Is Juan Soto's rumored contract offer too rich for the Blue Jays?

The Toronto Blue Jays are balancing on a knife edge this offseason. They’re somewhere between achieving a major coup and securing the services of a generational hitter for the next decade-plus or missing out again and being left holding a bag of cash with no choice but to throw it at some of the remaining free agents on the market.

After coming up painfully short in last winter's Shohei Ohtani chase, they didn't spend much money and paid dearly with a disastrous last-place finish in the AL East. This winter, they have to spend money, whether it's on top free agent Juan Soto or multiple players from the tiers below.

The question is, do the Blue Jays have the money to afford Soto after the rumored offer he received from one suitor and what he's reportedly seeking?

Blue Jays have to be willing to pay Juan Soto as much or more than the rumored contract offer

As Héctor Gómez reported earlier this month, the New York Mets' initial offer to Soto was $660M, according to former MLB player Carlos Baerga. That was it, though. There were no other details provided about the number of years, so the annual average value is unknown.

But it's assumed that Soto and his agent Scott Boras are looking for something in the 14-year range. A 14-year contract at $660M equals a $47.14M AAV.

More recently, there was a report that Soto is looking for a 15-year deal for $700M, per Randy Miller of NJ.com. At 15 years with that salary, Soto would be looking at $46.67M per season.

So, you see where the ballpark is to secure the 26-year-old's services until he's 40.

After reportedly ponying up a competitive offer for Shohei Ohtani, who signed for $700M last offseason, only to be rejected, we know that Blue Jays president Mark Shapiro and general manager Ross Atkins have the bankroll for a player of that talent level.

So, really, the question should be can the Blue Jays not afford to pay Soto?

Blue Jays have the ultimate payroll flexibility

They have about as much payroll and roster flexibility as anyone and should be able to write Soto a blank cheque. We're talking a crazy number. A number that will really test how much he wants to stay in New York, either with the Mets or Yankees or move to one of the other premier teams vying for his services like the Los Angeles Dodgers, Boston Red Sox or Philadelphia Phillies.

As ESPN's Jeff Passan reminds us, the Blue Jays have nothing committed on their payroll past the 2026 season save for right-handers José Berríos and Yariel Rodríguez. That can be construed as a good thing: They can build around Soto and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. — because that extension has to happen for Soto to come to Toronto, you'd think.

It can also be construed as a bad thing: The Blue Jays don't have a successful roster or the support of a healthy farm system to map an obvious path to sustained success, even with Soto and Guerrero in the fold.

"But getting Soto is not a fantasy," Passan writes of the Jays. "Offer the right amount of money, and he will take it."

The Blue Jays can certainly afford it, and can't afford not to afford it.

More from Jays Journal