Should the Blue Jays have offered Yusei Kikuchi a contract in the offseason?

The 2024 trade deadline marked the end of an era for the Blue Jays when they traded Yusei Kikuchi to the Houston Astros. Kikuchi, who was set to be a free agent, spent two-and-a-half seasons with Toronto after signing with the Blue Jays in free agency, and posted a 4.48 ERA across 384 innings in that time.

And according to a recent interview, there was a chance he could have built on that Blue Jays résumé this season.

Sportsnet's Ben Nicholson-Smith and Hazel Mae got to chat with Kikuchi ahead of the Blue Jays' season opener against the Angels on Tuesday (Kikuchi's new team), and the veteran southpaw that he didn't receive an offer from the Blue Jays in the offseason, even though he had some interest in returning to Toronto.

Did the Blue Jays miss out on a Yusei Kikuchi reunion?

While Kikuchi never lived up the billing that he had as a free agent after being an All-Star in Seattle, he'd still fit into the Blue Jays' current rotation, even if it makes sense why the team didn't pursue him. Bowden Francis had a great second half (which Kikuchi mentioned to Mae and Nicholson-Smith) and the team signed Max Scherzer to a one-year deal to fill the No. 5 spot in the rotation.

But, as we know now, that wasn't the smartest move.

Scherzer's pitched three innings this season, and Francis hasn't been great (2-5, 5.66 ERA). Kikuchi signed a three-year, $68 million deal with the Angels in the offseason, and has tallied a 3.83 ERA though eight starts this year.

He allowed one run on six innings in a win over the Blue Jays on Wednesday.

He also has a 4.58 FIP and a K/9 of 8.29 to go along with a WHIP of 1.46 and a walk rate of 10.8%.

While those numbers aren't outstanding, the Blue Jays would surely love to have that production in the No. 5 spot in their rotation right now.

José Ureña is currently the Jays' No. 5 starter, and they had to pick him up off the scrap heap after the Mets designated him for assignment. Spencer Turnbull is also an option whenever he finishes his rehab assignment, but neither of them are better than Kikuchi.

The Blue Jays have had trouble landing some top free agents, so it's surprising they didn't target a player that enjoyed being in Toronto.

Giving Francis a chance in the rotation was a justified move following his solid second half last year, but he just hasn't been good enough. The absence of Scherzer has not helped either.

It's not uncommon that a player would return to the team that dealt them, especially when you consider the Blue Jays did the same thing with Yimi García in the offseason after trading him to Seattle at the deadline.

Kikuchi wasn't perfect, but he was reliable and, perhaps most importantly, had interest in coming to Toronto. But it seems like the Blue Jays front office had no interest in a reunion.

It's not looking like a smart move right now.