Three Juan Soto contingency plans The Blue Jays  need to land

The Blue Jays must aggressively pursue a splash of their own after Juan Soto landed with the Yankees.

In the event that Juan Soto was not traded to the New York Yankees, the Toronto Blue Jays appeared to be a very likely destination. They had pieces that the Padres would have desired for Soto, and they are a team that is currently desperate to win.

Regretfully, the Yankees consummated the Soto trade, which increased the AL East’s level of competition. The Jays will need to play with extreme aggression if they want to compete with clubs like the Yankees, Orioles, and Rays. Achieving any of these three contingency plans would serve as a useful countermeasure against competitors securing the largest possible trade market catch.

3. The Blue Jays must sign Shohei Ohtani after failing to acquire Juan Soto.

What better way to counter the Yankees getting the best trade piece than by signing the best player not only in this free agency class, but in the game? Shohei Ohtani is unequivocally the best player in the sport right now, and the Blue Jays seem to have a very real shot at landing him.

Yes, the price will be high. Yes, it stinks that he can’t pitch in 2024. Still, the Jays need to get this done. Ohtani fits beautifully in the middle of their lineup which desperately needs another big left-handed bat to pair with the likes of Bo Bichette and Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

With Brandon Belt a free agent, the Jays don’t have a clear DH as of now, making Ohtani a seamless fit. Toronto didn’t lose in the postseason this past year because of their pitching staff, they lost because they scored a total of one run in two games against the Twins. No, Ohtani can’t pitch, but their rotation is already quite good. Their lineup needs a boost, and Ohtani gives them an even bigger one than Soto would have.

This decision is squarely based on where Ohtani wants to play, but the Jays need to be as aggressive as they possibly can to give themselves the best chance to get this done. Thankfully, since Ohtani is actually interested, it looks like Toronto has put its best foot forward in pursuit of getting this thing done.

2. The Blue Jays must sign Cody Bellinger after failing to acquire Juan Soto.

Ohtani is the dream scenario, but even with his interest who really knows how likely it is? If an Ohtani deal falls through, Cody Bellinger makes for a really interesting alternative.

Last offseason, the Jays made defense a focal point by adding both Daulton Varsho and Kevin Kiermaier to their outfield. As a result, Toronto clearly had the best defensive outfield in all of baseball, even if Varsho underwhelmed offensively. Kiermaier is a free agent, so the Jays need to replace him. What better way to do that than with a defender as good as Bellinger, but also a hitter who can perform at a star level like Belli?

This signing would have some risk to it as Bellinger had three straight dreadful years from 2020-2022, but Bellinger has proven he still has that MVP bat in him. Toronto would be banking on them adding the guy who finished in the top ten in NL MVP voting this past season, and I think that’s a fair assumption to make.

The Jays lose nothing defensively while adding a whole lot offensively. Ohtani should be priority one, but this wouldn’t be a bad fallback at all.

1. The Blue Jays must sign Jorge Soler after failing to acquire Juan Soto.

Ohtani and Bellinger are the clear top priorities for Toronto, but a Jorge Soler addition really wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world. He adds something they desperately need. Power. Lots of it.

Toronto is a team that usually ranks toward the top in team home runs but gave up some power last offseason and saw that reflected in their home run totals. The Jays ranked 16th in the majors in long balls which isn’t the worst mark in the world, but you’d like to finish a bit higher. Only four teams that ranked lower than 16th made the postseason, and only one of them won a single game. That team was the Diamondbacks.

Last season, Soler smacked 36 home runs while playing half the time at pitcher-friendly Loan Depot Park in Miami. He has hit as many as 48 home runs in a single season. Health has been an issue, but when he’s on the field, there’s no doubt that he supplies a ton of power.

The Jays have holes in both the outfield and at their DH spot. Soler is a poor defender so having him be the DH would be the best-case scenario, but he’s still able to fill in as their left fielder if they need it. That bat is too important to ignore and is something the Jays should be aggressively looking to add.