Jays free agency blues sink to new low with interest in longtime rival Yankees gave up on

The 2024 offseason was supposed to be an exciting one for the Toronto Blue Jays. Yes, they struck out in a major way in the 2023 offseason and wound up finishing in last place in the AL East during the 2024 regular season, but this was supposed to be the offseason that saw them turn things back around.

Unfortunately, that hasn't happened in the slightest. The Jays were in on big-name free agents like Juan Soto, Max Fried, and Corbin Burnes, but for the second straight offseason, they struck out on that front. Their biggest move happened to be a trade that saw them land Andres Gimenez.

All would've been forgiven had the Jays come up with an extension for Vladimir Guerrero Jr., but things don't appear to be too promising in that regard, either. As if vibes weren't already low enough north of the border, their latest free agency target, Alex Verdugo, is as underwhelming as it gets.

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Blue Jays offseason reaches new low with reported Alex Verdugo interest

If this was a couple of years ago, the Verdugo interest would've made some sense. He never lived up to the hype that came with him being the centerpiece of the trade that sent Mookie Betts to the Los Angeles Dodgers, but was still a productive player with some upside. The Jays showing interest in Verdugo after how he played this past season, though, makes little to no sense.

Verdugo wound up appearing in 149 of the New York Yankees' 162 regular season games and slashed .233/.291/.356 with 13 home runs and 61 RBI. While those numbers aren't incredibly bad, he played like one of the worst regulars in the sport for most of the season.

From May 1 through the end of the regular season, Verdugo ranked 133rd of 136 qualified position players with a 72 WRC+. He was tied for 131st with -0.1 fWAR. He had a solid April, but Verdugo was 28 percent below average as a hitter and worse than a replacement-level player overall once the calendar flipped to May. How he was starting regularly for New York in the regular season and even in the playoffs is something even Yankees fans wonder, but why exactly would the Jays show interest here?

Verdugo is a solid defender and doesn't strike out much, but if there's one thing this Jays team needs, it's a big bat. Verdugo, while he's been a solid regular in the past, has never hit more than 13 home runs in a single season.

For a Jays team that clearly has money to spend based on their free agent pursuits from each of the last two offseasons, settling on Verdugo when there are other options would be a slap in the face to a frustrated fan base. Anthony Santander is a free agent. Jurickson Profar is as well. Even guys like Randal Grichuk or Jesse Winker would make more sense.

The Yankees eventually realized he wasn't good enough to play regularly for them, and have since replaced him in their outfield. The Boston Red Sox realized he wasn't good enough the prior offseason and shipped him off to the Bronx. Do the Jays want to make the same mistake?

This would feel like the Jays are making a move just for the sake of making a move. Hopefully, this reported interest wanes sooner rather than later.