It was revealed this week that the Toronto Blue Jays are a “dark horse” in the race for Juan Soto. An MLB insider has since detailed the multiple reasons why many around the game believe they are a serious threat to acquire the All-Star outfielder.
There is no bigger story this offseason than the future of New York Yankees outfielder Juan Soto. The four-time All-Star was already seen as a very valuable asset before 2024. However, after putting up MVP-level numbers during the regular season and playing like a star in the playoffs, his value is as high as ever.
Related: MLB insider reveals dark-horse candidate to steal Juan Soto from the New York Yankees
He enters the offseason as the jewel of free agency and there are rumors that he will give Shohei Ohtani a serious run for the biggest contract in MLB history. Every team in the league would love to have him but there is only a select few that have the means to actually afford the 26-year-old.
On Monday, New York Post MLB insider Jon Heyman claimed that there are believed to be eight finalists in the Juan Soto chase. Two of them are mystery teams. Of course the Yankees and New York Mets are the favorites. However, the word around the league is that the Toronto Blue Jays should not be underestimated and Heyman explained several reasons why.
- Juan Soto stats (2024): 288 AVG, .419 OBP, .569 SLG, 41 HR, 109 RBI, 128 R
Toronto Blue Jays viewed as serious threat for Juan Soto by New York Yankees
“The Jays are viewed by industry sources as a viable obstacle to the favored Yankees and Mets. Thanks to well-heeled ownership and a strong incentive to improve coming off the abject disappointment of 2024,” Heyman wrote. “They’ve had difficulty luring superstars, presumably due to geography and finances (high taxes and the Canadian dollar complicate things). But word is they are highly motivated and sources suggest they plan to be in big.”
The Jays made a hard push for Shohei Ohtani last offseason. There were even several reports that claimed he signed a deal with Toronto before he put pen to paper on a deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers. That near miss might be why the MLB insider reported that “Yankees people originally” felt they would be one of their biggest competitors for Soto this offseason.
- Juan Soto contract (Projection): 12 years, $610 million
Another interesting nugget of information Heyman revealed was that Toronto was “actually seen as among the ones who devised that heavily deferred arrangement that brought the value to $437.4 million” for Ohtani’s contract. So the organization is willing to spend huge and find clever ways to do it for the star outfielder.
Soto reportedly prefers to stay on the East Coast. Toronto would not take him away from that preference if they were able to make an offer that intrigued him.