TORONTO — There is snow in the forecast in Toronto this week, so we can’t deny it any longer. Winter is here. But, the cold chill sweeping the city can at least be warmed by the glowing hot stove of MLB’s Winter Meetings, which begin next week in Dallas.
Like most clubs, the Blue Jays have had a relatively quiet offseason so far, but a lot remains on their to-do list as they try to construct a roster that will improve upon their disappointing 74-win season.
The Toronto BBWAA chapter named our annual winners
Vlad Guerrero Jr. was Player of the Year; Jose Berrios was Pitcher of the Year; Bowden Francis was Most Improved while Spencer Horwitz was Rookie of the Year
Danny Jansen was given the John Cerutti Award for his good character
— Kaitlyn McGrath (@kaitlyncmcgrath) December 3, 2024
On Tuesday, Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins met with Toronto’s BBWAA chapter before the Winter Meetings to discuss where the club stands in its offseason dealings.
“There’s still a great deal of opportunity for us,” the Toronto GM said. “We feel confident there are several ways to make our team better. Seems like there are aspects in every market, at every tier, that are still available for the organization. We don’t have unlimited resources, obviously, but we do have the potential to make our team better via free agency and trade.”
Let’s look at where things stand for the Blue Jays as the Winter Meetings approach.
Where things stand with Juan Soto and the Blue Jays
The majority of the market has been slow to move because the biggest domino this year — Juan Soto — has yet to fall. But, there is a prevailing belief that the top free agent is looking to make his decision soon, perhaps even around the time the Winter Meetings begin on Dec. 9.
The Blue Jays are among the five teams reportedly bidding for Soto, along with the New York Yankees and Mets, the Boston Red Sox and the Los Angeles Dodgers.
On Tuesday, Atkins did not speak specifically on the Blue Jays interest in Soto — the GM declined to even comment on which members of the organization met with the outfielder — only saying that “the interest is obviously there from all 30 teams” and “as it relates to our roster construction, I think, again, like all 30 teams, could find a way to put him onto their 26-man roster and improve their roster.”
Soto is expected to command a contract north of 10 years and $600 million. The New York teams are viewed as the favourites to sign Soto, but the Blue Jays are believed to be in the mix, with reports, including from SNY’s Andy Martino, swirling that Toronto is prepared to make a big offer.
Of course, the Blue Jays were memorably in on Shohei Ohtani, before the two-way superstar signed his record $700 million deal with the Dodgers. Atkins was asked what the club learned from their pursuit of Ohtani that they could apply to this year’s offseason efforts.
“All positive things,” Atkins said. “That we’re a very attractive destination, an incredible city, market, country, that players are excited about. A team that players are excited about. And as we become a group of people working together, we get better at talking about that, get better at presenting that, and get better at trying to execute to the best of our ability.”
The potential for a reunion with Jordan Romano
Last month, the Blue Jays non-tendered Jordan Romano, making their former closer a free agent.
On a personal level, Atkins called it a “very difficult decision” because of “how much he’s meant to this city, country, team, (and) what he’s accomplished.” But from a business standpoint, the Blue Jays chose to non-tender Romano so they weren’t on the hook for his projected $7.75 million salary in arbitration, per MLB Trade Rumors.
Nonetheless, Atkins noted that the club remains “interested in him and will be heavily pursuing his return, and hope that that’s a potential reality.”
Romano is coming off a disappointing 2024 season that saw him miss most of the season with an elbow injury that eventually required season-ending surgery. When asked about Romano’s health, Atkins indicated he had no concerns. “I feel like he will be back physically,” Atkins said.
Free-agent priorities
Beefing up the outfield is a priority for the Blue Jays and should they miss out on Soto, there are other free agents they can pursue to improve an offence that ranked 23rd in runs scoring in 2024.
The other top free-agent outfielders include Anthony Santander and Teoscar Hernández. The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal wrote that Hernández could choose to return to the Dodgers, where he just won a World Series, but called the Blue Jays a logical spot for Hernández to land, given his history with the club.
As for the infield, Alex Bregman and Willy Adames are the top names still out there, and both could plug the Jays’ third-base vacancy. The Blue Jays could also opt to trade for third baseman Nolan Arenado, who Katie Woo reported the St. Louis Cardinals are considering moving as they look to embark on a rebuild.
Adding relievers, including a closer, is another top priority for the Blue Jays after their bullpen fell apart last season, finishing as the 29th-ranked group in the majors, per ERA. Atkins said the bullpen market “is always one of the most difficult to understand, predict (and) project.”
Some of the top free-agent relievers are Tanner Scott, Jeff Hoffman, Carlos Estévez, Clay Holmes, Kirby Yates, Kyle Finnegan and Kenley Jansen. The Blue Jays are in the market for both high-leverage arms as well as depth pieces to ensure their group doesn’t collapse like it did last year.
As for starting pitching, the Blue Jays are also open to adding to their rotation, with Atkins saying, “We would like to improve our pitching.”
The Blue Jays will have five returning starters next season, including Kevin Gausman, Chris Bassitt, José Berríos, Yariel Rodríguez and Bowden Francis. But neither Gausman nor Bassitt were as effective last year as they’ve previously been in their careers and Rodríguez and Francis remain relatively inexperienced at the MLB level.
The price of starting pitching appears high this winter, however. Blake Snell signed a five-year, $182 million deal with the Dodgers. Matthew Boyd and the Chicago Cubs agreed to a two-year, $29 million deal, while Frankie Montas and the Mets agreed to a two-year, $34 million pact.
It remains to be seen if the Blue Jays look to add an impact or depth starter, but Atkins said if the club makes a significant add on the position player front, it wouldn’t preclude the team from doing the same on the pitching side.
“It doesn’t mean if we have an impact to our position player group on the offensive (or) defensive side, that we can’t impact our pitching as well,” Atkins said.
Coaching staff updates
The Blue Jays continue to round out their coaching staff.
After hiring David Popkins as their new hitting coach, the Blue Jays have added Lou Iannotti as an assistant hitting coach after he was previously the field coordinator for the Dodgers.
The Blue Jays have also hired Graham Johnson to be their bullpen coach. Johnson has previously worked with the Houston Astros and Yankees organizations. The Blue Jays also continue to interview for an assistant pitching coach.
As for the field coordinator role previously filled by Gil Kim, the Blue Jays continue to look to add someone but Atkins said they don’t have to, especially since Don Mattingly and DeMarlo Hale will be splitting bench coach duties.
(Top photo of Soto: Nick Turchiaro / USA Today)
