Report: Blue Jays To Deal for key Star in a $100m blockbuster trade

$100 million crossroads may push Toronto Blue Jays to deal stars at the deadline.
According to the Toronto Sun, the Toronto Blue Jays’ pitch to then-free agent Shohei Ohtani this summer focused on the roster’s competitive potential. The Blue Jays management and ownership

presentation would have highlighted young superstars Vlad Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette, as well as members of a pitching staff that was among MLB’s most effective in 2023, including starter Yusei Kikuchi, who attended Hanamaki Higashi High School in Japan’s Iwate Prefecture with Ohtani.

However, the presentation fell short of persuading Ohtani to travel north. Despite widespread speculation, including the world’s most-tracked flight, the two-way superstar chose a $700 million deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers, leaving the Blue Jays to carry on without him.

The rest of their offseason was quite calm. According to Scott Mitchell of TSN, the organization watched third baseman Matt Chapman reject a six-year, $120 million contract in favor of a short-term one with the San Francisco Giants and chose not to make a qualifying offer.

They also failed to entice outfielder Cody Bellinger, who returned to the Chicago Cubs. Perhaps their most prominent signing was veteran slugger Justin Turner, who signed a one-year contract worth $13 million.

Without more major star signings, the Blue Jays appear to have failed to put the team into contention, at least in the early portion of the season. They are in last place in the difficult American League East division, with the key talents who were supposed to attract Ohtani failing to meet their own expectations.

As a result, the Blue Jays find themselves at an unexpected crossroads: they have the greatest payroll allotment in organization history at almost $230 million for 2024, but only over $130 million on the books for 2025, and many of its highest-paid players are about to hit free agency. If they choose to move on from their pending free agents and make no further costly commitments, they might save up to $100 million between seasons and pursue a different path — a strategy that would be greatly boosted by potential trade returns for outstanding players such as Bichette and Guerrero Jr.

As implausible as it may have appeared when the organization was contending for Ohtani only five months ago, the Blue Jays may now choose to sell Guerrero Jr., Bichette, Kikcuchi, Turner, or nearly any other significant member of the roster before this season’s trade deadline.