Juan Soto should only be a small part of the Blue Jays’ offseason overhaul

After a less-than-stellar 2024 MLB season, the Toronto Blue Jays have plenty of work ahead of them if they intend to get themselves back into contention for next year. One way to help accelerate that process is to land a big free agent that could have a significant impact on the team going forward. Which is the reason why the Jays should be proactive in pursuing superstar outfielder Juan Soto.

Soto has already been a four-time All-Star, three-time Silver Slugger winner, along with finishing runner-up for the NL MVP Award back in 2021 as part of his elite resume. The scary thing is the fact that he will be only 26 heading into the 2025 season, meaning that he still has plenty of prime years yet to come. The way that he has continued his domination since coming over to the New York Yankees showed that he has already adapted to the new offensive style of play and intense environment of the AL East. In 2024, Soto posted career highs in runs scored (128), hits (166), home runs (41) and total bases (328). Therefore, for a Jays’ offence that had ranked in the lower echelon in the league during the past year, adding a potential game-changer like Soto could do wonders for the club.

However, one has to keep in mind that although Soto would no doubt make a huge difference for Toronto, that shouldn’t be their only focus for this offseason. After all, there are plenty of other aspects that need to be addressed in order for the Jays to do a complete and successful overhaul. One particular area that stands out above the rest is the state of their shattered bullpen. The Jays’ relief corps went from being one of the best in the league in 2023 to actually one of the worst this past season. Although injuries had taken a toll on the group, a fair share of their downfall also came from the inconsistency and sudden ineffectiveness of their usually-trusted arms. As a result, a huge makeover will need to be in place between now and next spring to help rectify the situation.

On top of that, other areas that could need attention include their back end of the rotation, as well as the final makeup of their infield. In terms of the Jays’ starting five, has Yariel Rodríguez done enough to earn himself a spot for 2025? Or will Alek Manoah be able to come back after his major surgery to regain his prior dominant form to challenge for a spot? Otherwise, with their pitching depth quite depleted from all of the injuries to their young pitching prospects this past season as well, getting a couple arms for insurance shouldn’t be out of the question.

As for the infield, has the likes of Ernie Clement, Spencer Horwitz and others shown enough to warrant spots already for the upcoming season? Both Clement and Horwitz had breakout seasons, but their numbers were just solid overall and not earth-shattering. Are there potential upgrades available in the market that could become even better long-term solutions for the Jays?

As a result, the pursuit of Soto is just a small part of the whole equation for Toronto in their drastic retooling for the 2025 season. Therefore, by the time spring training rolls around, we could be seeing quite a different team in front of our eyes, but hopefully a fully revamped one that could finally put the Jays over the top.