Blue Jays Fans Should Be Very Excited at Comments from Super Agent Scott Boras
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The Toronto Blue Jays head into the offseason fresh off a World Series run that showed what the franchise is capable of, and even though it ended in heartbreaking fashion, the ripple effect will be felt.
Toronto has been in on just about every big name free agent over the last few years including Shohei Ohtani, Juan Soto, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and many more, ultimately finishing short on just about all of them. The Blue Jays have clearly been willing to spend, they just have not been the choice of top players to this point.
Now though, it's been proven you can win in Toronto, and given the market size, perhaps this is the offseason for the organization to land their big fish. Recent comments at the GM meetings this week from super agent Scott Boras show that those who make the calls in free agency have taken notice.
Boras Praises Blue Jays Market Size, Willingness to Spend
"Toronto is one of the top four or five major markets in the major leagues, and I think we'll see the ownership commitment and every bit of behavior to support and advance that," Boras said to reporters. "When you become a winning club, players take notice...I think everything about what they've done in the past couple years has proven to reward them with that placement in the player community to say 'Toronto is a winning franchise and I would strongly consider being part of it.'"
While Boras of course is not making the final call as to where players play, he clearly has a ton of influence in steering things in the direction that he wants them to go. Considering that Boras represents what feels like almost every big name free agent, having him in a franchise's corner is absolutely critical.
This offseason is no different, and he will be guiding numerous clients Toronto will be after.
Which Blue Jays Targets Does Boras Represent?
Toronto is going to be after starting pitching this winter, and Boras represents a significant amount of them. Most notably, Ranger Suarez and Dylan Cease are both clients of his, as is current Blue Jays arm Max Scherzer. Most notably though may just be Boras' representation of Japanese sensation Tatsuya Imai.
Imai is being posted this winter and will be open for bidding for any team, and after Toronto missed out a year ago just barely on Roki Sasaki, they are going to be hungry to make it right by landing the next one.
Though Boras praising the organization does not necessarily mean anything, it does seem he's being genuine in his opinion of the player perception of the Blue Jays. Landing big name free agents with money is one thing, however dangling both funds and demonstrated ability to get to baseball's biggest stage is another.
If Toronto has a name out there who they feel instantly makes them better whether it be Imai or potentially even someone like Kyle Tucker, it's clear that now is the time to strike.
Time will tell if they actually get it done.
Michael Brauner is a 2022 graduate of the University of Alabama with a degree in Sports Media. He covers various MLB teams across the On SI network and you can also find his work on Yellowhammer News covering the Alabama Crimson Tide and Auburn Tigers as well as on the radio producing and co-hosting 'The Opening Kickoff' every weekday morning on 105.5 WNSP FM in Mobile, Alabama.