Toronto’s Big Play: Blue Jays Make Strong Push for…
On Friday afternoon, ESPN’s Jeff Passan appeared on the Blair & Barker show and talked about Juan Soto, the top free agent this off-season. Below is the entire quote, starting at 25:20.
“One curiosity I have is how serious [the Blue Jays] are about Soto, because I think Soto would be serious about them.”
Thus begins another off-season of speculation on whether or not the Blue Jays legitimately have a chance at signing one of the best players in the game. As you may recall, the Blue Jays were finalists to land Shohei Ohtani last season, even if they were being used as leverage. The same may be the case with Soto.
It was clear the Blue Jays didn’t have a pivot after Ohtani signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers, as the Jays finished with a 74-88 record, seventh-worst in the league. While it may be hard to see Soto sign with a team that finished as poorly as the Jays did, the front office has to show some desperation and prove that they mean business. They were ready to offer a boatload of cash last season, why not do it again?
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette are entering their final seasons of team control, set to become a free agent after the end of the 2025 season. In a way, it’s Toronto’s last chance at winning a World Series for a while as the farm system is depleted. Of course, that would change if Soto and/or Guerrero Jr. re-sign.
According to Jon Heyman, Soto is seeking $700 million in free agency, and not deferred money like Ohtani got last off-season. Passan in the same interview with Blair and Barker alluded that it could drop down to $600 million, but the question is, does Soto’s performance justify the contract?
Last season with the Yankees, the 26-year-old outfielder slashed .288/.419/.569 with 41 home runs in 713 plate appearances, along with a higher BB% (18.1%) than K% (16.7%). The 180 wRC+ was the second highest of his career, and the highest in a non-COVID impacted season, while the 8.1 fWAR he had was the highest of his career.
In the postseason, the superstar slashed .327/.469/.633 with four home runs in 64 plate appearances, along with a 21.9 BB% and a 14.1 K% for a 203 wRC+. For his postseason career, Soto is slashing .281/.389/.538 with 11 home runs in 191 plate appearances for a 150 wRC+, winning a World Series ring in 2019 and making it to the World Series this past season.
It’s safe to say that yeah, Soto is going to get a big payday and he definitely deserves it. It’s just a matter of whether the Blue Jays want to be the highest bidders.
