Blue Jays news: Vladdy's Juan Soto expectations, Corbin Burnes buzz, Gimenez grateful

It's safe to say that the start of the 2024 offseason has not been what Toronto Blue Jays fans had hoped for. The fan base was hoping for Ross Atkins to find a way to make major moves with the team coming off a wildly disappointing 74-win season, but outside of one trade and one free agency addition, it's been mostly crickets north of the border.

The Jays were in on Juan Soto and Max Fried but couldn't seal the deal with either player. Now, it remains to be seen if the Jays can bring one star to Canada this winter as they attempt to compete in what should be a competitive AL East division. At the very least, Jays fans would love to see Vladimir Guerrero sign an extension.

While the Blue Jays haven't made many impactful moves yet, there is a good amount of news to get you caught up on.

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Blue Jays news: Andres Gimenez has high hopes for new team

The only trade made by Ross Atkins thus far was a questionable one. The team acquired Andres Gimenez and Nick Sandlin while sending Spencer Horwitz to the Cleveland Guardians. On one hand, Gimenez is one of the best defenders in the game and is locked in long-term. Plus, the Jays got a useful reliever to help a bullpen in dire need of depth. On the other hand, though, the Jays are a lackluster offensive team, and downgraded going from Horwitz to Gimenez.

If Gimenez can unlock some of the offensive potential that we saw from him in 2022 when he finished sixth in the AL MVP balloting, Jays fans will be thrilled with this trade considering the elite defender and runner he is. In his introductory press conference, Gimenez expressed optimism on that front.

"I'm looking forward to starting off with a great offensive (performance) and try to keep it through the year," he said.

If Gimenez can be even league-average at the dish, he'll be an impactful player for Toronto. The fact that he hasn't been league-average offensively since 2022 raises the question of whether he'll ever get back to that level. Gimenez's confidence has to be somewhat assuring for Jays fans questioning this deal.

Blue Jays news: Corbin Burnes update looks far from promising for Toronto

With Soto and Fried off the board, the expectation was to see the Jays pivot to Corbin Burnes - the clear-cut best free agent available. We saw from the Soto sweepstakes that they've got money to spend, and Burnes would certainly provide a big lift to a rotation that could use another arm.

Unfortunately, the latest update from Shi Davidi of Sportsnet doesn't look all that promising for the Blue Jays.

"So, they are engaged on Corbin Burnes, who is no doubt seeking a payday beyond Max Fried’s $218-million, eight-year contract with the Yankees. Given that the Fried contract blew past their comfort point, the same may very well play out with the ace right-hander."

The Jays were in on Max Fried, but reportedly never even made him an offer. That's how far his contract blew past their comfort zone. With Burnes being a better, younger, and more durable pitcher than Fried, there's reason to believe that he's going to look for a deal even larger than the one Fried got, and he deserves that.

The Jays would presumably be willing to offer Burnes a higher contract than they were to Fried, but how much higher? Would it be one Burnes would even consider? There's a very real chance that Burnes' ask will be out of Toronto's comfort zone, and based on how they approached Fried, that could mean Burnes to Toronto won't be happening.

Of course, things can change, but it would not be surprising at this point to see the right-hander end up elsewhere, leaving the Jays scrambling for a star addition.

Blue Jays news: Juan Soto raised Vladimir Guerrero's FA expectations

Juan Soto signing the biggest deal of this offseason was always the expectation. It wasn't even all that shocking to see Soto sign a deal for more than $700 million. It was surprising, though, to see him sign a deal worth $765 million with escalators that would allow the deal to eclipse the $800 million mark. Soto is now the highest-paid athlete in professional sports history and then some.

This opened eyes to everyone in the industry, but nobody was impacted more than superstars who are set to hit free agency in short order like Vladimir Guerrero Jr. He might not be Soto, but if Soto got $765 million guaranteed, how much can Guerrero get?

"Soto was the perfect storm of talent, age (selling his age 26 season and beyond) and market competition. Guerrero, another dynamic generational talent, will be selling his age 27 season and beyond and there’s good reason to think he could trigger a similar type of bidding frenzy, even if not at those lofty dollar levels."

In addition to being one of the best players in the game, Soto entered free agency as a 26-year-old. Guerrero will turn 26 years old in March and enter the open market as a 26-year-old. He's a first baseman and not as good as Soto so that limits his earning potential, but seeing Guerrero sign a deal worth $500 million or even a bit more wouldn't be shocking.

"For a deal to get done before Guerrero hits free agency, then, the Blue Jays will have to veer way out of their comfort zone and the four-time all-star first baseman will have to surrender some upside."

An extension involving Guerrero right now would be surprising, especially after the Soto deal. Guerrero would pass on some upside, as Davidi notes, and the Jays would have to go well out of their comfort zone to even get Guerrero interested. Still, if there is a number that would get Guerrero to sign the dotted line, the Jays should give that to him. If they're unwilling to, trading him before he gets an even bigger number next offseason would be the ideal path forward.