“Can’t imagine Blue Jays can afford Juan Soto, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Bo Bichette” – MLB analyst diffident on Toronto acquiring star free agent (Getty)

Juan Soto is one of the most sought-after free agents this offseason. He is fresh off a World Series trip with the New York Yankees and is bound to sign a lengthy and lucrative contract close to what Shohei Ohtani signed last offseason (a 10-year, $700 million deal with the LA Dodgers).

Among all MLB teams, the Yankees and the New York Mets have emerged as top contenders to sign the free agent. Another team that is expected to make a big splash this offseason is the Toronto Blue Jays, who barely missed out on signing Ohtani last offseason and may not repeat the same mistake.

MLB Network’s Adnan Virk discussed Juan Soto’s free agency on the Marty Caswell MartyTimeTV show. Virk mentioned that he would like his hometown team to go after Soto but is not sure whether they can afford existing Blue Jays stars Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette beyond next season.

“It’s the final year for Vlad and Bo, and the Jays had a terrible, disappointing season,” Virk said (6:00 onwards). “Signing Soto would be a move that says, ‘We’re putting all of our chips on the table.’ They could give him $650 million, see what happens, and try to win a World Series. If they don’t, they’ll likely have to lose Vlad or Bo—if not both—because I can’t imagine they could afford two of those guys, much less all three.

“I’m intrigued by Toronto. They’re a much bigger market than people realize—they are Canada’s team, backed by Rogers Communications, so they can afford it. I think the sting of last year hurts. The Jays were willing to give Ohtani $600–700 million but weren’t able to get him and failed to pivot effectively. I hope Toronto makes a big splash,” he added.