The Toronto Blue Jays Welcomes $700 Million Contract All-Star Player…
Over the past week, the contract has caused a great deal of controversy in the game. Despite being valued at $460 million by Major League Baseball, it is reported to be worth $700 million, and Ohtani will eventually receive that amount after the deferrals.
The Jays’ willingness to try to develop a World Series winner in Toronto is demonstrated by their willingness to take a risk in offering Ohtani this contract. With Ohtani out of the lineup, the Jays are facing serious challenges. They not only lost out on him, but also on Matt Chapman, Whit Merrifield, Brandon Belt, and Kevin Kiermaier due to free agency.
Ohtani won’t be able to cover the glaring holes in their lineup caused by their inability to re-sign any or all of those players, so they haven’t done so yet.
The Blue Jays have qualified for the playoffs the past two seasons, but they have not won any postseason games. Bo Bichette and Vlad Guerrero Jr. have large contracts coming up in the next two years, so they can’t afford to wait any longer, which is why you saw them move so quickly to acquire Ohtani.
READ MORE:
Blue Jays’ Pros and Cons for Signing….
The Toronto Blue Jays fan base continues to wonder how their team will address its lack of run production even after Shohei Ohtani chose the Los Angeles Dodgers (at least they stopped watching jets land in Toronto).
MLB.com listed the top powerful bats among this offseason free agents. These are the pros and cons of having the top five of them come into play in Toronto.
Arguments For and Against the Tier 1 Free-Agent Bats Available
Cody Bellinger
Pros: The Jays will get the corner outfielder and the cleanup hitter they desperately need to boost their offense. A lineup with George Springer, Bo Bichette, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., and Cody Bellinger, one after another, would instill fear in opponents.
Cons: Bellinger recovered in 2023 (his OPS+ put him 33% above the league average), but it’s unclear if he can maintain the same level of performance in 2024. He had three years in a row to forget before this redemption season. Furthermore, he is hoping to sign a costly long-term contract worth more than $200 million, which could end up burdening the Jays’ payroll in the middle. His agent is Scott Boras, which invariably means a competitive bidding process.
Matt Chapman
Pros: Chapman just won his fourth gold glove, saved the Blue Jays four runs in 2023 (he posted a 4.4 WAR), and is the best available option among the free agents for this position. It looks like none of the Jays’ prospects who are supposed to replace him on third base (Orelvis Martinez and/or Damiano Palmegiani) will provide the same level of defense in such a sensitive spot.
Cons: Chapman, another player signed by Boras, is also seeking a high-paying long-term contract (approximately $25 million annually). However, his non-elite power batting statistics (he hit a home run in 30 at-bats in 2023), along with indications of regression and a high strikeout rate (he has a career rate of nearly 30%), will prevent any team from making the deal. The Jays won’t be able to sign a power hitter if they bring him back for that much money, so they’ll probably still have issues with their offense in 2024.
Jorge Soler
Pros: Soler may provide the Jays home runs with the frequency they need: the 31-year-old slugger had his career-best at-bats per home run ratio (one every 14 AB). He’ll serve as a primary designated hitter but could play right field if needed. His career’s 5.9 WAR and postseason numbers (he has two World Series rings) sound tempting.
Cons: He is not a contact hitter, and his strikeout rate (3.3) is higher than the league average (4.1). The Blue Jays are full of right-handed bats and will add one more if they bring Soler. Another argument is that Soler has had only two stellar seasons, and the rest of his 10-year tenure has been mediocre.
J.D. Martinez
Pros: All the Jays who held the designated hitter spot combined had worse numbers than Martinez in several categories in 2023. For instance, the former Red Sox outfielder hit 33 home runs (versus 31) and had a higher OPS (.893 vs. 769). Martinez is looking for a single or two-year deal and looks like a good fit for the Jays’ win-now bet.
for the Jays’ win-now bet.
Cons: Martinez is another Boras client, then his acquisition will not be cheap: the Jays should be ready to pay around 20 million per season or more for him. It is not a minor issue that Martinez is a full-time designated hitter who stopped playing outfield often. Don’t count him as your occasional corner outfielder.
Teoscar Hernandez
Pros: Teoscar is still, at his best, a clutch hitter with a 90th-percentile hard-hit rate (49.4%). He is especially lethal against left-handed pitchers (he has a career .887 OPS). Fans and teammates love him: he is remembered as one of the guys who brought joy to the Jays dugout and made Vladimir Guerrero Jr. look happier and more productive. Might a reunion with Teoscar help Guerrero Jr. return to his old MVP-looking self?
Cons: His glove offers no guarantees in the outfield (his historical defensive WAR is -4.9), and his plate contact is not exceptional (he struck out nine times in his last 20 regular season at-bats, with a strikeout rate that surpassed 30%). These are the reasons the Blue Jays allowed him to stay in the same position. He ought to be searching for a three-year or longer contract because he turned down a qualified offer for a one-year, $20 million contract. That is not the Jays’ intention.
Reaching an agreement with Chapman and Bellinger, two long-term contracts, will either hurt the team’s chances of hanging onto Guerrero Jr. and Bichette, the core of the team, or go all in and sign Juan Soto, who will be a free agent in a year. It appears more likely that they will play with their internal resources, close one- or two-year contracts with the other veterans who are available, and decide to increase spending in 2024.