It was an interesting Friday in the baseball world, as two top names from the free-agent board are no longer available and both were targets the Toronto Blue Jays were actively pursuing.

Teoscar Hernández is returning to the Los Angeles Dodgers on a three-year, $66 million pact with an option for a fourth year – a move that many saw coming after his incredible 2024 season in the NL West. The more shocking move came later in the evening, with Arizona Diamondbacks landing one of the top arms in free agency in Corbin Burnes. The deal is worth $210 million across six years. The Diamondbacks had been a dark horse in the Burnes sweepstakes and eventually emerged the victors.

To add fuel to the fire, USA Today’s Bob Nightengale is reporting that the Blue Jays and Giants both offered more money than the $210 million Burnes guaranteed with the Diamondbacks but he still chose to head to the desert. Nightengale noted the tax differences between the three different locations as a probable cause but Burnes also lives in Scottsdale during the offseason, which likely played a big part in his decision to sign for less money with Arizona. The Orioles were also in pursuit of the right-hander this winter.

While the exact dollar figure of what the Blue Jays and Giants offered to Burnes is not available at this time, it is another missed free-agent opportunity for general manager Ross Atkins and co. this winter. They came up short on Burnes, Hernández, and Juan Soto and were also interested in Max Fried before he signed with the Yankees, although no reported offer was presented to the southpaw before he signed. The biggest move for the Blue Jays so far this winter has been the Andrés Giménez acquisition from the Guardians and many fans were hoping there would be more to come, although that has not been the case as of yet.

For a Jays organization looking to make an impact this year, there is still a lot of uncertainty at home. The Jays have multiple core players eligible for free agency over the next couple of seasons and the Vladimir Guerrero Jr. extension saga continues to twist and turn with no resolution currently in sight.

The Blue Jays will now likely turn their attention to impact bats, as the club has been in pursuit of Anthony Santander as well this winter. With Spring Training just around the corner, Toronto will need to act fast if they want to improve their roster before the 2025 season rolls around.