Dream rotation for Blue Jays that is still an option after Roki Sasaki whiff

Once again, a top free agent has spurned the Toronto Blue Jays.

Roki Sasaki officially signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers on Friday. It's hard to blame him, even if most of us would prefer a more balanced and competitive MLB landscape. The Dodgers are a great fit for most players right now, especially pitchers. Sasaki gets a chance to learn from the very best and pitch behind four All-Star level aces. What better place to come up and focus on development, all while winning a few World Series, from the looks of it.

The Blue Jays made a strong push for Sasaki, even taking on bad money in an effort to boost their international bonus pool and maximize their chances. As fate would have it, Toronto's front office just looks silly instead. Ross Atkins acted out of desperation and now he has to swallow the financial pitfalls of the Myles Straw trade, which looks absolutely baffling on paper without Sasaki signed, sealed, and delivered.

With so little going right this winter, it's easy for Toronto fans to lose faith. The odds of extending Vladimir Guerrero Jr. decrease by the day and Bo Bichette already has one foot out the door. After making earnest attempts to sign both Juan Soto and Corbin Burnes, the Blue Jays' big prize to date has been... Jeff Hoffman. Time is running out for Atkins to land the plane.

That said, Toronto still has a few avenues to improve its rotation.

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Toronto Blue Jays dream rotation after Roki Sasaki whiff

It is time for Ross Atkins to put his money where his mouth is, so to speak. We keep hearing about how aggressive Toronto is. How involved the Blue Jays are in every major free agent pursuit. But, like clockwork, the Blue Jays end up as the bridesmaid, not the bride, to borrow an adage from FanSided's Robert Murray.

We know the Blue Jays have the money to add multiple high-leverage arms. The first can and should be Jack Flaherty, the best remaining free agent. At 29 years old, Flaherty has plenty of gas left in the tank and he's coming off of a career season. Flaherty posted a 3.17 ERA across 28 starts with the Tigers and Dodgers, helping an injury-ravaged LA rotation climb the mountain in October.

With elite strikeout stuff and proof of postseason poise, Flaherty feels like a more than suitable Opening Day starter for the Blue Jays. He won't command the $200 million-plus behemoth contract that Corbin Burnes and Max Fried did, but he can probably secure a cushy five or six-year investment, in turn giving the Blue Jays a bit of stability atop the rotation.

The next course of action is a trade for Seattle Mariners vet Luis Castillo. Few teams need bats more than Seattle and the Mariners are swimming in quality pitchers. He is not the youngest option at 32 years old, but Castillo is historically pretty durable, and he's under contract through 2027 (with a vesting option for 2028).

Dylan Cease is the "best" name circling the trade rumor mill these days, and Toronto would be glad to get a Cy Young candidate like Cease in the building. That said, Cease is on an expiring contract and it's hard to imagine the Blue Jays winning bidding wars for Guerrero and Cease in the same winter. Toronto is better served by Castillo's contract, which guarantees at least three years of service and promotes continuity alongside what is presumably a long-term deal for Flaherty.

Kevin Gausman and Jose Berrios continue to provide valuable innings in the middle of the rotation, while 2024 breakout Bowden Francis rounds things out. This is a rotation that can make the playoffs.