Blue Jays reputation changing among veteran players?

It's no secret that the Toronto Blue Jays have had a tough time landing a true superstar player over the last few years. From the failed free agent pursuits of Shoei Ohtani and Juan Soto it really felt like big name players didn't want to be in Toronto. And while maybe those players had better offers elsewhere, it does feel like the tide is turning, and the Blue Jays are becoming more of a reputable organization for veteran players.

Let's get the caveat out of the way early. There is a huge, multi-million dollar difference betwee an Ohtani and a Soto, compared to a player like Isiah Kiner-Falefa. And yes, Kiner-Falefa didn't have a baseball home about two weeks ago when the Pirates waived him, so it only makes sense to sing the praises of the team that rescued him from baseball purgatory. Nevertheless, Kiner-Falefa's sentiments over the last few days seem more genuine than you'll hear from most players.

After his game-tying hit in the ninth inning of Tuesday's win over the Astros, Kiner-Falefa told reporters, "This is why I signed in Toronto the first time. To get that opportunity to get the big hit, I’m just so happy to be back ... I’m thankful for this organization for being my biggest believer." He also won over fans immediately after the game with an on-field interview following the Blue Jays walk-off win by stating, "I'm so happy to be back in Canada."

Sure, those are the easiest PR notes anyone can be given in that moment, but for IKF he's one of several veteran players the Blue Jays have brought in over the last few years who have had rave reviews about the ball club. On a recent episode of At The Letters, Sportsnet reporter Ben Nicholson-Smith said, "It is rare to hear from a player who is so excited to be with a team and just willing to do anything that the Blue Jays ask him to do. He seems so excited to be on this team."

Co-host Arden Zwelling added, "That's been a common theme over the last few years of veteran players who have come through town and only have glowing things to say about the team and the organization. Kiner-Falefa loved his time in Toronto and told Ross Atkins at last years deadline after he was traded to the Pirates 'hey, don't hesitate to bring me back if you're in a different position next year. I loved being a Blue Jay and I would love to be one again.'

Kiner-Falefa had a good 80+ game stint with Toronto in 2024, one of the few Blue Jays who was having a good season in an otherwise down year. He slashed .292/.338/.420 with seven home runs and was worth 3.2 bWAR. He didn't have a strong finish to the season after being dealt to Pittsburgh, but bounced back well enough this year that he was worth the Blue Jays bringing back and using a 40-man roster spot to secure him.

Kiner-Falefa isn't the only veteran that the reporters mentioned on the podcast about having truly great things to say about the Blue Jays. Zwelling says, "We heard the same from Kevin Kiermaier who was a life-time Tampa Bay Ray but plays two years with the Blue Jays and decides to be a coach within the Jays organization and feels more like a Blue Jay than he did being one of the biggest villains and enemies of this organization when he was patrolling the outfield at the Trop for all those years."

"From a Whit Merrifield, to Brandon Belt, to Justin Turner, veteran players in this league really appreciate how the Blue Jays treat the players and their families and how they run their operations from day-to-day," added Zwelling.

As the Blue Jays look to lock up a post-season spot, and maybe win a few games in October, these kinds of stories can help with recruiting players around the league in future years and maybe one day it will be the Ohtani's and the Soto's of the world who feel like Toronto should be their baseball home.