Blue Jays: 10 stars the club missed out on that would've changed franchise history

Yu Darvish

Following along that same timeline of Fielder and Greinke, the Jays once again had an opportunity to land a star pitcher in Yu Darvish to help significantly bolster their starting rotation during the 2011 offseason. The Jays at first were reportedly the frontrunners to win the bid to sign Darvish. However, unlike previously where term often appeared to be the issue, this time money turned out to be their demise.

The Jays were unwilling to go over $51M in posting fees for Darvish, even though it was believed they were going to pay whatever cost it took to sign him. In the end, Darvish went to the Texas Rangers instead and quickly led the Rangers with three consecutive All-Star appearances, along with being a Cy Young finalist in just his second year in Major League Baseball. Darvish would not only have made a difference for the Jays to help balance their offensive attack with formidable pitching, but also become a strong, marketable face for the franchise in the ever-so multicultural city of Toronto.