TORONTO – Just before noon Friday, the Blue Jays took on some bad money in the hopes that it would lead them to one of baseball’s emerging stars. Six and a half hours later, they still had the bad money contract – just not Roki Sasaki.
In an all-too-familiar outcome, Sasaki chose the Dodgers while the Blue Jays are left where they started. Actually, worse off than where they started because their pursuit of international bonus space led them to depth outfielder Myles Straw and $11.8 million in future salary commitments.
It was another gutting day for the Blue Jays, and while there are rational takes to be had about what it means and where it all might lead, let’s start with the emotion.
For Blue Jays fans, this is simply cruel. On the field, this team is eight and a half years removed from their last playoff win. Their last three trips to the post-season have ended in sweeps, and in 2024, the team finished last in the AL East.
When a team underperforms on the field, free agency can offer solutions, yet the Blue Jays’ misses in that arena have been just as painful. A year ago, they captured Shohei Ohtani’s attention only to see him take their swag bag on his way to the Dodgers. Juan Soto never got close to signing with the Blue Jays, but they were among his finalists. And now Sasaki has joined Ohtani in Los Angeles.
Each time, Blue Jays fans got a little more guarded, but even the most measured observer has reason to be intrigued when a franchise-changing player becomes available and only a few teams remain in the running.
Who wouldn’t start to hope a little following the news that the Blue Jays, Padres and Dodgers were the finalists for Sasaki? And once news of the Straw trade broke and the Blue Jays acquired international bonus space, it became clear the Blue Jays believed they might soon use it.
Entertaining a little hope on Friday afternoon was an entirely rational response to the facts, but that doesn’t make the disappointment any easier for a fanbase that’s been asked to cope with more than its share these past few years – especially at a time that Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is months away from free agency and the roster still needs considerable work.
This much is obvious: Blue Jays fans deserve better. So, were the Blue Jays used? Was any of it worth it? Where will GM Ross Atkins go from here?
Starting with the first question: yes, they were used, it’s a question of how badly. There’s nuance here, too, as not everyone uses the Blue Jays. For instance, Ohtani’s interest was so genuine he visited Dunedin, Fla. last winter.
But others are happy to float the Blue Jays as ‘frontrunners’ publicly when they have no intention of signing in Toronto. And when you see reports that the Mets might try for Guerrero Jr., the Blue Jays are being used there, too. It happens a lot, and the Blue Jays typically stay silent, meaning there’s rarely much downside for those inclined to spread half-truths about what’s happening in Toronto.
To some extent, it’s how the game is played, yet no team has had as many near misses on as many elite players as the Blue Jays in recent years. And while trying for Sasaki was absolutely the right move, it backfired as quickly and powerfully as these moves ever do. As one rival executive noted, the optics were terrible.
As a second executive noted, the $11.8 million they’ll now spend on Straw could have gone toward another reliever or a bench bat. While the Straw deal won’t stop the Blue Jays from adding to their roster, every team has a budget. After Friday, Cleveland has some more to work with and the Blue Jays have a little less.
“The Guardians knew they were desperate,” the executive said. “Masterclass to dump off so much money.”
For starters, then, it’s safe to say the Guardians used the Blue Jays, exploiting their desire for international cap space they now have little obvious use for (they’ll use it on international players as the year progresses if possible, but the best prospects have already signed elsewhere).
Was Sasaki using the Blue Jays, too? Only he and a few others know that for sure, but given the concerns that he had a pre-existing deal with the Dodgers, it certainly benefits him to create the perception that other teams were seriously considered.
At the same time, that could have been accomplished just as easily with the Reds, Nationals or Astros. Sasaki chose the Blue Jays, suggesting he legitimately liked them enough to value their pitch, just not quite enough to sign with them. Painful as that must be for the front office, they were right to take that shot (though, of course, it would have been preferable to do so without having to take on Straw).
Now, the off-season’s not done, so the Blue Jays could still emerge from spring training with a respectable team. As their pursuit of Sasaki underlined, they could use more starting pitching and they remain involved in that market, according to sources. They’re also showing serious interest in power bats, with ongoing discussions about a potential Anthony Santander deal.
None of that’s easy to grasp onto, though, and until more deals are done, this team simply isn’t where it should be. In the meantime, if any fan base in baseball has a right to feel frustrated, it’s this one.
