Tag: Toronto Blue Jays

The latest Juan Soto rumors about where the Yankees star will sign during MLB free agency

The Yankees and Mets are the favorites but not the only options.

New York Yankees slugger Juan Soto is the biggest star available in the MLB and fans are eagerly awaiting to find out where he will sign.

After helping lead the Yankees to win the American League before falling short to the Dodgers in the 2024 World Series, the 26-year-old outfielder and former National League batting champion will have a robust market awaiting him.

While it is unclear if he will sign the most lucrative contract in baseball history, it is possible that his deal could at least approach that territory or potentially reach its own milestone.

After meeting with a handful of teams around the league, here are the latest rumors about Soto and how he could fit with the top suitors.

New York Yankees

Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner described it as a “good meeting” and called signing Soto a “priority” for their offseason, per The Athletic. Steinbrenner, however, has previously called New York’s payroll “not sustainable” and the organization is also reportedly prepared for scenarios in which the slugger does not re-sign with the franchise.

For what it is worth, though, 12 out of the 18 MLB executives polled by ESPN’s Jesse Rogers believed Soto will remain with the Yankees.

New York Mets

Perhaps the most likely spoiler for the Yankees is their crosstown rival in New York. As we wrote earlier this month, Soto is getting recruited to the Mets by Francisco Lindor.

The Mets are reportedly willing to spend $50 million more than any other team in this free agency pursuit, per Yankees announcer Michael Kay. He is currently expected to take the biggest offer with the most money and most years, per The Athletic, which makes the Mets a very likely option thanks to owner Steve Cohen.

Los Angeles Dodgers

According to his agent, Soto’s biggest priority is winning. If that is the case, he will have the best chance to do so in Los Angeles. There are some reports that Soto prefers to play on the East Coast, but New York Post reporter Jon Heyman said a confidant “downplayed” the importance of geography in this decision.

However, per The Athletic, it would reportedly be “seen as an upset in the industry” if Soto does not sign with one of the two teams in New York. ESPN’s Jeff Passan added that the Dodgers “won’t chase after” Soto after the organization landed Shohei Ohtani.

San Francisco Giants

San Francisco is reportedly one of the mystery teams for Soto and have a “legit” chance to get him, per Heyman. The organization reportedly tried to trade for him last year before the Padres eventually dealt him to the Yankees, and they were one of the only front offices to actually offer $700 million to Ohtani in 2023 as well.

San Francisco, however, is expected to reduce payroll next season so signing Soto is antithetical to that route.

Toronto Blue Jays

One player who shares an agent with Soto reportedly said the Blue Jays are prepared to make an “astronomical” offer to Soto, per NJ.com. Much like the Giants, the franchise tried to trade for the slugger and also made an offer for Ohatani last season but came up short on both. Passan reported that Toronto is “serious” about trying to sign Soto.

However, as noted by Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, would it even make sense to try to secure Soto before even having Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette signed to long-term contract extensions?

Boston Red Sox

Boston is another organization with Soto at the “top of its want list” this offseason, per Passan. Like the Blue Jays, the Red Sox are reportedly also chasing all of the top pitchers available this offseason as well.

Soto was “impressed” by Boston’s presentation during their meeting, per Jim Bowden of The Athletic. But are they close enough to contending for him to actually sign there?

No meetings yet but possible suitors: Philadelphia Phillies, Washington Nationals, Tampa Bay Rays, Houston Astros, San Diego Padres

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Even the Blue Jays had to laugh as Danny Jansen became the first MLB player to play for both teams in a game

HISTORY MADE.

Baseball has been around for so long that it’s truly a rare sight when something happens for the first time ever. And on Monday, we got just that with the Blue Jays and Red Sox.

Danny Jansen earned himself a spot as the ultimate baseball trivia answer.

Back on June 26, Jansen was the catcher for the Blue Jays when Toronto took on the Red Sox at Fenway Park. But weather would force a suspension of that game in the second inning with a make-up date set for Aug. 26. Yet, before those two months could pass, Jansen was traded to the Red Sox, which set up some MLB history.

Jansen would be the first MLB player to play for both teams in a single game, and even Blue Jays outfielder Daulton Varsho had to laugh as he made his way to the plate to be a part of that history.

