Sure sounds like Blue Jays could whiff on top offseason priority thanks to Juan Soto
By Mark Powell
Juan Soto's free-agency sweepstakes is well underway, as the Dominican baseball star and agent Scott Boras will meet with interested teams in California prior to the MLB Winter Meetings. The Toronto Blue Jays are expected to be one of those interested parties.
Much like last winter when the Jays finished as the runner-up for two-way star Shohei Ohtani, Toronto risks again being left at the altar in favor of one of the New York teams, as the Mets and Yankees are favorites to land Soto. The Yankees, as the incumbent, had the advantage of hosting Soto all season long. Soto reportedly enjoyed his time in pinstripes, and Hal Steinbrenner has made it clear he will not lose one of the game's brightest stars because of money.
The crosstown rival Mets have the richest owner in the sport and pushed the World Series champion Dodgers to six games in the NLCS – one more game than the Yankees achieved in their championship-deciding clash in October.
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Blue Jays are interested in Juan Soto, but have other priorities this offseason
As great of a story as it would be for Soto to sign north of the border, it would also be a surprise. And, frankly, the Blue Jays have other priorities this winter.
Per ESPN's Buster Olney, Blue Jays fans shouldn't get their hopes up on signing Soto. Olney had a conversation with a rival executive who expects Toronto to make some moves out of pure desperation this winter. Soto would be wise to steer clear.
“Had a fascinating convo with an executive at the gm meetings who, before I even had a chance to bring up specific teams, said ‘you know who absolutely reeks of desperation? The Blue Jays. They are gunna do some big stuff," Olney said on TSN 1050 Toronto.
By putting all their chips in on Soto, Ross Atkins also risks missing the window on Toronto's biggest offseason priority, which ought to be signing Vladimir Guerrero Jr. to a contract extension. Guerrero Jr. had a .940 OPS last season, slashing .323/.396/.544 with 30 home runs in one of the best seasons of his career.
Guerrero Jr. had a 6.2 WAR, and offers some positional flexibility at third base, first base and designated hitter if the Blue Jays bring in some talented reinforcements this winter. He'll earn an estimated $28 million via arbitration in 2025, but the Jays would be best served signing him to an extension now to avoid unnecessary drama.
Atkins can easily do two things at once, don't get me wrong. But by now Toronto should know where they stand with Soto – and that's likely on the outs – and pivot the vast majority of their attention to their franchise player.