It’s December, and tensions are rising north of the border.
Last winter, the Toronto Blue Jays bet everything on Shohei Ohtani, which backfired. Toronto was unable to shift quickly enough to sign any more major free players, and finished last in a stunningly disappointing 2024 season.
This time, the Blue Jays look to be focused on Juan Soto, the 26-year-old superstar outfielder from the New York Yankees. But they have a lot of holes to fill, and if they don’t start making other arrangements quickly, they may be left out of the party once more.
If Toronto is unable to sign Soto, the best option may be to spend some of the $600 million or more they have put aside for him on a big-name starting pitcher. There are only a few of those left on the market, so they’ll need to act quickly.
According to Joe Rowan of Just Baseball, Toronto could be an excellent fit for one specific free agency ace. He listed the Blue Jays as one of the top three likely destinations for former Atlanta Braves standout Max Fried this winter.
“None of (Kevin Gausman, Chris Bassitt, or José Berríos) are aces anymore, while Toronto’s fourth and fifth spots are also up in the air,” stated Rowan. Will Yariel Rodríguez work out? Will Alek Manoah make a remarkable return? Can one of their prospects become a serious contributor?
“That’s too many questions for a club that expects to contend in a limited amount of time. Fried might provide a consistent presence on the team, which GM Ross Atkins would want to see after so much failure in the past.”
Fried, 31, is a two-time All-Star, three-time Gold Glove winner, and World Series champion. He’d fit in perfectly at the top of Toronto’s rotation, making the rest of the Jays’ current arms much more viable as back-end starts.
ESPN’s David Schoenfield recently projected Fried for a six-year, $175 million contract, which is obviously a large sum of money to stomach. However, if the Blue Jays want to keep Vladimir Guerrero Jr., they must go all in, therefore money should be no object this winter.
