Blue Jays could add a slugger after all after swinging and missing on Shohei Ohtani, Juan Soto

This offseason, the Toronto Blue Jays are going through another disheartening offseason market dry spell. They have missed out on all their top free agent targets much like missing out on Shohei Ohtani in the last round of free agency bidding wars.

With Juan Soto donning a Mets jersey, Teoscar Hernandez returning to Los Angeles, and Corbin Burnes headed to Arizona, the Blue Jays are running out of options to carry them across the finish line in 2025. With Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette likely hitting the open market next offseason, the Jays’ chances of posting winning seasons after their key departures will only get much harder. But while the Blue Jays are down, they aren’t yet out, at least not completely. There is one free agent bat that could potentially give Toronto the much-needed offensive boost they need to compete if he can recover his once stellar performance.

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Pete Alonso makes perfect sense for the power-challenged Blue Jays’ lineup

MLB insider Mark Feinsand believes the Blue Jays could possibly ink Pete Alonso. Feinsand wrote this on MLB.com when discussing the top remaining free agents on the market:

“Industry sources believe the Mets will ultimately re-sign Alonso … Two other clubs to watch are the Giants and Blue Jays, each of whom has been connected to Alonso at some point this offseason … for Toronto, the addition of Alonso would either shift Vladimir Guerrero Jr. to third base or create a first base/DH combo between the two sluggers.”

After whiffing on both Soto and Burnes, the Jays are sitting on enough cash to land Alonso. The Polar Bear has been one of the top home run hitters since arriving in 2019, however, he is yet to repeat the 53-home run season that broke the rookie record set by Aaron Judge in 2017. Nonetheless, Alonso’s power is elite. He has hit 40+ long balls in three different seasons while accumulating 16 in a pandemic-shortened 2020 season which would otherwise be equivalent to over 40 in a 162-game season.

Alonso posted his worse year yet in 2024, slashing .240/.329/.459/.788 with 34 home runs (career-low when the 2020 season is not included). While his 34 home runs are below his usual standard, this is still higher than the 30 Vladdy hit in 2024 which topped the rest of his teammates by a wide margin. The one thing noticeable about Alonso’s stats is that he has been on the decline the past few years. At age 30, he likely still has plenty of baseball yet to play, but his decline makes a long-term deal risky.

If the Jays can manage a postseason appearance, Alonso could make a powerful difference. His .429 postseason on-base percentage combined with his five home runs in 54 at-bats during a stretch of four postseason series makes him a daunting threat at the plate in October. But the question remains if the Jays can get there. If the sole addition of Alonso is going to propel the downtrodden Blue Jays to postseason contention, he may need to perform like he did prior to 2024. Regardless if he returns to his once elite regular-season form or not, his power in the lineup behind Vladdy and Bichette would significantly boost their chances next season.