MLB rules allowed for Jansen to play in the resumed game, which made that historical moment possible. Varsho was actually pinch hitting for Jansen and had to start the game with an 0-1 count. It was all so unusual.

No matter what happens, Jansen will remember that game for a long time — the weirdest of MLB history.

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Danny Jansen will officially become the first MLB player ever to play for 2 teams in the same game with a wacky scenario

Danny Jansen is about to make MLB history, and the way he’ll do it is so mind-melting.

Earlier this month, we told you about how current Boston Red Sox catcher Danny Jansen had the chance to become the first MLB player to ever play for two teams in the same game.

Now, it’s actually going to happen.

As you might recall: The Red Sox and Toronto Blue Jays played in a game suspended by rain that was scheduled to resume on August 26. Between those dates, Jansen was dealt from the Blue Jays to the Red Sox. With Boston manager Alex Cora making it official that Jansen will sub in for Reese McGuire at catcher, he’ll make MLB history.

And here’s the wild scenario: Jansen was a the plate for the last game. Now, he’ll have to be pitch-hit for, AND he’ll be catching behind the plate for that moment. META!

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Former Notre Dame star Niko Kavadas hits 3-run homer for first MLB hit

Talk about a big way to announce your arrival?

Former Notre Dame infielder [autotag]Niko Kavadas[/autotag] made his MLB debut with the Los Angeles Angels on Aug. 16.

Entering the ninth inning of Thursday’s game against the Toronto Blue Jays, he was hitless in his first 14 big-league at-bats. It turned out he merely was lying in the weeds waiting for the right moment to say he’d arrived.

The Angels were trailing, 5-0, with two outs in the ninth innings and runners on first and second. Kavadas, who only has been a designated hitter so far in the bigs, stepped up to the plate. After working a 1-2 count and getting down to the Angels’ final strike, Kavadas swung and, well, look what happened:

This also was a big moment for St. Joseph County according to local sportscaster Chuck Freeby:

The Angels wound up losing, 5-3, but it was a night Kavadas never will forget. Let this be the first of many big moments for him at baseball’s highest level.

Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Geoffrey on Twitter: @gfclark89

Former Duke baseball star Joey Loperfido wins MLB game with solo home run

Former Duke Blue Devil Joey Loperfido hit his first home run in a Toronto Blue Jays uniform on Sunday, a solo shot that turned out to be the winner.

Former Duke baseball star Joey Loperfido got to play the hero for the Toronto Blue Jays on Sunday.

Loperfido, who played for the Blue Devils from 2018-21, hit a solo home run against the Chicago Cubs at the iconic Wrigley Field during the top of the second inning.

While the blast came pretty early in the game, it turned out to be the game-winning shot. Chicago never scored a run, and the Blue Jays left town with a 1-0 victory.

Loperfido’s 409-foot bomb was his first for the new franchise and his third of the season. He made his MLB debut earlier this summer for the Houston Astros, and he played 38 games for that franchise before getting traded on July 30.

So far in his rookie year, Loperfido is hitting .216 with three home runs, five doubles, two triples, and 18 RBIs across 51 games. The 25-year-old sports an on-base percentage of .271 and a slugging percentage of .333.

George Springer rightfully went ballistic on an umpire after a botched hit-by-pitch call

This pitch definitely hit George Springer, right?

George Springer was right to argue this one.

During an at-bat as his Toronto Blue Jays were on their way to a 6-1 win over the Los Angeles Angels, the outfielder got hit on his back foot by a Kenny Rosenberg pitch. But umpires said that it didn’t hit Springer.

Fine, there’s replay review, right? And when you see it, the pitch really does look like it hits his foot. Except … no, the call stayed the same.

And Springer went OFF, screaming at umpires and needing to be restrained.

“I know it hit me. I’m not going to say it didn’t hit me if it didn’t hit me, he said after, per MLB.com. “I know it hit me in the foot, but it is what it is.”

Watch:

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7 winners (the Mets!) and losers (the White Sox, obviously) from MLB’s trade deadline

The trade deadline has passed and the seller’s market absolutely delivered

The clock has gone past 6 p.m. ET on July 30th, do you know where your favorite player is?

Major League Baseball’s trade deadline officially passed with a flurry of action after simmering over the past few days. After seeing Randy Arozarena head to the Seattle Mariners and the Houston Astros landing Yusei Kikuchi before Tuesday, fireworks were expected and delivered.

