Blue Jays miss out on the big fish once again as Juan Soto makes his decision

There was no plane, there was no true hope, but man was the lead-up a blast. Earlier On Sunday evening, it was officially announced that the Jays have missed out on Juan Soto as the superstar is headed to the New York Mets on a record-shattering 15-year, $765 million contract.

The overall feeling of Blue Jays fans is one that they're unfortunately all-too-familiar with, as this is the second straight offseason their club chased after the best-available free agent and came up short.

Soto had been firmly on the Blue Jays' radar since day one of the offseason and it makes all the sense in the world why he'd be of interest. Luring him to Toronto would automatically catapult them up power rankings lists and make them true postseason contenders for the next decade-plus. He's the type of talent that can singlehandedly make a team go from zero to hero.

Instead, the Blue Jays, whose offer has yet to be leaked, missed out. We know the Yankees offered 16 years and $760 million while the Red Sox were right around $700 million, but there's a chance the Blue Jays' final offer to Soto is never fully revealed.

Now, the Blue Jays are going to have to pivot with the best of them. There are still many options available on the free-agent and trade markets that make a ton of sense. The club needs pitching, so an immediate move for Max Fried or Corbin Burnes would be ideal, but the biggest needs are in the starting lineup, so virtually any power bat would be a good place to start. Pete Alonso, Anthony Santander, Alex Bregman and old friend Teoscar Hernandez stand out.

For Soto, he'll stay in New York but switch from the AL to the NL as the Yankees also missed out on his services moving forward. This will help Blue Jays fans rest easy knowing that he's not going to remain on the Yankees and terrorize them for the next decade-plus alongside Aaron Judge. The 2024 campaign was enough for the Blue Jays to be well aware of what that duo was capable of, so it's nice to go one-and-done in that department.