Blue Jays: Add Stephen Strasburg to the offseason wish list

You can add Stephen Strasburg to the Toronto Blue Jays offseason wish list as the pitcher opted out on the remaining four years left on his contract yesterday.

The likelihood of Stephen Strasburg inking with the Toronto Blue Jays is slim to none but it is the offseason and all we have is our dreams and unrealistic expectations of the front office. Strasburg joins pitcher Gerrit Cole as the top free-agent hurler available this offseason.

Strasburg may still re-up with the Nationals as there is mutual interest in a reunion, however, let us not forget that the 31-year old is represented by Scott Boras, so things could go south quickly at the negotiating table.

The World Series MVP opted out of the remaining $100 million left on his four-year pact after earning $38,333,333 million in 2019. Strasburg is fresh off an amazing postseason run and a season where he went 18-6 with a 3.32 earned run average while fanning 251 batters in 209 innings of work.

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The Blue Jays are in desperate need of a legitimate ace to shore up the front of the rotation as Nate Pearson continues to hone his craft in the minors. The likes of a Strasburg or a Cole would be just what the doctor ordered but the Jays would have to grossly overpay to get either across the border.

It appears the hometown Angels or Yankees are the odds on favourites to land Cole while I still think the Nationals will pony up the cash to secure the services of Strasburg for another five or six years.

Both hurlers excelled on the world’s biggest stage increasing their net worth at the perfect time for a team to drastically overpay on the open market.

I would be content if the Jays landed a Zack Wheeler type arm, but hey if you are going to dream, why not dream big.