3 offseason moves Blue Jays must make after missing playoffs
How did the Toronto Blue Jays get here? After averaging 90 wins from 2021 through 2023, the Blue Jays were again poised to contend for a playoff spot in 2024. Instead, they won 15 fewer games than last year and the franchise finds itself on the cusp of the most important offseason in recent years.
General manager Ross Atkins and manager John Schneider are surely on the hot seat, or at least close to it. They'll need a strong offseason to boost the roster and get Toronto back in the mix next spring. The team can improve in more than a few areas.
The competition won't be easier with a grueling AL East schedule. The Blue Jays finished last in the division for the first time since 2013 and had their worst record since 2019 this year. They don't expect to see worse results in 2025.
Toronto has to supplement the roster if it wants to compete with the top dogs next season. The Jays should be active on the trade market and in free agency. That includes both adding and subtracting players. The Blue Jays have a few expendable players who could be used as trade pieces.
However the chips fall, Toronto needs to come out of the offseason feeling better than it entered the winter. Does that mean adding a superstar or making a blockbuster deal? There's always a possibility.
Sign 2024 All-Star to bolster bullpen
To put it bluntly, the Blue Jays bullpen was bad in 2024. Toronto ranked 29th in reliever ERA as the team posted a 4.82 mark. Only the lowly Colorado Rockies and historically terrible Chicago White Sox allowed more earned runs than the Jays out of the bullpen.
It goes without saying then that the Blue Jays have to toy with the pen and bring in reinforcements via trade and free agency. A name to watch righty power arm Jeff Hoffman, who's coming off an All-Star year with the Philadelphia Phillies.
Hoffman broke out in 2023, his first year in Philly, with a 2.41 ERA and 0.92 WHIP in 54 games. He followed with an even more fabulous season in 2024, lowering his ERA to 2.17 with 14 more innings. He also saved 10 games and increased his strikeouts per nine innings.
Hoffman limited the walks and increased his strikeout rate, quickly becoming one of Philly's most reliable relief options. He picked a great time to put together back-to-back career years, although he ran into trouble in the playoffs . He allowed six earned runs in three games with a blown save and two losses.
Prospective teams will hope that was just a bad week for Jeff Hoffman and he'll revert to more of his 2023 postseason form (2.57 ERA in seven innings, nine Ks / one walk). The Phillies will attempt to lure him back but other teams can probably offer more money. Hoffman should get a multi-year deal. Why can't it come from the Blue Jays who are in desperate need of late-inning options?
Star says goodbye to Toronto
Sometimes you just gotta cut a man loose. The Blue Jays are approaching a crossroads with shortstop Bo Bichette and they'd be wise to get ahead of it before they lose their leverage.
The odds Toronto extends or re-signs Bichette and Vlad Guerrero Jr. – both of whom are set to be free agents after the 2025 season – are slim, but not impossible. The Jays have to decide on both players this offseason. It could result in one of them being traded, with Bichette the likelier of the two on the move.
Toronto is open to shopping Bichette this winter, as reported by Bob Nightengale, and might have gotten some offers before the trade deadline. It will be easier to gauge interest and offers in the offseason. A deal could be struck rather quickly if the Jays decide to move on.
Bichette is a two-time All-Star and was a staple in Toronto's lineup. Injuries limited him to 81 games this year and his numbers were not good. He's a solid bounce-back candidate and could set himself up for a major payday. Or, the Jays trade him and he signs an extension with his new club. Either way, Toronto has to be thinking about this move.
Win the jackpot
The Blue Jays are more than 30 years removed from their last championship and World Series appearance. The fans up north deserve to see winning baseball and there's no reason why the Blue Jays can't deliver just that. It helps to have more than a few stars in the lineup. Toronto might look to add arguably the biggest of them all this winter.
There are rumors that the Blue Jays are going to make a play for Juan Soto , the most coveted free agent on the market this offseason. Soto could challenge Shohei Ohtani's $700 million contract and will have nearly every MLB team clamoring for his signature.
Toronto tried to sign Ohtani last year and reportedly offered a contract similar to the one he inked with the Dodgers. It would make sense then for the Jays to turn around and offer an astronomical figure to Soto, a superstar slugger in his 20s with plenty of prime years ahead.
If the Blue Jays are serious about competing next year, why not try to go all in? If ownership is willing to dish out the dough, Ross Atkins should give Juan Soto the highest offer and make the four-time All-Star leave money on the table if he doesn't want to sign with Toronto.
Talk about putting all your cards on the table. If the Jays did that they'd have to be applauded for effort alone. Of course, it'd be nice to secure Soto's signature too.
