Last year, the flying of a private jet led to the mistaken impression that the Blue Jays were about to sign a generational star. This year, a transaction to acquire more international salary-cap space yielded a similar effect.
Fans of the Toronto Blue Jays, who have been subjected to far too much torment in recent years, were subjected to yet another ordeal on Friday. The team gave the idea it was preparing to sign Japanese pitching phenom Roki Sasaki by adding $2 million (U.S.) to its bonus pool, but the transaction never materialized.
For the second time in two offseasons, the Toronto Blue Jays were unable to sign a franchise-changing talent. Shohei Ohtani crushed the hearts of Jays fans everywhere in December 2023 when he turned away their team in favor of signing a 10-year, $700-million contract in Los Angeles. This time, it was Sasaki’s turn to deliver the soul-crushing moment, announcing his decision to Instagram on Friday night.
The Dodgers were long considered the frontrunners to sign Sasaki, a future ace with a 100-mph arm. They provided the opportunity to play with the defending World Series champions alongside Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto. In comparison, the Jays, coming off a last-place finish in the American League East and with Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette soon due for free agency, did not appear to have much of a shot.
However, the Jays’ chances continued to improve as they defeated the New York Yankees, New York Mets, Boston Red Sox, and Texas Rangers. After the San Diego Padres were eliminated on Friday morning, the Jays and Dodgers were the only teams remaining. It was a startling change of events, and then a deal occurred, leading even the most pessimistic observers to believe the Jays were going to accomplish something significant.
Just before midday, the Jays purchased $2 million in international cap space from the Cleveland Guardians. In doing so, they agreed to take on the contract of Myles Straw, a 30-year-old outfielder owing $13.8 million over the next two seasons, with a team option in 2027 that may be purchased for $1.75 million. The Guardians will only pay $3.75 million.
The Jays plainly made the deal for cap space rather than the player, as Straw has never been a productive major leaguer, despite the huge guarantee. From 2022 to 2023, he hit.229 with one home run and a dismal.580 on-base plus slugging percentage in 997 at bats. Last year, he spent nearly the whole season in Triple-A and did similarly poorly.
Straw has some worth as a defensive specialist, but paying the next Bradley Zimmer more than $10 million did not seem reasonable unless it was done to entice Sasaki. One may even have assumed that an agreement had already been reached and that the Jays were making the required moves to ratify it. I certainly did.
When word of the deal with Cleveland spread, this columnist immediately began writing about Sasaki signing with the Jays in anticipation of an announcement. I assumed that not even a front office as frequently chastised as Toronto’s would be foolish enough to spend $10 million on a terrible contract without some form of guarantee first. I was mistaken.
Those 1,000 words will never be published, just like last year’s column about an Ohtani arrival that never occurred. The saying “fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me” no longer holds true. After missing out on Ohtani, Juan Soto, Corbin Burnes, Max Fried, Teoscar Hernández, and others, the Jays fan base has endured a lifetime of heartbreak in just 14 months.
For several hours on Friday, it appeared that Sasaki might be the one to halt the pattern. He has a 98-mph fastball that max out at 102 and a devastating splitter that causes a lot of swing-and-miss. The fact that the 23-year-old right-hander would have been added to the team on a rookie-scale contract heightened the attraction because it meant money would still be available to spend elsewhere.
The quest was a Hail Mary that, if successful, could change everything. Instead, the Jays have been abandoned at the altar once more, having to pick up the pieces of a love that ended before it even began.
Given the Jays’ recent trauma, this latest tease seemed to be excessive. The fans, who would have preferred to remain oblivious of how close their team came to signing all of these stars, do not deserve this, but they will have to learn to accept it. After missing out on Sasaki, their fortunes do not appear to be improving anytime soon.
The Jays pursued some of the game’s greatest players, but all they have to show for it is a 30-year-old reserve outfielder with a large deal. This is usually where I’d put a joke, but it stopped being humorous a long time ago.
