The Toronto Blue Jays have had a disastrous offseason as they try to make it back to the playoffs, and some of the moves they have made have left fans questioning what direction they are trying to go in. However, a recent tease from an insider indicates they might be trying to save their offseason by making a serious late push for Japanese pitcher Roki Sasaki.
While they aren’t considered frontrunners by any means, the Blue Jays could benefit from bringing in the young superstar. He has had fantastic stats in Japan, and it would make sense for them to try and spend to bring him in with hopes of salvaging their horrendous offseason — especially since the bids for Sasaki are capped by international rules. It won’t require splashing much cash. It’ll only require a great sales pitch, which is exactly what TSN’s Scott Mitchell claims Toronto is working on.
After missing out on Juan Soto and Corbin Burnes, a genuine swing at the strongest remaining free agent pitcher would be welcomed by fans.
Roki Sasaki could be a star in MLB (and with Blue Jays)
The Blue Jays would benefit in a big way from bringing in Sasaki. He is only 23 years old and would make up for almost all of the mistakes and misses made by the front office this offseason. Bringing in a player of Sasaki’s caliber could help convince Bo Bichette and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. to re-sign when their respective contracts are up. Sasaki, a budding ace, would be in Toronto for the long haul.
With the Chiba Lotte Marines in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) last season, he posted a 2.35 ERA and a 10-5 record with 129 strikeouts through 111.0 innings pitched. Over the course of four seasons in NPB, he has posted a 2.10 ERA and a 29-15 record with 505 strikeouts through 394.2 innings pitched. His impressive stats should be able to translate over to MLB fairly easily over time.
He may start slow, similar to Yoshinobu Yamamoto with the Los Angeles Dodgers, but it’s safe to assume he would eventually transition into a star pitcher in MLB. Yamamoto signed a massive deal with the Dodgers out of Japan, and in his first few games looked weak, but picked it up as the season moved along, eventually finishing out the campaign with a 3.00 ERA and 105 strikeouts. He posted a 7-2 record through 90.0 innings pitched, even stepping up his game in the spotlight of the postseason.
If the tease from the Blue Jays insider is any indication of what’s to come for the team, it could save their entire offseason. They would still have to make some moves to bolster their roster if they want to be considered true contenders, but it would be a step in the right direction. It would be a surprise if Sasaki chose to sign in Toronto, but it would be a welcomed surprise.