MLB insider names top free-agent starter as ideal Blue Jays 'Black Friday deal'

Looking at the 2025 Toronto Blue Jays depth chart, there are obvious spots in need of upgrade right off the bat. It's simple: they just need help on offense, starting pitching and relief pitching.

The club has already been tied to a plethora of free agents; including Juan Soto, Willy Adames, Alex Bregman, Max Fried, Corbin Burnes and Anthony Santander (amongst others). Each of these players remains available, but it's not yet clear if the Blue Jays will even come away with one.

In a recent piece penned by The Athletic's Andy McCullough, he handed out one Black Friday deal for every team. The only rule in the list is that no players will be predicted to sign with more than one team. This means each of the superstars named above can't be predicted to land on multiple different clubs with spots for them.

McCullough went with Burnes for the Blue Jays, and it's difficult to say that this wouldn't be a welcomed signing in Toronto.

Corbin Burnes named as top 'Black Friday deal' for the Blue Jays

In what could very well be his only year on the division rival Baltimore Orioles, Burnes turned in a full 32-start season, once again looking like one of the best starting pitchers in the game. The right-hander went 15-9 with a 2.92 ERA, 3.55 FIP and 128 ERA+ through 194.1 innings. He's thrown over 190 innings in three straight years while making the All-Star Game in each one.

A look at the leaderboards will show that Burnes finished in the top-10in baseball (amongst qualifying starters) in wins, innings and ERA. His strikeout rate has dipped a bit in recent years, but clearly that's not doing enough to bring his overall production down.

The Blue Jays could use another starting pitcher as 2025 gets closer. Kevin Gausman and Jose Berrios will once again return to the staff as solid, reliable options, but Chris Bassitt's production is a question-mark, Alek Manoah is still hurt and Yariel Rodriguez may be ticketed for a spot in the bullpen.

When putting it into that context, it's no wonder why the club is already eyeing a bunch of different starting pitchers. Burnes has earned Cy Young consideration in five consecutive seasons and would be one hell of an anchor at the top of Toronto's rotation for years to come. Sign us up.