MLB insider’s insane Juan Soto contract prediction may take the Blue Jays out of the running early

The Toronto Blue Jays and their fans are likely getting excited with free agency season set to open upon the conclusion of the World Series. That is because the Jays will get to start retooling their roster soon, with unanimous top free agent Juan Soto up for grabs. This past week, Jim Bowden of The Athletic had even named Toronto as one of the potential landing spots for Soto this offseason, giving the Jays and their faithful a reason for hope for the 2025 season.

However, MLB insider Ken Rosenthal recently weighed in on Soto’s future contract on Foul Territory and predicted that his average annual value will be “starting with a five”. Which meant we are looking at $50 million plus per season for the 26-year-old superstar. And who knows, if Soto keeps producing during the World Series for the New York Yankees, it could turn out to be even more.

The actual length of the term wasn’t brought up, but with Soto likely looking for 10+ years to lead him right into his twilight years, we are practically approaching Shohei Ohtani territory and possibly more. If that is the case, then it means bad news for the Jays. With an insane contract prediction like that, it could put Toronto out of the running before things have even started.

But why is that? After all, didn’t the Jays go after Ohtani last year and seemed willingly to shell out whatever it took to get him? If they had the money then, then shouldn’t it be available now too? Looking back to the situation last season, the Jays didn’t have to worry about potential extensions to superstars Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and perhaps even Bo Bichette just yet. More importantly, they believed that they didn’t need to tinker with their roster at the time as much as the bulk of their pitching was set in place, aside from the Yariel Rodríguez signing. In the end, the Jays just made a few additions to round out their lineup with the likes of Isiah Kiner-Falefa, Justin Turner and the re-signing of Kevin Kiermaier.

However, this time around, the Jays actually have multiple needs to address, whether it be in the outfield, the infield, or their pitching depth. In particular, with their bullpen in desperate need of a total makeover, the luxury of arms in the upcoming free agency provide plenty of options to help fix their problem. As a result, can the Jays really afford to overspend on just one free agent and not adequately address any of their other needs due to depleted resources? The answer is an unfortunate no.

So yes, Soto is a four-time All-Star, three-time Silver Slugger, along with finishing in the top 10 in MVP voting four times, including being runner-up in 2021. And yes, he could be a huge offensive difference maker for the Jays for a long time. But blowing all the money on just the one player in this case could recreate the situation similar to when Ohtani was with the Los Angeles Angels. As the prime superstar on the team, Ohtani produced at the elite level that was expected of him back then, but he didn’t have enough of a supporting cast other than Mike Trout to make the team successful. Together with an inept bullpen that was never properly addressed, it ultimately led to the team’s failures in recent years.

As a result, the Jays can’t repeat that same mistake if Soto does end up having his contract numbers in the ballpark of what Rosenthal predicted. Otherwise, instead of taking a step forward, it could actually send them multiple steps back.