Blue Jays’ Myles Straw trade stings extra hard after Roki Sasaki decision

The Toronto Blue Jays have missed out on yet another big-name free agent, losing out on pitcher Roki Sasaki, who chose to sign a contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers instead (just like everyone else). He is one of many players that the Blue Jays have missed out on after losing out on Juan Soto to the New York Mets, and Corbin Burnes to the Arizona Diamondbacks.

With that being said, it’s not like the Blue Jays didn’t try and get desperate to make a Sasaki deal work. As they tried to expand the amount of international bonus money they had, they made a trade with the Cleveland Guardians acquiring Myles Straw with cash, along with $2 million of international bonus pool money. Straw, who is 30 years old, is owed $13.8 million over the next two seasons with a buyout of $1.75 million waiting in 2027. The Blue Jays will also send the Guardians a player to be named or cash.

Myles Straw trade stings following Roki Sasaki decision to join Dodgers

Straw was recently assigned to the Blue Jays’ Double-A affiliate, the New Hampshire Fisher Cats, and will likely look to fight his way back to the MLB. Unfortunately, the Blue Jays may not be able to find him a spot in their lineup for the 2025 season, especially with the rumours surrounding the team indicating that they may still be looking to bolster their lineup before the new campaign gets underway. 

Unfortunately, the Straw trade seems pointless now. It seemed clear that the Blue Jays made the deal in hopes of increasing their offer to Sasaki, but now they have taken on extra money for a player who likely won’t be playing in the MLB, unless they run into major injury issues during the season. He played just seven games with the Guardians in the 2024 season, and struggled in the 2023 season, only hitting one home run. 

The Blue Jays should still be able to complete some moves and improve their roster heading into the new season, but the Straw trade stings knowing the reason it was made in the first place. They still have a chance to bring in Pete Alonso and Anthony Santander, and could still look to bolster their pitching depth, with a few more solid arms available remaining in free agency. At the end of the day, it sucks to lose out on another big-name free agent, but it hurts even more that they got fooled into spending real money on a Double-A talent first. There is still a chance the team is a legitimate contender in the 2025 season, but there's more work to be done.