The Toronto Blue Jays felt oh so close to signing Shohei Ohtani as a free agent last offseason. Now, they appear ready to jump right back in the star-hunting pool with Juan Soto, the marquee free agent of this year's class.
Soto has officially met with the Blue Jays, whose presentation to Soto was described as "impressive" by Jon Heyman of the New York Post:
Hear at least Jays and Red Sox owners made impressive in-person presentations to Juan Soto, but multiple team owners are yet to present and will do so in coming days.
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) November 16, 2024
Similar phrasing was used to describe the Boston Red Sox's first pitch to Soto. It was also reported Soto asked the Sox about three things: Winning commitment, talent evaluation systems, and facilities.
ESPN's Jeff Passan recently was adamant the Blue Jays are going to acquire a big name this offseason. While he was hesitant to indicate the Jays have a strong chance to get Soto, he said, "it certainly could [be Toronto that lands Soto]. Do not discount them. This is not something they're just doing to just get their fan base excited. Because you know if they don't get Soto, it's just going to be like another dagger after last winter."
Soto made the American League first team for his play in 2024. He was an integral offseason addition that got the New York Yankees over the hump to appear in their first World Series in 15 years.
There will likely be plenty more teams that make presentations to Soto before he accepts offer terms and weighs his final decision.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Blue Jays Make Their First Official Pitch to Free Agent Juan Soto.
