3 backup plans that Ross Atkins can't afford to botch after losing Teoscar Hernandez

Stop us if you've heard this one before: Ross Atkins fell short in pursuit of an ideal free agent target for the Toronto Blue Jays. This time it was Teoscar Hernandez, who finally reunited with the Los Angeles Dodgers on a three-year, $66 million deal on Friday night.

In so many ways, Hernandez was a perfect fit for the Jays as the team hopes to rebound in an all-important 2025 season. Toronto is in desperate need of both a left fielder and a middle-of-the-order bat to offer some protection for Vladimir Guerrero Jr., and Hernandez came with the added benefit of having already played for the team for six years. It's no surprise that the team was plenty interested in prying him away from L.A., and there seemed to be a window of opportunity with Hernandez and the Dodgers remaining stubbornly far apart over the past few weeks.

Unfortunately for Jays fans, that window of opportunity is now closed for good, and Atkins once again finds himself going back to the drawing board in search of a way to meaningfully upgrade what was a last-place team in 2024. Juan Soto, Max Fried, Blake Snell and countless others have turned down Toronto's money so far this winter, and time is running out for the team to put a competitive roster around Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette in their final year of team control. If Atkins is going to avoid abject disaster now, here are three good places to start.

For more news and rumors, check out MLB Insider Robert Murray’s work on The Baseball Insiders podcast, subscribe to The Moonshot, our weekly MLB newsletter, and join the discord to get the inside scoop between now and the MLB offseason.

4. Jurickson Profar

Profar's market has yet to really pick up steam so far this winter, but he can play several different positions and is coming off a career year at the plate in 2024 (.839 OPS, 24 homers, 10 steals in 158 games for the San Diego Padres). Granted, teams are rightfully skeptical of a career year at age 31, but it's not like Profar was a total dud before that, and he was once upon a time one of the very best prospects in all of baseball.

At this point, there simply aren't all that many impact outfielders left on the market, and Atkins doesn't have the sort of farm system to facilitate a big trade. If the Jays are going to find a left fielder (who could also help plug holes in the infield in a pinch), Profar isn't a bad fit.

3. Nolan Arenado

Arenado doesn't solve the outfield problem, but there simply aren't a ton of options left at this point now that Juan Soto, Tyler O'Neill and Hernandez are off the table and a trade for someone like Luis Robert seems outside of Toronto's price range. What Arenado could do is offer an upgrade on Ernie Clement at third base, allowing Clement to enter the mix in left field, while providing a backup plan at first base in the event that extension talks break down and the team does decide to move on from Guerrero Jr.

Arenado isn't nearly the player he was in his prime, but he might still have a little life left in his bat as he enters his mid-30s, and he's still among the slickest infield defenders in the game. Even better, the St. Louis Cardinals are mostly interested in getting out from under his salary, meaning that the Jays won't have to part with a ton of prospect talent to get him. If he's willing to waive his no-trade clause to play with Guerrero Jr. and Bichette, Atkins should be on the phone immediately.

2. Anthony Santander

Santander should be licking his chops now, as Hernandez signing means that he's the last impact outfield bat remaining on the free-agent market. If Hernandez got three years and $66 million, then Santander, who's younger and a switch-hitter, should rightful be pushing for nine figures, and he just might get it.

That's a steep price to pay, but at this point, does Atkins really have a choice? Santander checks a ton of boxes for Toronto, a lefty source of power who can play a corner outfield spot or moonlight at DH, and it's hard to see how the Jays compete with the Yankees, Red Sox and Orioles in 2025 without adding a 30-homer bat to the middle of the lineup.

1. Alex Bregman

The Tigers seemingly took themselves out of the running for Bregman by signing Gleyber Torres to a one-year deal on Friday, and now the list of interested parties is seemingly down to the Red Sox, the Mets, the Blue Jays and maybe one or two others. We know Toronto has the money based on what they were willing to spend on Soto, and there's no better use of it than convincing Bregman to come north.

Bregman is basically a better, younger version of Arenado at this point, an excellent athlete and defender at third base who still has enough juice left in his bat to compliment Guerrero Jr. in the middle of Toronto's lineup. The Jays will likely have to pay him into his late 30s to convince him to sign, but that's a risk you need to take if you're all-in on competing in 2025. This team needs bats, and Bregman is one of the few impact ones left available.