Why the Blue Jays’ post-Shohei Ohtani ‘clock is ticking’ in the Juan Soto sweepstakes
Shohei Ohtani is a free agent that the Toronto Blue Jays have made no secret of; in fact, there were even whispers that Ohtani was nearing a deal with the Blue Jays. However, the Los Angeles Dodgers made the 29-year-old dual threat an offer he couldn’t turn down, and the Blue Jays lost out on the Japanese international.
Not only did the Blue Jays lose out on Ohtani, but they also lost the Juan Soto sweepstakes because Toronto’s AL East rival, the New York Yankees, were determined to complete a trade as soon as possible so they could focus on Yoshinobu Yamamoto.
The Blue Jays don’t have many big-time hitters on the market right now that they could sign or trade for to make a significant impact. This is the reason the Blue Jays’ “clock is ticking” since, as Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic puts it, the team needed to sign a big-name player to keep their fan base interested in purchasing tickets despite the $300 million in increases.
In that sense, the Blue Jays would have benefited greatly from the addition of Shohei Ohtani. Despite the possibility that he won’t pitch in 2024, Ohtani is one of the most marketable figures in all of professional sports, earning $45 million annually from endorsement deals alone. His plate appearances are also a spectacle.
Juan Soto is another charismatic player at the plate because he doesn’t mind expressing his emotions and joking around with the opposing pitcher. Additionally, the Blue Jays, who are in dire need of a big bat in left field, would have been a perfect fit for him.
Ken Rosenthal noted that the Blue Jays’ best options after losing out on Ohtani and Soto might be to hold onto third baseman Matt Chapman or pursue Cody Bellinger, a move that is becoming more and more likely every day. Although those are good moves to support a team that finished the previous season with 89 wins, given the stadium renovations, the franchise does not need them to make a significant impact.
