Blue Jays miss opportunity to rekindle 2022 interest and sign future Hall of Famer

The Toronto Blue Jays have had an odd offseason -- some would even call it disastrous -- but it seems as though they still hope to turn their team around and make it back to the postseason after a tough 2024 campaign where they finished dead last in the AL East. With pitching depth among their biggest issues, fans hoped they would try to fix that this offseason. 

The Blue Jays made a surprising trade with the Cleveland Guardians earlier this offseason to bring in infielder Andrés Gimenez and pitcher Nick Sandlin in exchange for Spencer Horwitz, and Toronto was able to avoid arbitration with Sandlin and keep things simple. They also chose to bring back Yimi Garcia on a two-year deal, and drafted Angel Bastardo in the Rule 5 draft. More notably, though, they also pursued starter Corbin Burnes, but he ultimately chose to sign with the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Toronto Blue Jays Miss Out on World Series Champion Justin Verlander

While fans have been patiently waiting for them to make another move, one big name pitcher has been taken off the board. Justin Verlander, a World Series champion, recently signed a one-year contract with the San Francisco Giants coming off an ugly down year in Houston. Verlander, who is 41 years old, might be entering the final season of his Hall of Fame career, and the Blue Jays weren’t able to bring him in. 

There was no reported interest from the Blue Jays this offseason, but they did try to bring him in back in 2022. Last season with the Houston Astros, Verlander posted a 5.48 ERA with a 5-6 record, adding 74 strikeouts and a 1.38 WHIP through 90.1 innings pitched. 

Instead of choosing Toronto back in the day, Verlander instead signed a two-year deal with the New York Mets in December of 2022. He didn't last long in New York, and was traded to the Astros later that season. With the Mets, he posted a 3.15 ERA with a 6-5 record, adding 81 strikeouts through 94.1 innings pitched before he was dealt. 

With the Astros in 2023, he finished the season strong with a 3.31 ERA through 68.0 innings pitched, and helped them get to the American League Championship Series, where they were ultimately eliminated in seven games by the Texas Rangers.

The Blue Jays do have some other options still available on the free agent market before the season starts, but time is running out for them to make a big splash and bolster their pitching depth before the 2025 season gets underway.

Hopefully, they are willing to get a bit desperate and can secure an elite-level pitcher to help push them back into playoff contention.