3 players the Blue Jays wished they signed last offseason, 1 they’re glad they didn’t 

When the Toronto Blue Jays were active in making big signings this past offseason, they ultimately landed the likes of Anthony Santander, Jeff Hoffman and Max Scherzer to help the team immediately for the 2025 MLB season. Some of them may have worked out better than others, but nonetheless, the Blue Jays have now put themselves in a great position to contend heading into the stretch run.

However, there were some free agents that Toronto may have missed out on that could have significantly impacted the team this year. Here, we will take a look at 3 players the Jays likely wished they had signed and one that they are now glad they didn’t.

3 players the Blue Jays wished they signed last offseason, 1 they are glad they didn’t 

Blue Jays wished they had signed P Max Fried

The Jays were rumored to be in among the top three pitching free agents (subscription required) in Max Fried, Corbin Burnes and Blake Snell during the past offseason, but unfortunately came up empty-handed on all three. Both Burnes and Snell has had their own injury woes to face in 2025, with Burnes now out until 2026 due to Tommy John surgery.

But for Fried, he has been absolutely brilliant for the New York Yankees this season. In 21 starts, the 31-year-old left-hander has compiled a stellar 11-4 record, 2.62 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, along with 116 strikeouts in 127 1/3 innings pitched. 

More impressively, Fried has excelled despite moving to a more offensive-heavy league in the American League, not to mention the daunting AL East division this year. As a former three-time All-Star and Cy Young finalist, he sure would have looked great anchoring the Jays rotation.

Blue Jays wished they had signed 3B Alex Bregman 

Another star player that the Jays were in pursuit of this past winter was two-time World Series champion Alex Bregman. With Toronto looking to add a power bat to their lineup, Bregman not only would have satisfied that criterion, but he would have also provided some steady defense as well coming off his Gold Glove-winning season in 2024.

He may have missed a good chunk of the 2025 season with the Boston Red Sox due to a quad injury, but when he has been healthy, he has been putting up elite numbers for the club on both sides of the field, en-route to his third All-Star appearance.

In 61 games played, Bregman has posted a strong .297 average, .906 OPS, with 35 runs scored, 19 doubles, 12 home runs and 39 RBIs, as well as 4 Defensive Runs Saved and a .969 fielding percentage. So instead of the Jays potentially looking to add a big infield bat like an Eugenio Suárez at the trade deadline, they could have already had one had they successfully recruited Bregman.

Blue Jays wished they had signed 1B Pete Alonso 

Jays’ star first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. suggested towards the end of last season that he was willing to play third base if it helps the team to be better. It could be interpreted that if Toronto was going after an elite first baseman in free agency, the move would be made to accommodate the acquisition.

As a result, many anticipated the potential Jays’ pursuit of slugging first baseman Pete Alonso. But in the end, Alonso chose to stay with the New York Mets on just a modest two-year deal worth $54 million, a number that the Jays could have easily matched or exceeded.

This year, Alonso had been leading the offensive charge for the Mets, posting a .269 average, .871 OPS, along with 54 runs scored, 26 doubles, 22 home runs and a whopping 81 RBIs.

His home run and RBI totals would easily lead the Jays team by a wide margin. More impressively, he has shown tremendous durability by appearing in all 105 games for the Mets in 2025. There’s no question with such a potent bat consistently in the lineup, the Jays would have practically been unstoppable this season.

Blue Jays are glad they didn’t sign P Roki Sasaki

One of the most hyped free agents this past offseason was Japanese pitching sensation Roki Sasaki. After seeing what Yoshinobu Yamamoto did for the Los Angeles Dodgers in his first season in the MLB in 2024, many were expecting more of the same potential from the young 23-year-old right-hander.

The Blue Jays sure put in all their efforts to sign Sasaki by acquiring more international bonus pool money from the Cleveland Guardians to give themselves a better shot at the phenom. However, Toronto would lose out on Sasaki to the Dodgers once again, much like how it went for Shohei Ohtani and Yamamoto previously.

Perhaps this time around though, it was a blessing in disguise as Sasaki has had a disappointing debut season with Los Angeles so far in 2025. The young right-hander has struggled to a 4.72 ERA, 1.49 WHIP while recording just 24 strikeouts in 34 1/3 innings over eight starts. If it wasn’t bad enough, Sasaki has been out since May due to a right shoulder impingement and won’t be back until August at the earliest. And as an added bonus for the Jays, they ended up with Myles Straw in the process, who has become a key piece in their contending puzzle so far this season.