In a funny plea, Rоb McElhenney has urged Shohei Ohtani to play soccer instead of baseball and sign with Wrexham, an English fourth division team, instead of signing with the Los Angeles Dodgers, which is Ohtani’s next team.

Since the 2023 season ended in November, Ohtani has been the most sought-after free agent in Major League Baseball. There were rumors that he had struck an agreement with the Toronto Blue Jays before he inked a $700 million, ten-year contract with the Dodgers on Saturday.

The 28-year-old two-way player’s future was considered by McElhenney, who is well-known for creating the sitcom It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, even though there was little likelihood that Ohtani would sign with the Phillies.

“Not to Shohei Ohtani: Welsh is a very easy language to learn, and the January transfer window is just 22 days away!” Several hours before Ohtani announced “yes” to the Dodgers, McElhenney tweeted on Saturday.

McElhenney was speaking of the soccer transfer window that occurs in January. Managers have the opportunity to add new players and offload those from their roster that they believe are excess to needs during the winter market. Players may be signed on loan or for a set transfer fee.

To the dismay of Blue Jays supporters, it was discovered on Friday that Ohtani was not, in fact, traveling to Toronto aboard a private jet from Anaheim, California.

After winning his second AL MVP title in three seasons, the three-time All-Star was predicted to demand a record salary of $500 million or more on the free agent market. The Dodgers have given him exactly what he wаnted in a deal.

Ross Atkins, the general manager of the Blue Jays, sidestepped queries over whether Toronto had met with Ohtani earlier this week, stating merely that they are making every effort to improve the team.

“I won’t go into the details of certain meetings that happen or don’t happen,” Atkins remarked. “Just as I mentioned earlier, free agents have earned that right, and we want to be very respectful of that,” the speaker said, declining to comment.

Ohtani led the American League in home runs with 44, and in his season, which ended on September 3 due to an oblique ιnjury, he Һit.304 with 96 RBIs, eight triples, and 20 stolen bases for the Angels.

After making 23 starts, he was 10-5 with a 3.14 ERA, 167 strikeouts, and 55 walks in 132 innings pitched before rupturing the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow on August 23. After surgery on September 19, he won’t be able to return to the mound until 2025.

Ohtani hasn’t communicated with media since August 9 due to his inability to join a conference call following his MVP victory.