The Toronto Blue Jays have dominated the news lately – not all of it in a fashion they would have expected. They completed a transaction with Cleveland Guardians to bolster its roster. The trade brought outfielder Myles Straw to Toronto, even if most of the noise was focused on what the Blue Jays had in mind: securing the services of Japanese pitching phenomenon Roki Sasaki.

The team genuinely felt good about adding Sasaki, who is one of the most energetic international players in baseball. With multiple teams, 23-year-old right-hander Sasaki was the plaything sought after by many. Toronto presented its hard negotiation case, triggered additional salary demonstrations, and prepared an ideal introduction, which was going to pull him toward it. But things changed on Friday afternoon; most Toronto hearts stood broken when they watched a post of this young Japanese pitcher posted on his Instagram mentioning his chosen destination as Los Angeles Dodgers.

High stakes, high hopes, and heavy losses

In order to boost its chances, the Blue Jays had added one final clause to conduct its trading with the Cleveland, adding $2 million worth of the international signing bonus pool after them being presented with the best offer, so that they could outbid others in order to have Sasaki. This move brought Toronto’s total International Pool funds to $8,261,600, theoretically giving them a good enticement to make offers. But even with all the attempts, Sasaki’s selection wasn’t swinging their way.

Roki Sasaki’s Instagram post reflected the weight of his choice. Calling it “a very difficult decision,” he expressed optimism that it would prove to be the right one as he looked back on his career. For Toronto, the disappointment was palpable. The Dodgers’ already stacked roster now boasts another star, leaving the Blue Jays and their fans to lament what could have been an exceptional MLB season for them.

On the other hand, Myles Straw has made a significant impact among Blue Jays fans. After all, it became a must where Cleveland would sign him on a $25 million, five-year deal in 2022. For every bit of unwanted sales territory that is covered in chatter and with coverage of all the major news in the sport about attached free marks, $14.75 million in the next two years is the offset given to Cleveland by Toronto.

Swing and Miss: Lessons from the Blue Jays’ risky Roki Sasaki chase

Straw’s stats are testimony. He batted .221 with no home runs and 32 RBIs throughout 2022, then a marginal improvement in 2023, .238 on the season, hitting one homer with 29 RBIs. Having been sent down to Triple-A Columbus in 2024, he batted .240 with three home runs and 47 RBIs. He was called up to the team in September and played in seven games, registering only one hit from four at-bats. Clearly, there would be a lot to prove in Toronto for Straw.

One user summed up the frustration perfectly in a tweet: “Btw Sasaki & his agent are genuinely losers for stringing the Jays on long enough that they traded for Myles Straw to get 2m of bonus pool money for him, while not even making the Dodgers pay up.” The cost of this trade was evaluated against a risk for the Blue Jays, which unfortunately yielded them a rare chance to the final. Investing in the signing pool of $2 million and getting involved with Straw now could be much too bad with the calculator, because they mean business seriously, envisaging comparing contests with the best of the best.

On that note, Toronto’s future still means so much-more now after this episode. They may lose out on Sasaki in the end, but they have had their say and taken the first steps towards a brighter day. Fans are now left hoping that their next venture would eventually pay off.