Dodgers Pitcher’s Willingness to Switch Numbers Fuels Shohei Ohtani Speculation

The seams of the superstar's secretive free agency are starting to show.

Much of two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani's free agency has been kept under careful wraps, such that any crumb of information has become the subject of ruthless dissection by baseball writers and fans alike.

The latest nugget seemingly came courtesy of an unlikely source: Dodgers pitcher Joe Kelly.

As recounted by Bob Nightengale of USA Today Thursday morning, Los Angeles called Kelly this week and asked the two-time World Series champion if he would be willing to give his No. 17 jersey for Ohtani.

Kelly, who has worn the number since 2019, eagerly agreed.

Nightengale also wrote the Dodgers and Ohtani's representatives both declined comment on Kelly's action.

The episode comes amid the winter meetings in Nashville and follows a week in which the drip of Ohtani rumblings has grown into a steady trickle. 

The Blue Jays and Giants have been connected to meetings with the superstar, and Los Angeles manager Dave Roberts provided confirmation of a meeting with Ohtani Tuesday.