3 Toronto Blue Jays replacement plans when negotiations with Juan Soto inevitably fail

The Toronto Blue Jays are facing a very expensive offseason this winter. The team fell well short of expectations in 2024. At the trade deadline, they took an interesting, but in hindsight, very smart approach. They moved their expiring contracts while keeping everyone who was under contract in 2025.

Heading into the offseason, it's heavily rumored that this team will look to shop big, with Juan Soto being their main target. Toronto is prepared to engage in quite a bidding war with the rest of the league for Soto, but in reality it will likely be the Mets or Yankees who sign the superstar outfielder.

Assuming the Blue Jays inevitably have to forgo Soto in free agency, let's look at a few solid backup plans for Toronto's front office to add this winter.

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The Blue Jays need to sign an outfielder. But they don't just need an outfielder, they need a hitter out there. Toronto hasn't had an outfielder with more than 50 games who had a batting average over .230 or an OPS+ over 100. Offensively, their outfielders were simply bad, led by the grossly overpaid George Springer.

If they want to sign an outfielder who can do damage, Baltimore Orioles switch-hitter Anthony Santander is headed to unrestricted free agency this winter.

The 29-year-old Santander slashed .235/.308/.506 with 44 homers and an OPS+ of 134. However, Toronto should know Santander quite well. In 2024, Santander slashed .302/.339/.717 with six home runs in 13 games against the Blue Jays.

Now it will be quite difficult to pry him away from the Orioles, but Baltimore is also looking to re-sign Corbin Burnes and several other players this offseason. If the Blue Jays get their hands on Santander, they would be adding a pretty impressive slugger who is still in the prime of his career. They would also weaken the Orioles, which is also a plus, by taking away one of their best power hitters.

With the Blue Jays looking for an outfield bat, there are few better options than Chicago Cubs outfielder Cody Bellinger, who also has the ability to play consistently at first base. Something like that would allow the Blue Jays to initially combine Bellinger in the outfield and as a DH. It would give Vlad Guerrero Jr. the opportunity to play both first and third, and also occasionally play as DH. Having an additional player like Bellinger who brings such a versatile presence on defense.

Bellinger, 29, hit .266/.325/.426 for the Cubs this season, but his big season with Chicago came in 2023. In 2023, Bellinger slashed .307/.356/.525 with 26 homers and 29 doubles Road to a Silver Slugger Award.

He has a player option in his contract this season that could come into play with his availability. The rumor now suggests he will decline his option and head to free agency. If he declines, the Cubs will be very aggressive in trying to get him back, just like they did last offseason when Bellinger was a free agent.

This offseason, the market for Bellinger is likely to heat up as more teams are interested in acquiring him for the 2025 season. The Blue Jays should be one of the teams that tries to get him.

The Blue Jays have a ton of different players that would make sense in free agency this offseason. But if I had to pick one player that would make the most sense for the team, the fans and the player involved, it would be a reunion with Teoscar Hernandez.

Hernandez spent the first six seasons of his big league career with the Blue Jays. Toronto ultimately traded him to the Mariners before the 2023 season. After spending 2023 with the Mariners and having a somewhat down year, Hernandez signed a one-year contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers. The contract was a “prove it” type of deal as he was coming off a very mildly down year.

Hernandez, 31, slashed .272/.339/.501 with 33 home runs and 32 doubles with the Dodgers this season. Los Angeles did not conduct contract negotiations with Hernandez or his agency during the season, but waited until the offseason to handle the matter.

Since the Dodgers are not yet in contract negotiations, all 30 teams have equal opportunities for Hernandez this offseason. When he was with the Blue Jays he was incredible and all the fans loved him. Ross Atkins and the Blue Jays could right one of their mistakes by bringing Hernandez back for a postseason push in 2025.