Touching Base: The Blue Jays Conserving Spending Huge After World Collection Heartbreak

[ad_1] It took a while for John Schneider to decompress after the tip of a 2025 season that got here two outs, one Will Smith cleat and one bulldozing Andy Pages catch from Toronto celebrating its first World Collection title in 32 years.

The Blue Jays supervisor isn’t positive he’ll ever totally course of or digest what unfolded within the ultimate moments of a Fall Traditional for the ages that ended with the Dodgers emptying onto the sector at Rogers Centre after a shocking end.

"I feel I’ll give it some thought till the day I depart this earth, what I imply?" Schneider mentioned on the MLB Winter Conferences in December. "Until you get one other alternative to type of squash that one."

Thus far this offseason, the Blue Jays are working like a group intent on making {that a} chance for his or her supervisor in 2026.

Coming off their first division title since 2015 and their first journey to the World Collection since 1993, the Blue Jays have responded to final season’s crushing conclusion by spending extra on free company than any group to date.

Dodgers vs. Blue Jays: MINI-MOVIE of 2025 World Collection | MLB on FOX 🎥 At a time when many of the high arms in the marketplace stay unsigned, Toronto daringly made the primary main transfer of free company after they dedicated seven years and $210 million to beginning pitcher Dylan Stop at first of December. One month later, that contract stays the biggest free-agent deal handed out by any group this winter. No different beginning pitcher has signed for even 9 figures but.

It was additionally solely the start.

The Blue Jays continued on, additional bolstering their rotation by including Cody Ponce – who gained MVP final season in South Korea's KBO league – for 3 years and $30 million, and strengthening their bullpen by signing Tyler Rogers for 3 years and $37 million.

After which got here their newest transfer over the weekend, maybe essentially the most stunning of all.

Beginning pitcher Dylan Stop and Japanese slugger Kazuma Okamoto are notable additions to the Blue Jays (Getty Photos)

After failed pursuits of a few of Japan’s most proficient baseball exports lately, and with posting home windows for NPB’s high skills reaching their endpoints, Toronto emerged because the sudden vacation spot for nook infielder Kazuma Okamoto, who signed for 4 years and $60 million.

Okamoto doesn’t possess the ability potential or ceiling of fellow NPB standout Munetaka Murakami, who's 4 years youthful. However Okamoto has the next ground, carries much less danger and will find yourself being the higher all-around MLB participant, which is why he acquired almost twice as a lot cash as Murakami did from the White Sox. It was the most recent instance of how far the Blue Jays have come as one among MLB’s premier locations since inking Vladimir Guerrero Jr. to a $500 million extension early final season.

"I really feel like in years previous with some high-profile gamers, it is type of been us promoting us to them," Schneider mentioned, "whereas 1767903065 I feel the gamers know what they're moving into as quickly as they begin speaking to us."

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The explanations for which can be a number of.

The Blue Jays have sturdy monetary backing from their possession group, state-of-the-art services, a clubhouse tradition touted by gamers, one of many league’s budding stars in Guerrero now signed by 2039 and proof of idea that the items they've in place are championship caliber.

"You may undoubtedly really feel a distinction this offseason going again to final yr and the yr earlier than," Schneider mentioned.

And they won't be achieved as they attempt to flip the web page from final yr’s gut-wrenching end.

Okamoto is amongst a handful of Toronto gamers able to enjoying in a number of spots. The place he finally ends up will in the end depend upon how a lot additional the Blue Jays go this winter in including extra star expertise to their place participant group. They might nonetheless deliver again Bo Bichette, and so they’re thought of among the many high suitors for four-time All-Star slugger Kyle Tucker.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. signed a long-term take care of Toronto, however will Bo Bichette comply with go well with? (Photograph by Mark Blinch/Getty Photos)

Each marquee signing is one other step towards therapeutic the injuries that opened on Oct. 31 and Nov. 1 at Rogers Centre. Recreation 6 of the World Collection ended with Toronto’s tying run getting doubled off at second base on a smooth liner into left area. Recreation 7 ended extra agonizingly, with a plethora of alternatives squandered late.

A month after the World Collection ended, Schneider nonetheless hadn’t watched the ultimate recreation again in its entirety. He couldn’t get himself to do it. Each time he went down one rabbit gap pondering again to what transpired, he discovered himself taking place one other.

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"There's so many issues that occurred, I attempt to not simply pin it down on one factor," Schneider mentioned.

Nonetheless, there’s one play particularly that continues to be scrutinized and lingers as a burning picture of the Blue Jays’ defeat.

With one out, the bases loaded and the successful run at third base within the ninth, Daulton Varsho pulled a grounder to second baseman Miguel Rojas, who stumbled earlier than throwing dwelling. The throw, even after catcher Will Smith’s cleat lifted briefly off the bottom earlier than retreating to the plate simply in time, beat a sliding Isiah Kiner-Falefa by mere inches.

"It stings. It hurts," Schneider mentioned. "I’ve seen that video 3,000 instances, and 1,500 of them it appears to be like like Will’s off the plate. Within the different half, it appears to be like like he’s on. That’s how shut it was. That’s why particulars matter."

Within the wake of Toronto’s loss, all the things about that play was dissected and debated, from Kiner-Falefa’s quick lead at third — the Blue Jays expressed concern in regards to the potential for Smith to back-pick or getting doubled off on a line drive — to his determination to slip feet-first as an alternative of headfirst or operating by the bottom.

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"I really feel so unhealthy for Izzy getting all of the blame," Schneider mentioned. "Izzy is an unbelievable baseball participant. I feel peeling again a pair layers, now that I've the platform to speak about it, may we've got achieved a greater job of getting him off a bit bit? Yeah, one other step or two."

Now, although, there’s nothing the Blue Jays can do however transfer ahead.

Every new signing helps quell the ache, demonstrates Toronto’s endurance and strikes the Blue Jays one step nearer to getting one other shot to squash final season’s bitter ending.

"I feel I am lastly on the level the place you possibly can type of peel again and replicate on the great and never simply the ‘Wow, what simply occurred’ of Recreation 7," Schneider mentioned. "It took a bit little bit of time."

Rowan Kavner is an MLB author for FOX Sports activities. He beforehand lined the L.A. Dodgers, LA Clippers and Dallas Cowboys. An LSU grad, Rowan was born in California, grew up in Texas, then moved again to the West Coast in 2014. Comply with him on Twitter at @RowanKavner.