Toronto Blue Jays Expect to spend big on Juan Soto this winter in hopes of luring the four-time All-Star north of the border. this one exciting possibilityand that would truly inject a sense of equality into the hyper-competitive American League.

There’s just one problem. In fact, no one believes the Blue Jays can pull this off.

Toronto was on Shohei Ohtani’s roster last season. At one point, the Blue Jays were even viewed by fans as the favorites to land Ohtani. I follow the flights meticulously. As speculation grew, he left Los Angeles. But in the end, the Blue Jays lost the race. Los Angeles DodgersHe signed Ohtani to a historic 10-year, $700 million contract.

The Blue Jays were nothing more than leverage to raise the price for the Dodgers. Ohtani was never going to go to Toronto, whether he admitted it or not. After that, the Blue Jays competed against trade candidate Juan Soto, but lost that race as well. He got off with New York YankeesA doubly cruel twist of fate.

New York is in the World Series this season, while Toronto has fallen to the bottom of the AL East standings. Soto is now a free agent and has opened the door to all 30 teams. Toronto expected to make a fresh start serious attempt Signing the Dominican superstar who could be signed in the same $700 million ballpark as Ohtani.

Here’s how the Blue Jays can handle this.

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Recent reports suggest at least $700 million in Juan Soto’s next contract. At least that’s what the 26-year-old would want, and there’s no reason to think he won’t get it. With four of MLB’s most financially ambitious teams – Yankees, Mets, Dodgers and Phillies – it all depends According to Soto, this tab will increase quickly. The Blue Jays don’t even bat an eyelid when it comes time to put an offer sheet on the table.

Toronto was ready to invest $700 million for Ohtani. Is there a similar motivation for Soto? But what if something more is needed? One has to wonder if Toronto had offered Ohtani $750 million, we’d be having a different conversation right now. Most of the time the highest bidder wins, and Soto is a client of Scott Boras. If the Blue Jays really want to impress the four-time Silver Slugger, it could be as simple as making the best offer. Nothing demonstrates commitment like pushing the bid forward at a point even Steve Cohen is comfortable with.

Now, it’s hard to believe Toronto would clearly outperform the Mets or Yankees. This doesn’t happen very often. But Soto is a special talent, and it’s clear the Blue Jays are desperate to put a winning product on the field. Ross Atkins kept his GM job against the will of the fan base this winter. If the Blue Jays can’t meaningfully improve their situation, their seat will begin to burn. The addition of Soto will immediately launch Toronto into the postseason conversation.

The odds of Soto signing the largest guaranteed contract in MLB history this winter are non-zero. without Significant delays determine Ohtani’s contract in Los Angeles. If Toronto is comfortable moving north of $700 million to establish Soto as the face of the franchise, he’ll likely listen.

Even if the Blue Jays give Juan Soto a blank check, the roster needs more work. Soto’s bat could make up for a lot of flaws, but Toronto finished 14 games under .500 last season; It’s not the kind of vulnerability that a single player can erase. It will require a more solid free agent carry.

If the Blue Jays want to get Soto on the field, the best way to improve the roster to help that goal is to target Soto’s former teammates. The Yankees have a ton of free agents this winter besides Soto. I’m not saying the Blue Jays will pay Gerrit Cole And Juan Soto, but names like Gleyber Torres, Alex Verdugo and Clay Holmes could interest Toronto.

The Blue Jays need pitching depth. Clay Holmes was a standout weapon in the New York arena. For example, Anthony Rizzo is a free agent. He was a valued leader in the Yankees locker room and certainly has a meaningful relationship with Soto. The Blue Jays discussed moving Vladimir Guerrero Jr. to third base. Why not add Rizzo first, place Guerrero at a more valuable position, and use Rizzo as a recruiting chip in the Soto sweepstakes? Friends, this is called strategy.

Toronto can turn the knife deeper on the Yankees with each successive move here. Imagine if the Blue Jays traded away multiple key pieces from a New York World Series team, potentially leading to Toronto’s own deep postseason run. This is the type of offseason Blue Jays fans dream about.

Juan Soto wants a lot of money, but he also wants a chance to win at the highest level. The Yankees were in the World Series. The Dodgers won the World Series. The Mets were in the NLCS and never shied away from aggressive spending. Phillies are a must for October. All of these teams could give Soto a boost to win big and win often.

The Blue Jays were 14 games under .500 again this season. chaos in the locker room and burning trades were going about. How can Toronto convince Soto that he will have a competitive roster not just in 2025, but throughout his ten-year contract? It starts with expanding the scope of Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

There’s no doubt Toronto can put its star power into Soto’s orbit. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is coming off one of the best batting seasons in recent memory, batting .323/.396/.544 with 30 home runs and 103 RBIs. If the Blue Jays were a better team, they would be an MVP candidate. Guerrero has expressed his desire to stay in Toronto long-term but is approaching the final year of his contract without extension.

A long-term deal for Guerrero would guarantee Soto at least one All-Star running mate in the near future. At 25, Guerrero’s prime should line up nicely with Soto’s. This is actually a great combination to build from. Guerrero won’t settle for anything below market value, which could mean Toronto has to draft a Dodgers and offer more than $1 billion in financial guarantees between Soto and Guerrero. If the Blue Jays’ management office is willing to commit this level of resources to field a winner, Soto should feel good about where he’s headed.

It’s hard to imagine Soto giving up so many major deals to sign with Toronto, but if the Blue Jays are truly serious, there are ways to win this bidding war.