After wild start to off-season, a look at what’s next for Blue Jays

TORONTO — Unofficially, the Toronto Blue Jays are now in part two of their off-season.

Part one was all about Shohei Ohtani and the fun-until-it-wasn’t pursuit of a historic player. Now comes the challenge of recovering from a near-miss that stung more than most. Even Ohtani’s agent, Nez Balelo, “felt really, really bad for the country of Canada” last week, as reported by USA Today’s Bob Nightengale.

While fans were understandably crushed, the Blue Jays’ front office had no choice but to turn its focus toward what’s next. Despite losing six legitimate contributors to free agency, they have yet to make a significant off-season addition, so there’s a lot of work remaining, especially on the position player side.

This much is also clear: whatever direction the Blue Jays go, it’ll be less exciting than adding Ohtani; everything’s a disappointment relative to the modern-day Babe Ruth. For Ohtani, sources said the Blue Jays would have been “right there” with the Dodgers’ $700 million bid, but that was a unique circumstance. While the Blue Jays remain engaged with multiple top free agents, it’s not as though there’s $700 million just sitting there. Historic deals would still require approval from ownership from Rogers Communications, Inc., which also owns Sportsnet. 

Having surveyed the market for months, the Blue Jays know some areas where they could nudge a deal past the finish line at a moment’s notice. At the same time, it’s now entirely possible the Blue Jays’ biggest moves occur after the holidays.

At this point, the next major free agent to move may be Yoshinobu Yamamoto, the 25-year-old right-hander who’s positioned to land a massive contract after posting a 1.16 ERA in Japan this past season. The Blue Jays have real interest, with GM Ross Atkins having scouted Yamamoto in person on three occasions this year, according to colleague Shi Davidi.

However, the Yankees, Mets and Dodgers are seen by some industry observers as the leaders here. While the Blue Jays have been described as a top suitor in some reports, two sources with knowledge of the team’s free agent talks suggested the Blue Jays are rather unlikely to end up being a finalist the way they were for Ohtani. It’s far more likely Yamamoto ends up in New York or on the Dodgers.

Another reason for the market’s slow pace is Scott Boras, the outspoken agent who represents many top players including Cody Bellinger, Blake Snell, Matt Chapman, J.D. Martinez and Rhys Hoskins. Historically, Boras has waited into the new year to place top clients and it’s worked for Bryce Harper, Prince Fielder and many others.

Presumably, there’s a price at which Boras would urge Bellinger to sign today, but it can also be presumed that interested teams aren’t yet meeting that price, which may be well north of $200 million. The Blue Jays do have interest in Bellinger, a former MVP now entering his age-28 season, but interested teams must weigh Bellinger’s best seasons against the three-year dip in performance from 2020-2022 when his OPS fell to .648.  

The Cubs are also seen as a leading suitor for Bellinger, while the Giants could still be a fit even after adding Korean outfielder Jung Hoo Lee (another Boras client in whom the Blue Jays had at least a little interest).

Of all the Boras clients still out there, it’s possible Chapman’s the best fit for the Blue Jays. The free agent third base market is thin, and while a trade candidate like Willy Adames is appealing on paper, prying him away from the Brewers won’t prove easy. 

If Boras is seeking a seven-year commitment for Chapman, some teams may turn their focus elsewhere, but there’s no doubt he’s among the best players available. The Giants are seen as a viable landing spot for the 30-year-old, with the Blue Jays, Cubs and Angels mentioned as possible fits by other industry observers.

But while there’s scarcity at third base, there’s some depth to the DH market, which may allow the Blue Jays to wait. Sure, they could rush to get something done today, and they have some degree of interest in Hoskins, Martinez, Joc Pederson, Justin Turner and Joey Votto, among various others, but they may be able to wait on that front, knowing that someone talented will be available in four or five weeks, perhaps at a lower price.

Ultimately, much of the offensive improvement the Blue Jays need must come internally from the likes of Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Alejandro Kirk and George Springer. But eventually, they will add outside help, too.

Just look at last year, for instance, when they added Chris Bassitt, Brandon Belt, Kevin Kiermaier, Chad Green, Daulton Varsho and Erik Swanson. Or the year before, when they landed Chapman, Kevin Gausman, Yusei Kikuchi, Yimi Garcia and Raimel Tapia.

With eight weeks remaining before spring training, the Blue Jays have an appealing combination to offer free agents: money, playing time and a chance to win. There’s room on the 40-man roster, and plenty of free agents remain on the free agent market. So as slow as it’s been, moves are coming. The challenge now is making sure the second half of the off-season ends better than the first.

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