Let’s run through the winners and losers at the deadline.

Winner: Toronto Blue Jays

Kevin Sousa-USA TODAY Sports

Entering Tuesday, the Blue Jays were seven games under .500 and eight games back of a Wild Card spot. They could’ve sold Vladimir Guerrero Jr.  Instead they were able to hang onto their elite talent while restocking a farm system in need of new blood.

Getting Jake Bloss, Joey Loperfido, and Will Wagner (the son of Billy Wagner) from the Astros for Yusei Kikuchi’s expiring contract is a massive win.

Bloss instantly became the Toronto’s No. 3 prospect, per MLB Pipeline, while Wagner slots in at No. 21. Loperfido, who is 25-years-old, already has some experience in The Show this year and could still become an every day player. Again, not bad for a middle-of-the-rotation starter who’s set to become a free agent after October.

Loser: Chicago White Sox

Credit: Getty Images

First-year general manager Chris Getz did a phenomenal job this offseason signing Erick Fedde after a bounce-back season in South Korea and was just as smart to add Tommy Pham in spring training with eyes on flipping him this week. But all that work felt worthless after the return Getz negotiated.

The White Sox sent Pham, Fedde and cash to St. Louis and Michael Kopech to the Dodgers and the best piece Chicago got back was a 24-year-old former top prospect in Miguel Vargas who has yet to establish himself in the Majors. In exchange for Eloy Jimenez, the White Sox got salary relief — but any notion the money will be spent in the offseason is just false hope.

Getz had elite trade chips in his stack and couldn’t get even half of what the Blue Jays acquired in the Kikuchi trade. He couldn’t move his ace in Garrett Crochet or a cornerstone center fielder in Luis Robert Jr.

It’s another bad look for a very bad franchise.

Winner: Kansas City Royals

Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

J. J. Picollo just quietly proved he’s an absolute force on the trade market. 

While the White Sox were practically giving away anything of value in their clubhouse, the Royals GM was able to strong-arm the Oakland Athletics into moving reliever Lucas Erceg — and his five years of club control —without giving up any of their top prospects. Now a Kansas City club starting to see a World Series window open up gets a set-up man with a nasty slider it can build around for years to come.

If that were all Picollo pulled off it would be enough to call the deadline a win. Alas, he found more ways to improve the current roster on the margins, bringing in veteran Paul DeJong from the White Sox and a versatile arm in Michael Lorenzen from the Rangers. The total cost of all three immediate impact players? A couple of prospects who might reach the majors and whatever coins Picollo had under his couch.

Loser: San Francisco Giants

Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports

The Giants began the season with the 10th-highest payroll in baseball at just over $211 million. Turns out many of those contracts were tough to move as San Francisco’s season fell far below expectations.

The Giants were able to sell Alex Cobb to Cleveland for Jacob Bresnahan and a player to be named later while sending Jorge Soler and Luke Jackson back to Atlanta.

Blake Snell, meanwhile, stayed put.

The reality is this roster has a ton of more work to do before it’s ready to contend again. Namely, getting healthy. Every year now it seems like the Giants either disappoint in the offseason or the deadline. The streak continues in 2024.

Winner: San Diego Padres

Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports

The thing about top prospects is that they can’t help you win right now. The San Diego Padres want a World Series and they want it this year. So bye-bye prospects, hello reinforcements.

General manager A.J. Preller essentially cleaned out his farm system this week, trading away five of his top eight prospects in Robby Snelling, Adam Mazur, Graham Pauley, Dylan Lesko and J.D. Gonzalez.

The return? The best closer on the market in Tanner Scott and sturdy bullpen arm in Jason Adam.

Admittedly, those deals looked a lot better before the rival Los Angeles Dodgers added Jack Flaherty and Kevin Kiermaier.

Loser: Tarik Skubal

Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

The favorite to win the American League Cy Young is going to be stuck playing mostly meaningless baseball after the Tigers were unable to find a trade partner.

Detroit is 14 games back in the AL Central and five games under .500. It just moved Flaherty to the Dodgers and doesn’t have a ton of reinforcements on the way to make the last two months of baseball any more enjoyable.

Skubal is going to have to dig deep to finish off his Cy Young campaign. It’s a shame he has to do so on a team with nothing else to play for this summer.

