The Toronto Blue Jays tried to make a monster splash last offseason in their pursuit of Shohei Ohtani. They failed to land him and then were one of the most disappointing teams in baseball in 2024. Is this offseason just a carbon copy, only replacing Ohtani's name with Juan Soto? Are Blue Jays fans in for another tease?
Toronto is already being floated as a surprise contender for the superstar free agent. That said, any pessimism from the fan base is totally understandable. I'd still speculate that at least both New York teams have a leg up on the Blue Jays here, too. But it cannot be denied that the Jays are set up to land Soto. It makes sense.
Deep pockets/large market
The Blue Jays have plenty of money. It should be common knowledge. If it's not, their inclusion as a finalist for the services of Ohtani last offseason should tell us all we need to know. They've been in the top 10 in payroll in each of the last three years and they were still bidding on Ohtani. So, again, that says a lot.
They do have several players signed to long-term deals and have publicly expressed interest in working out extensions with both Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette, but they are not in bad shape moving forward. In salaried players, they only have $65.9 million committed to 2026 and then just José Berríos' $24.71 million in both 2027 and 2028. There's actually room for Soto, Bichette and Guerrero there, if the front office is feeling aggressive.
Let's also keep this in mind: Toronto is a megamarket. It ranks behind only Mexico City, New York and Los Angeles in North American metropolitan area population (Chicago is fifth).
Poised for a bounce back
Yes, the Blue Jays were a major disappointment last season, but they had so much go wrong. Kevin Gausman's spring training injury kind of set the tone for the season. He had a rough first half before returning to his old self after the All-Star break. He'll likely be back to ace form in 2025.
Assuming Gausman is back to his usual levels for the whole season, Berríos, Chris Bassitt and Bowden Francis follow him in the rotation for a pretty good top four.
Bichette entered last season a carer .299/.340/.487 (126 OPS+) hitter. He posted 4.9 WAR in 2023. In 2024, he hit .225/.277/.322 (71 OPS+) with -0.3 WAR. He is only 26 years old. There's every reason to believe last year was an injury-riddled outlier and Bichette is back to being a stud in 2025.
Bichette being his old self along with Guerrero gives the Jays two game-changing stars in the lineup. Soto would obviously be a third.
Adding the good version of Bichette back along with Soto and having a stout top four in the rotation should easily move the Jays from 74 wins into at least the mid-80s. It's just that simple. Remember, closer Jordan Romano is going to be back after elbow issues ruined his 2024 season too.
They would need to fill the roster around this group, obviously, but there are already plenty of other good pieces. Daulton Varsho will never stun you with his batting average but he does everything else very well. Alejandro Kirk has been a very good hitter before and is only 26. Spencer Horwitz showed flashes of upside with the bat.
Roster fit
Juan Soto is such a talent that any roster should work around him, but he's a great fit for the Blue Jays right now. There's an opening in left field while George Springer is on his last legs in right. Springer is only signed through 2026 and could always be used as a DH. If the Blue Jays did sign Soto, the Opening Day lineup might look something like this (and, keep in mind, this is assuming no other outside additions):
1. Bo Bichette, SS
2. Juan Soto, LF/RF
3. Vladimir Guerrero Jr., 1B
4. Daulton Varsho, CF
5. George Springer, RF/LF
6. Spencer Horwitz, DH
7. Alejandro Kirk, C
8. Will Wagner, 2B
9. Ernie Clement, 3B
With a quality rotation and Romano back anchoring the bullpen, that's a pretty darn good lineup.
The Blue Jays have a chance to turn things around pretty significantly one year after a major disappointment.
Their fans will just be hoping this isn't another tease.
