Blue Jays watch the rich get richer with division rivals Yankees landing star first baseman

The Toronto Blue Jays may have made their big splash this offseason with the trade for Andrés Giménez with the Cleveland Guardians. But it just seems like for every one big move that the Jays make, their division rivals New York Yankees would casually make four without too much effort.

Having already added the likes of Max Fried, Devin Williams and Cody Bellinger whether through free agency or via trade, the Yankees were at it again by landing star first baseman Paul Goldschmidt on a one-year, $12.5 million deal. For a team that struggled to find any consistency in their first base position with Anthony Rizzo, Ben Rice and DJ LeMahieu last season, they now appear to have the answer for at least the 2025 season. 

Blue Jays watch the rich get richer with division rivals Yankees landing star first baseman

Goldschmidt may be coming off one of his worst seasons in the league, but he still managed to put up solid production numbers with a .245 average, 70 runs scored, 33 doubles, 22 home runs and 65 RBI in 154 games in 2024. Just for comparison, that was still better than the combined .216 average, 70 runs scored, 23 doubles, 16 home runs and 75 RBI that the Yankees got out of their first base position last year.

On top of that, Goldschmidt is a former seven-time All-Star, five-time Silver Slugger and four-time Gold Glove winner, along with being just two years removed from his MVP season in 2022 with the St. Louis Cardinals. With now the prime opportunity to finally have a shot at the World Series with a perennial contender in the Yankees, Goldschmidt should have something left in the tank to give it his all to New York to make it happen.

In joining Fried, Williams and Bellinger, the Yankees’ newly revamped roster seems a lot stronger and well-rounded now. And that is quite the statement given that they are without the services of Juan Soto any longer. With that, it just made the competition that much tougher in the AL East.

As for the Jays, all they have to show for so far this offseason is the addition of the defensively-minded Giménez, bullpen piece Nick Sandlin, the reunion with Yimi García, along with a slew of minor moves that barely move the needle. Just staring at what has materialized, it is just heartbreaking to watch the “rich getting richer” in the Yankees while the Jays appear to be scrambling to just get something done.

Hopefully, Toronto still has some surprises left in store, such as adding at least a marquee name or two to complete their offseason overhaul. Otherwise, it is going to be quite hard to convince their faithful that they are actually better off than they were last season, which we all know already was an absolute disappointment.