Sure sounds like Ross Atkins and Blue Jays aren't completely blowing it with Juan Soto

You'll forgive fans of the Toronto Blue Jays for not wanting to get their hopes up amid their team's pursuit of Juan Soto this winter. Sure, the team is serious enough in its pursuit of the superstar outfielder to land an in-person meeting with he and agent Scott Boras last week. But Jays fans have been here before — just 12 months ago, in fact, when it sure seemed like the team was making a real run at Shohei Ohtani. Instead, what seemed like the signing of the century turned into chaos at the airport, a confused reality-show judge and, eventually, a last-place finish in the AL East.

Coming off such a disappointing 2024 season, and with uncertainty swirling around foundational stars Bo Bichette and Vladimir Guerrero Jr., the vibes are not great around Toronto right now. But in the face of all that, we're asking Blue Jays nation to risk getting hurt once again. Because the longer the Soto sweepstakes go on, the more it seems like their team has a real chance to pull this off.

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Blue Jays seem to be right in the mix for Juan Soto

First, a caveat. This is Boras' time to shine, and he loves nothing more than getting the word out that his clients will be available for the highest bidder. It gets more teams into the running, and it gets the league's biggest markets anxious enough to up their best offers. So take everything you hear this time of year with a huge, potentially $700 million grain of salt.

All that being said: It really does sound like everyone following Soto's free agency believes that he's willing to take the most money available, wherever that may land him. Obviously he's not going to take a call from, say, the Chicago White Sox, but if you can sell him on enough talent and more than enough money, he'll listen. In the words of The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal, Soto and Boras are out to set a precedent:

Which should be music to Jays fans' ears. Money wasn't the reason the team missed out on Ohtani last winter; he wanted to be closer to Japan, he already had experience in L.A. and, crucially, he was desperate to win after languishing with the Los Angeles Angels for the first part of his career. Soto has a ring, and he doesn't need to hop on a flight to east Asia anytime soon. If what he wants is to break the bank for a team that can keep him reasonably competitive, well, Toronto just happens to have among the richest ownership groups in the league.

And sure enough, the team seems to be building steam in its pursuit of Soto. While the New York Mets and New York Yankees will be tough to beat, Rogers Communication can go toe-to-toe with either of them. Which is why the New York Post's Jon Heyman mentioned the Jays alongside the Mets as his favorites to land Soto, and why he ranked Toronto third of the five known finalists in an article on Thursday evening.

While noting that coming to Canada could dissuade Soto a bit, Heyman mentioned that the Jays' money and motivation would stand out, as would the chance to play in a large, cosmopolitan city that nonetheless would offer just a little more peace and quiet than the Bronx. None of which guarantees that Soto will be coming north. But for any fans who've already preemptively given up hope, it might be time to believe once again.