After missing Riki SaakiBen Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet writes that the Blue Jays “remain involved” in the starting pitching market. While Toronto has been primarily linked to hitters this winter, the Jayhawks have also been actively considering several starters, including Sasaki, corbyn burns, Max Fried, Blake Snell, Luis Severino, Nick Pivettaand Jack Flaherty.
Of this group of players, only Pivetta and Flaherty have yet to sign, with the other names signing with other teams. The near misses of Sasaki and Burns, in particular, have added to the frustration of the past 14 months for the Blue Jays, who have repeatedly failed in several high-profile free agent pursuits over the past two offseasons.
The Blue Jays’ current starting five includes Kevin Gausman, Jose Berrios, Chris Bassett, bowden francisand Ariel Rodriguez. This group (and Kikuchi YusenPlayers traded to the Astros at the deadline have roughly middle-of-the-road numbers compared to the rest of the league’s rotation, and the starting lineup is in many ways Toronto’s most consistent strength given the club’s poor lineup and bullpen performance. . Alec Manoa He also looked pretty good in five starts before undergoing Tommy John surgery, and he’s targeting a return to the rotation in August. Of course, adding a starter would only deepen and help solidify this group. Incorporating a new starter into the rotation would force Rodriguez into backup duties, filling another need by adding another quality player to the bullpen mix.
However, the question remains whether the Blue Jays are looking to supplement this team with more front-line pitchers like Flaherty, or if they are looking for more back-end pitchers to technically be the fifth starter character paper. The former will require another major investment in starting pitching after Berrios’ massive extension, Gausman and Bassett’s big free-agent trades and Toronto spending $32MM to sign Rodriguez a year ago.
Between the big-money offer they made to Burns Juan Sotoeven though Toronto already has about $218 million and $245 in luxury tax on its 2025 books (estimate provided by RosterResource), the Jayhawks’ front office clearly has some money to spend. What’s unclear is whether GM Ross Atkins received approval to extend the budget or if it’s just for special cases like Soto or Burns. Another fact is Vladimir Guerrero Jr. As he approaches free agency, he’s looking for a huge contract of his own, and the Jayhawks and the star first baseman are reportedly far apart in extension talks.
Flaherty is reportedly open to a short-term deal with an opt-out, although such a deal would still require a sizable average annual value. Pivetta is certainly looking for a sizable salary as well, plus he’ll cost the Blue Jays $500,000 in international money and the team’s second-highest pick in the 2025 draft since Pivetta turned down Boston’s qualifying offer right. If the Jays choose to spend more money on offense, such as the rumored targets, then giving up these big-name players on the pitching market or acquiring a starter in a trade may be a more viable path Anthony Santander or Pete Alonso.
In other spending this offseason, the Blue Jays also signed Jeff Hoffman Signed a three-year contract worth $330,000 and assumed the remaining $975,000 Andres JimenezThe second baseman’s contract after being acquired from the Guardians. In addition, 11MM is also Miles StrawIn yesterday’s trade with Cleveland, $2MM in international bonus pool space was eliminated from the contract, which already looks like a misstep as the $2MM was earmarked for the failed bid for Sasaki. One rival executive bluntly described the straw deal to Nicholson-Smith, calling the deal “master class [for Cleveland] Throw away so much money“as”The guardian knows [the Jays] Very desperate”.
Considering a disappointing 74-88 record in 2024 and Guerrero and Guerrero’s impending free agency, this is another heavy blow for a Jayhawks team that faces as much pressure to win as they do in baseball. Beau Bichette next winter. There are still some holes and unanswered questions on the roster, and while there’s still plenty of time in the offseason to make moves, there’s a growing public perception that the Jayhawks “need” to do something big and Atkins’ efforts won’t count. Any help. That perception gives other front offices leverage in trade negotiations with the Jays and gives player agents leverage in contract negotiations.
