The Argument for the Blue Jays to NOT Sign Juan Soto
Perhaps this article should be called «what can you buy with 600 million dollars?» 1,900 Starbucks franchises? 63 Learjets? 17 private islands in the Bahamas?
The most accurate answer is, a lot of whatever your heart desires. Or, you can buy approximately 12 years of service from Major League Baseball's top free-agent this off-season.
Now granted, when it comes to the money that is thrown around in professional sports, the average fan has a skewed sense of reality because when it boils down, it is not our money that is being spent, but I think we can all agree that $600M is a lot of simoleons.
But, that is the cost to fill the glaring void that exists in the rosters of at least 7 teams who view Juan Soto as the difference between championship glory or the existence of «also-ran» status. For the Toronto Blue Jays, is he the answer that fills the many holes they have throughout their line-up?
Last I checked, the teams that excelled in this years MLB playoffs go there with contributions from 26 players.
And if you want to use Soto's former team and World Series runner-up, the New York Yankees as an example, keep in mind that they also received some help from 2024 American League MVP Aaron Judge and his 58 homeruns on their path to the playoffs (along with 24 other contributors that filled out their roster).
Yes, it would be wonderful to be able to watch Soto ply his trade in powder blue for the next decade or so, but perhaps money better spent would be to address the glaring holes that resulted less than impressive 2024 season which left many more questions than answers for the franchise moving forward.
So again I ask, what can you buy for $600M? My answer would be a gold-glove 3B (who is also willing to play 2B), a Bonafede top 3 SP, an outfielder or 1B with power, an extension for your homegrown superstar (who wants to play 3B long-term) and a bullpen filled with arms that can miss bats and lock down games leading to wins and more importantly, peace of mind. $600M can buy you depth which for this team should be considered priceless.
