In the wake of another Giants “always the bridesmaid” free agency whiff, we’re now learning that the Giants offered Shohei Ohtani the exact same deal the Dodgers offered, but Sho-Time still chose the Dodgers.

If it's any consolation after your San Francisco Giants lost the Shohei Ohtani sweepstakes to the hated Los Angeles Dodgers this week with the Dodgers’ record-shattering ten-year, $700 million offer, the Giants did sign Korean league superstar Jung Hoo Lee on Tuesday. And technically, Lee may be more useful than Ohtani this coming season; Lee is a sensational hitter who will actually play in the outfield this coming season, whereas Ohtani’s recent elbow surgery means the two-way pitcher and hitter won’t be able to do anything other than bat this coming season. But I am obviously just bending over backward in desperate search of a bright side here.

What may be even more infuriating to Giants fans is a Tuesday Chronicle reports that the Giants offered Ohtani the exact same deal as the Dodgers did, and were rebuffed anyway. And just like with slugger Aaron Judge last December, the Giants offered the same contract and the player still chose another team.

To recap: As ESPN explains, Ohtani’s Dodgers contract defers $680 million of the $700 million to the years 2034-2043, a highly unusual move that means he’s technically only getting paid $2 million a year while he’s in a Dodger uniform. That gives the Dodgers more financial flexibility to sign yet more star players, but leaves most baseball fans with a bitter sense that everything’s fucking rigged in favor of the Dodgers and the New York Yankees.

While Ohtani had many suitors, Yahoo Sports says the Giants, Dodgers, and Toronto Blue Jays were the finalists. And the result has to sting for Blue Jays fans too, because Baseball Twitter was convinced Ohtani was signing with Toronto thanks to erroneous reports that he was on a private plane to Toronto.

In a sense, it’s hard to blame Ohtani. The money was the same, Ohtani already lives in LA, and the Dodgers have a far more talented roster than the Giants as currently constructed. The Dodgers have been to the playoffs in each of the last 11 seasons, the Giants have missed the playoffs for two years in a row.

But hey Giants fans, as the Dr. Evil GIF above emphasizes, at least San Francisco will still have a baseball team for the foreseeable future, unlike jilted Oakland fans.

Related: Giants Nab Two Former All-Stars While Picking Through The Seeds And Stems Of Free Agency [SFist]

Image: ANAHEIM, CALIFORNIA - SEPTEMBER 30: General Manager Perry Minasian, Shohei Ohtani #17 of the Los Angeles Angels and Phil Nevin at Angel Stadium of Anaheim on September 30, 2023 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)