It was December 8th, 2023. A day of drama involving rumors and speculation where Ohtani and the Toronto Blue Jays were close to finalizing a contract that would bring the Japanese Phenom and the most excitement this team has had since 2016 to Toronto. After all the flames were extinguished we were left with just another day of not knowing where Ohtani would land. The very next day – Ohtani had inked a record-breaking deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers, leaving Blue Jays fans with a familiar sense of disappointment, a feeling all too common in the past four years.
Not all hope was lost though as Blue Jays fans were quickly able to pivot all the other big names on the board the likes of Cody Bellinger, Jorge Soler, J.D Martinez, and even Yoshinobu Yamamoto it seemed like the Jays were bound to make their once a year big signing. However, as days turned into weeks and weeks into months, anticipation turned to frustration, Fast forward to March 2nd, and the disappointment continued to mount. Former Blue Jay Matt Chapman had just sealed a three-year deal with the San Francisco Giants, leaving Jays fans questioning the team's decision-making.
No matter how bad Chapman was he's still a 4 WAR player with room for even more improvement, signing him to the contract he got (assuming he opts out next year) and then going all out next year made too much sense.
What's Next?
It is doubtful that the Jays will be making any more major acquisitions, but I am hearing that they are still interested in trading one of their super-utility infielders for a fourth outfielder, names like J.D Davis and Stone Garrett come to mind. Nonetheless, it is now time to turn our heads to the core, they will be the key if the Jays want any chance of making the postseason.