Blue Jays best free-agent play might not involve Juan Soto after all

So far, the most important offseason in the recent history of the Toronto Blue Jays has been defined by one player: Juan Soto. Toronto sure seems serious about making a run at the 26-year-old outfielder, having already scored a meeting with he and agent Scott Boras last week; and given how much money a deal would require, just about everything else — from the futures of Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette to addressing needs in the infield, bullpen and elsewhere — has been put on hold.

But regardless of whether the Jays are successful in their pursuit of Soto (spoiler alert: probably not), all of those needs aren't going away. And they need to be addressed in a big way if this team wants to turn things around after a last-place finish in 2024. Which is why at least one MLB insider thinks the team's best free-agent fit has nothing to do with Soto at all: if Toronto wants to go from worst to first over the course of one winner, two-time Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell would be a great start.

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Would Blake Snell be an ideal free-agent target for the Blue Jays?

Don't misunderstand: You can't really blame Atkins for taking a shot at Soto if the outfielder is willing to hear him out. Rogers Communications has made the money available, and while it's possible that Boras is just using Toronto's presence as further leverage against teams like the New York Yankees and New York Mets, any chance to pitch a future Hall of Famer still at the beginning of his prime doesn't come around very often. Soto is a generational player, the kind who could change how the rest of the league views the Jays.

But still, Soto is a long shot, and given how many holes there are still to be filled, it might be for the best if he decides to go elsewhere. And if he does, that opens up at least one big contract for the Jays to hand out. Why not give it to Snell? The free-agent market for infielders is pretty barren after Alex Bregman and Willy Adames, each of whom will be tough to pry away from teams like the Houston Astros, Los Angeles Dodgers and Atlanta Braves. But Toronto also needs rotation help, with Chris Bassitt a year away from free agency and Kevin Gausman and Jose Berrios able to test the market in 2026.

Snell would give this team the ace it desperately needs, and the ability to bump either Yariel Rodriguez or Bowden Francis back to the bullpen. And of the top starters on the market this winter, Snell is the one with the most question marks given his inconsistency and lack of workload — which makes him the most likely to be receptive to the Blue Jays overpaying him to come north of the border. And it would still allow the team to pursue someone like, say, Gleyber Torres or Christian Walker, along with a reunion with Teoscar Hernandez, all for less total value than a hypothetical Soto contract.

It may not be the offseason Jays fans have been dreaming of, but it may be the best realistic path to adding impact talent that could get this team back to the playoffs.