We all know that the Toronto Blue Jays were in on Juan Soto.

The question is, how much did they offer? Some reports have them at around $760 million, <a href="https://nypost.com/2024/12/09/sports/steve-cohen-wasnt-sure-mets-won-juan-soto-sweepstakes-until-he-heard-yes/">like this New York Post article from Jon Heyman</a>. However, Sportsnet, which is owned by Rogers (the same company that owns the Blue Jays), saw an <a href="https://www.sportsnet.ca/mlb/article/how-far-blue-jays-went-in-pursuit-of-juan-soto/">article written by Shi Davidi</a> that noted the Blue Jays only offered just under $700 million.
<blockquote>“Sources with knowledge of the bidding described them as making the shortlist of finalists with an offer that was under $700 million for the superstar outfielder”</blockquote>
The kicker? It wasn’t ownership that stopped them from going higher, as they stopped at $700 million due to the valuation of the front office.
<blockquote>“But that [Blue Jays offered $760 million] speculation seems to have been overblown and while the Blue Jays are believed to have had the authorization of ownership to go further for Soto, it appears that the front office held steady to their valuations as the final-day push by both the Mets and Yankees eliminated the other contenders.”</blockquote>
So yeah, that isn’t an encouraging sign. Juan Soto would instantly not only make the Blue Jays a postseason team but also a World Series contender. Look at the 2023 New York Yankees, who didn’t have Soto, compared to the 2024 Yankees, who did have Soto. They went from a non-playoff team (albeit with an 82-80 record) to the American League pennant-winning team, falling short to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the World Series.
Of course, the Blue Jays, who had a 74-88 record, would have to do a lot more than add Soto, such as extend Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and fix their bullpen, but adding Soto would’ve done wonders for this team.
From the sounds of it, Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins isn’t going to go nearly as high as $700 million for any other player this off-season, which is fair. However, the question becomes does that money get spread around for a handful of helpful free agents, or is there another budget for non-Soto acquisitions?
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
Ross Atkins says the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BlueJays?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BlueJays</a> were &quot;grateful to be a part of the process&quot; with Juan Soto.
When I asked if that financial flexibility could be used immediately elsewhere, Atkins said:
“Every player, every acquisition is unique. I would say that those two are incredibly unique.&quot;
&mdash; Keegan Matheson (@KeeganMatheson) <a href="https://twitter.com/KeeganMatheson/status/1866252494373834921?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 9, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
If the latter is the case, why even bother trying to compete in 2025? If the team, whether it be ownership or the front office, doesn’t want to use the “Soto budget” as their 2025 budget, you may as well just start the rebuild. There are far too many holes to fix on this team.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is set to become a free agent at the end of the season, and when asked about an extension, <a href="https://bluejaysnation.com/news/ross-atkins-blue-jays-need-to-stay-disciplined-with-vladimir-guerrero-jr-s-extension">Atkins seemed to avoid answering directly</a>, noting that the team “needs to stay disciplined” and that “nothing has changed”.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
Ross Atkins says the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BlueJays?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BlueJays</a> need to “stay disciplined” to how they view extension talks with Vladdy, adding:
“Nothing has changed in terms of our pursuit of Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and we are very hopeful to extend him.”
&mdash; Keegan Matheson (@KeeganMatheson) <a href="https://twitter.com/KeeganMatheson/status/1866250974102175971?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 9, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Things have changed though, it just seems like the Jays’ front office are the only people in the sport that don’t realize it. If Guerrero Jr. hits the open market, teams that need a big bat are going to bid him up, much like Soto’s situation this off-season. Even with a similar season to last, Guerrero Jr.’s deal won’t reach $700 million, but it’ll hardly be a case of “staying disciplined”.
The Blue Jays have a ton of work to do to fix this roster to be a contender in 2025, but they have to make moves that contenders do.
<hr />
As always, you can follow me on Bluesky @ryleydelaney.bsky.social.

We all know that the Toronto Blue Jays were in on Juan Soto.



The question is, how much did they offer? Some reports have them at around $760 million, <a href="https://nypost.com/2024/12/09/sports/steve-cohen-wasnt-sure-mets-won-juan-soto-sweepstakes-until-he-heard-yes/">like this New York Post article from Jon Heyman</a>. However, Sportsnet, which is owned by Rogers (the same company that owns the Blue Jays), saw an <a href="https://www.sportsnet.ca/mlb/article/how-far-blue-jays-went-in-pursuit-of-juan-soto/">article written by Shi Davidi</a> that noted the Blue Jays only offered just under $700 million.
<blockquote>“Sources with knowledge of the bidding described them as making the shortlist of finalists with an offer that was under $700 million for the superstar outfielder”</blockquote>
The kicker? It wasn’t ownership that stopped them from going higher, as they stopped at $700 million due to the valuation of the front office.
<blockquote>“But that [Blue Jays offered $760 million] speculation seems to have been overblown and while the Blue Jays are believed to have had the authorization of ownership to go further for Soto, it appears that the front office held steady to their valuations as the final-day push by both the Mets and Yankees eliminated the other contenders.”</blockquote>
So yeah, that isn’t an encouraging sign. Juan Soto would instantly not only make the Blue Jays a postseason team but also a World Series contender. Look at the 2023 New York Yankees, who didn’t have Soto, compared to the 2024 Yankees, who did have Soto. They went from a non-playoff team (albeit with an 82-80 record) to the American League pennant-winning team, falling short to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the World Series.

Of course, the Blue Jays, who had a 74-88 record, would have to do a lot more than add Soto, such as extend Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and fix their bullpen, but adding Soto would’ve done wonders for this team.

From the sounds of it, Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins isn’t going to go nearly as high as $700 million for any other player this off-season, which is fair. However, the question becomes does that money get spread around for a handful of helpful free agents, or is there another budget for non-Soto acquisitions?

https://twitter.com/KeeganMatheson/status/1866252494373834921

If the latter is the case, why even bother trying to compete in 2025? If the team, whether it be ownership or the front office, doesn’t want to use the “Soto budget” as their 2025 budget, you may as well just start the rebuild. There are far too many holes to fix on this team.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is set to become a free agent at the end of the season, and when asked about an extension, <a href="https://bluejaysnation.com/news/ross-atkins-blue-jays-need-to-stay-disciplined-with-vladimir-guerrero-jr-s-extension">Atkins seemed to avoid answering directly</a>, noting that the team “needs to stay disciplined” and that “nothing has changed”.

https://twitter.com/KeeganMatheson/status/1866250974102175971

Things have changed though, it just seems like the Jays’ front office are the only people in the sport that don’t realize it. If Guerrero Jr. hits the open market, teams that need a big bat are going to bid him up, much like Soto’s situation this off-season. Even with a similar season to last, Guerrero Jr.’s deal won’t reach $700 million, but it’ll hardly be a case of “staying disciplined”.

The Blue Jays have a ton of work to do to fix this roster to be a contender in 2025, but they have to make moves that contenders do.

<hr />

As always, you can follow me on Bluesky @ryleydelaney.bsky.social.

Report: The Blue Jays offered just under $700 million for Juan Soto despite ownership allowing them to go higher

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