Why the Blue Jays missing out on Juan Soto is a blessing in disguise

Getting rejected is one of the worst feelings in life. For the baseball teams that were rejected by Juan Soto, the time has come to cope and reassure themselves that everything is fine. As the Toronto Blue Jays attempt to pick themselves up after the sweepstakes, have the baseball gods unexpectedly smiled in their direction?

Juan Soto is a baseball superstar who signed a record-breaking contract for 15 years and an obscene $765 million. The so-called escalators in his contract can bring the totals even higher. The Toronto Blue Jays were believed to be a serious suitor and probably breathed a huge sigh of relief not to be financially attached to this guy for over a decade. The short-term public relations hit can be swept under the rug if they successfully move on with a fruitful winter. Unless of course he blisters the Blue Jays when the Mets host Toronto in early April!

Baseball is not necessarily a sport in which a star player can be the reason why a franchise wins or loses. Baseball is different because it's all about the collective team. Soto is unable to help the Jays bullpen when a crucial out is needed in the eighth inning, nor can he step up and deliver a clutch hit when the weaker parts of the lineup are due up. Soto is just one player and he needs teammates. Even him pairing with Aaron Judge and Gianncarlo Stanton in New York couldn't bring home the bacon in 2024.

The contract comes with a ton of risk. Soto is better equipped to weather that risk given his young age and abundant talents. However, it doesn't mean that the transaction is totally risk-free. Don't forget that this is a player who initially struggled when he was traded to the San Diego Padres in 2022. Ironically, his lack of offense was hurting him so much that it raised questions about what he could make in free agency. Thankfully for Soto he turned it around.

The 15-year length of the contract is stunning and brings to mind the seeming ridiculousness of the opt-out clause in his contract. If Soto opts out, the Mets can void it by tacking on additional money. Even if he hit the open market, the odds are high that he ends up back in Queens because the incumbent Mets will be the only ones that could afford to bring him back. Having the richest owner in baseball gives you those limitless possibilities.

In other words, the Mets will be hitching their wagons to this guy unless he dramatically disappoints and they have to swallow a portion of the contract to trade him. If the Blue Jays were in the Mets' shoes, a similar set of circumstances would have awaited them.

The worst outcome for Jays fans most certainly would have involved Soto playing for either of the Boston Red Sox or New York Yankees. Even though you play the teams in your division less with the introduction of a balanced schedule, still seeing Soto in approximately 16% of the total games is a nightmare for any opposing pitching staff. Remember, this was the same Yankees squad who posted an 82-80 season in which they desperately needed to trade for Soto in order to lift their fortunes this season.

This latest saga is not the first and won't be the last time Toronto gets rejected. The good news is that Toronto can take solace in knowing that they had a seat at the table and almost secured his talents. The manner in which they rebound from these proceedings will be much more noteworthy.