leans in and tells Batman: You changed things forever. ” Fans seemed resigned to the fact that there was no chance of signing a new superstar this winter. Things have changed now that the Giants have even given us a glimmer of hope that they might sign Ohtani. The apathy brought on by last winter and the season that followed is still there, but now it’s mixed once again with righteous anger and resentment. Giants fans have become jokers.

Despite all the potential for Ohtani across the league, there really wasn’t a team with bigger stakes than the Giants. They desperately wanted a team built around a superstar, and they had a lot to lose.They had no choice but to make this happen, and now that it’s done, he’s with the Dodgers — The fallout will be intense.

Ohtani’s story gave them hope, but most were still in a strange kind of emotional state, deep down they believed the Giants had no chance of acquiring him, but they wanted to tell themselves The temptation was starting to wear me out. Well, maybe…” The longer the Giants remained a championship favorite, the more invested their fan base became. And now that invested fan base is getting nothing in return. Now, that loyal fan base must watch as their rival adds yet another superstar.

It was as if the Giants had lit a long, slow-burning fuse, and the end result was unbridled anger instead of explosive happiness. Fans feel he was stupid for giving the Giants an advantage. They’re more likely to tell themselves they’re no longer interested in this team than to rush out and buy tickets. Not after the disappointments of Judge and Correa, but after being handed contract after contract by underperforming and underwhelming veterans, but not much in between. And especially not after seeing Ohtani wear Dodger blue.

The Giants created a zero-sum game for themselves by pursuing Ohtani. Even after missing him, there’s still plenty of opportunity to improve the team and get back into contention next year. A wave or two of smart, wise moves are waiting to be made through free agency and trades. But will that be enough to get fans interested again? If we have another offseason with no superstar additions, would any move the Giants make count as a Michael Conforto, Mitch Haniger, or Ross Stripling-like situation? In an unprecedented era of Bay Area superstar players, the Giants are far behind his 49ers and Warriors. A smart, sensible move may be enough to get them into the wild-card race, but it’s not enough to grab the attention of ticket buyers. Anything less than Ohtani was considered a failure, and the Giants landed there.

For a moment there, it looked like Ohtani might be heading to Toronto, but Giants fans were disappointed, but they were a little more forgiving. At least it wasn’t the Dodgers. The “somewhat break-even” mentality has turned this once-proud franchise into celebrating something the Dodgers couldn’t, and now can’t even do. The Giants are quickly becoming an afterthought in the national media, on the West Coast, and even in their local cities. Things need to change, and they need to change quickly.

There is another famous line from “The Dark Knight.” “The darkest night is just before dawn.” It’s getting pretty dark for Giants fans. A little bit of bright sunlight is very welcome.