Winner: New York Mets

Rhona Wise-USA TODAY Sports

The No. 1 rule in Queens right now boils down to “don’t [expletive] with the vibes”.

First-year president David Stearns understood the assignment, adding a frontline starter in Paul Blackburn, a reliable every day outfielder in Jesse Winker and an experienced bullpen arm in Ryne Stanek.

Winker and Stanek are both on expiring contracts and didn’t cost the Mets much at all. Blackburn is a former All-Star who won’t reach free agency until after next season.

All three will help this team right now without forcing Stearns to commit to this roster core long-term — something he’s been reluctant to do as he tries to bring the Mets their first World Series since 1986.

New York made it through the deadline without rocking the boat even while adding a few more pieces. That’s about as smartly as a GM can navigate the deadline with a fringe contender.

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Another Notre Dame baseball player heads to the MLB

Congrats Bennett!

Although Notre Dame baseball’s [autotag]Bennett Flynn[/autotag] didn’t hear his name called during the MLB draft, he will still get to live out his lifelong dream.

Since the baseball draft has now changed, cutting multiple later rounds out of the process, the undrafted free-agent market has changed the way teams go about adding players to their organizations.

Flynn was signed by the [autotag]Toronto Blue Jays[/autotag] on Wednesday as a relief pitcher, after a very impressive collegiate career. He was a Freshman All-American in 2020, made the Atlantic 10 first-team in 2022 and was on the NCBWA Stopper of the Year Award preseason watch list this past season.

Although Flynn didn’t have his best final season, a 5.40 ERA, he showed a great ability to strike out hitters. Over 40 innings, the righty amassed 53 strike-outs. He’ll need to cut down his walks as a professional, but Flynn has plenty of upside, which is why Toronto took a chance on him.

Congrats Bennett, we wish you the best in your MLB journey.

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2 LSU baseball commits appear on 2025 way-too-early mock draft

The 2024 MLB draft just ended, but it’s never too early to start thinking about the 2025 draft.

The 2024 MLB draft just ended but it’s never too early to think about the 2025 draft. MLB.com made a mini mock draft as they looked ahead to 2025.

Two LSU Tigers commits have made the top 20 of next year’s draft. [autotag]Brady Ebel[/autotag], a shortstop from Corona High School in California, and [autotag]Quentin Young[/autotag], a shortstop/outfielder from Oaks Christian High School in California.

According to MLB.com, Ebel, the son of Los Angeles Dodgers third base coach [autotag]Dino Ebel[/autotag], will be drafted by the [autotag]Toronto Blue Jays[/autotag] with the seventh pick of the [autotag]2025 MLB draft[/autotag]. Brady is viewed as one of the best pure hitters in next year’s draft and the Blue Jays could be in the market for a new shortstop with questions surrounding the future of Bo Bichette at shortstop.

MLB.com has Young being drafted by the [autotag]San Francisco Giants[/autotag] with the 12th pick of the draft. That pick would keep Quentin in his home state and send him to a team that could develop him very well.

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Texas 1B/3B Peyton Powell signs with Blue Jays

The talented infielder signed a deal with the Toronto Blue Jays on Wednesday after an impressive five-year stint with Texas

Former Longhorns 1B/3B Peyton Powell has found a new home. The talented infielder signed a deal with the Toronto Blue Jays on Wednesday after an impressive five-year stint with Texas. Since making his college debut in 2020, he has been a force at the plate.

In five seasons with the Longhorns, Powell posted a .327 batting average in 588 plate appearances. While he was an on-base machine, the Waco, Texas native also showed some power with 21 home runs and 30 doubles. Regardless of where he was in the order, Powell found a way to get on base and provide the offense with a spark.

Although Powell went undrafted, the Blue Jays made signing him a priority. That was partly due to his bat and versatility in the field. During his time in Austin, he split time between first and third base. He also made four appearances behind the plate.

In Powell, the Blue Jays are getting a player who has proven they get on base at a high rate. He only struck out 83 times in college and was able to draw 77 walks, including 34 during the 2024 campaign. Maintaining good plate discipline will be critical in the minor as the competition improves.

After an impressive run with Texas, the 23-year-old will be looking to build on his success in the minors. If Powell can do that, he could move quickly through the system. For Blue Jays fans, he will be a prospect to watch.