4 Juan Soto backup plans for Blue Jays after latest report dubs Toronto ‘longshots’

The Toronto Blue Jays are coming off a down season, finishing last in the AL East with a 74-88 record. Blue Jays GM Ross Atkins long maintained an ambitious vision of taking a young core comprised of Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette into the postseason. But with one year left on their contracts, the Blue Jays are yet to make it past a Wild Card round. Now, Atkins aims to make up for the past six seasons in 2025.

Atkins is in hot pursuit of Juan Soto, who could easily flip the franchise on its head. Unfortunately, it seems Mets’ owner Steve Cohen is willing to top all competition chasing the star outfielder, and he has an abundance of wealth to reinforce his steadfast will. According to MLB insiders Ken Rosenthal and Evan Drellich, the Blue Jays are longshots to land Soto.

But this may not be a bad thing. With the savings, Atkins could easily swing deals for multiple targets. After all, several good players are better than one great player, right? It may be fair to say that statement is debatable when the great player refers to Soto. But not to worry, there are some very good names on the market. Who could Atkins bring to Toronto?  

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4. Alec Bohm

One name the Phillies seem eager to part with is Alec Bohm. This past season, Bohm posted another quality season slashing .280/.332/.448/.779 with 15 home runs. He maintains a .277 career batting average, a career on-base percentage of .327, and consistently produces at a decent level every season. Why would the Phillies want to send him off?

Reports have it that Bohm acts childish in his rough patches. Through tedious slumps the likes of which plague every player now and then, Bohm has been known to act out which has apparently irritated his dugout. If the Blue Jays can tolerate his griping behavior or if Bohm can get over it more gracefully, then he will fit seamlessly in the Toronto lineup. Bohm would represent a substantial upgrade over their current options at third base.

There were some concerns about his defense, however, Bohm has made some great improvements at the hot corner. If needed, the Jays could also slot him into first base where he is a more reliable defender, but at that point he might be relegated to the DH spot since Vladdy fields first. Bohm won't fix all their problems, but he can be a valuable addition to the Blue Jays' batting order. He will make an estimated $8.1 million next season and will enter free agency after the 2026 season.

3. Teoscar Hernandez

One of the key problems facing the Blue Jays has been their outfield. The cumulative production they received from their outfielders was among the worst. But if we rewind by a couple years and visit a recently bygone Blue Jays team, we will see that this was a different story not so long ago. Why? The main reason was Teoscar Hernandez.

Hernandez just wrapped up a much-celebrated season where he won the Home Run Derby, won his third Silver Slugger, won the World Series, set a career high in home runs, and even garnered some MVP votes. Hernandez slashed a respectable .272/.339/.501/.840 with 33 home runs. He has long been a mainstay in the Toronto lineup and more recently held the Dodger lineup together through notable injuries and absences.

Hernandez has also proven his worth in the postseason. The 32-year-old slugger maintains a postseason on-base percentage of .341 with five home runs, often hitting home runs at pivotal moments. Even during stretches where his batting average suffers, he is still getting on-base and producing. He is currently a free agent and is estimated to net over $71 million according to Spotrac.

2. Luis Robert Jr.

Continuing with our outfield search, there is one elite outfielder whose name should come second to Soto’s on the offseason market. Luis Robert is a potential five-tool player. But with all the injuries that have demolished his career thus far, he hasn’t had much of a chance to prove it.

In another injury-hampered season, Robert slashed .224/.278/.379 with 14 home runs. But in 2023, we got a glimpse of Robert at his best. The 27-year-old centerfielder slugged 38 home runs to the tune of a .264 batting average. His speed is also a very important part of his game. This past season, he stole 23 bases in 29 attempts during his shortened year. If none of this is too convincing, Robert posted a .338 average through 275 at-bats in 2021 proving he can hit for average.

In centerfield, he is an elite defender and probably the best in the game. The obvious risk here is his ability to stay healthy. One would think with his track record of only playing one full season in the past five years, that he would come at a discount.

However, the White Sox have set an unreasonably high expectation for a trade. The Blue Jays currently do not have a deep pool of prospects, but they could deal someone from their major league roster and free up some salary space in the process. While he is a risky option, he represents the best non-Soto opportunity this offseason. He is owed $15 million in 2025 and has two club options for $20 million each the next to years. He will be a free agent after the 2028 season.

1. Corbin Burnes

As long as the Blue Jays save their Soto money, there isn’t any harm in going after a star pitcher. This offseason, there is no better option than Corbin Burnes. Burnes worked wonders for Baltimore this past season throwing to a 2.92 ERA through 194.1 innings. He has consistently been in the Cy Young race for the past five seasons winning it in 2021. That season, he posted a spectacular 2.43 ERA.

In 2022, Burnes topped the NL in strikeouts with 243. His strikeout rate has greatly diminished this past season after pitching more innings than recording strikeouts, but that is no concern. Burnes’ ERA in 2024 was slightly better than it was in 2022. It is also reasonable to expect he can achieve a high strike out rate in the future.

As the top arm on the free agent market, he will command a hefty sum of money. David Schoenfield of ESPN estimates he will make $225 million. If the Blue Jays are willing to approach $600 million for Soto, they could easily reach a deal for Burnes at this price, and it may prove worth it. His arm at the front of Toronto’s rotation could be what gets them into the postseason for years to come.