The Blue Jays are known to be in the bidding, but like all teams, they have to consider backup plans. takes a look at their Soto pursuit and notes that they also have interest in , , and . MLBTR has previously covered their interest in and . Bregman, 31, is one of the top free agents available this winter. He has a career batting line of .272/.366/.483, which translates to a 135 wRC+, indicating hes been 35% better than league average at the plate overall. His strikeout rate hasnt been higher than 13.6% in any of the past six full seasons, barely half of league average. His walk rate dipped a bit in 2024 but has been above par for most of his career. He also gets strong grades for his third base defense and is willing to move to second if he signs with a club that has a greater need there. His clubhouse and leadership qualities are often lauded by those who have played with him. Bregman for a seven-year deal worth $182MM at the start of the offseason. Its well established that the Astros want him back, but hes also been connected to the Tigers, Red Sox, Phillies and now Blue Jays. For the Jays, third base and second base are both fairly unsettled. was the primary option at the hot corner in 2024 and he had a serviceable season. His .263/.284/.408 batting line was slightly below average, translating to a 94 wRC+. But he also stole 12 bases and got strong grades for his glovework at third and shortstop, as well as brief looks at second base and left field. The total package added up to 2.2 wins above replacement in the eyes of FanGraphs and Clement is still on the roster, but he shouldnt stand in the way of someone like Bregman coming aboard. If Bregman took over as the everyday guy at the hot corner, it could move Clement into a utility role, which could still allow him to contribute fairly regularly. At second base, and got decent chunks of the playing time, alongside the now-departed . Horwitz has hit well in his major league career so far but is not a natural second baseman, only moving there since his first base spot is taken by A lot of the designated hitter plate appearances went to in 2024, who is no longer with the team. Perhaps that frees up Horwitz and Guerrero to share that spot and first Davis Bertans Jersey base in 2025, depending on what other moves the Jays make this winter. Schneider is coming off a down season and can also play left field. The Jays have some other players on the roster capable of playing either third or second base, including , , and , but no one in that group has even 70 games of major league experience. With the Jays looking to quickly bounce back from a poor 2024 campaign, theres logic in going for an established major leaguer like Bregman as opposed to hoping that someone in that group takes a step forward. The Jays have also been tied to shortstop , who is reportedly willing to move to third base with his new club if they already have a shortstop. The Jays have at short but hes only one year from free agency, so thats a move that could potentially help in the short and long term. The interest in Severino aligns with the clubs other rotation pursuits. As mentioned, theyve been tied to Fried as well as and , though Snell is now off the board due to his agreement with the Dodgers. Severino once seemed like a budding ace with the Yankees but he didnt pitch much from 2019 to 2021 due to injuries. He was able to pitch partial seasons in 2022 and 2023 but with inconsistent results. Hes coming off a solid bounceback year with the Mets. He made 32 starts and to sed 182 innings, his first time throwing more than 102 innings since 2018. On top of the quantity, there was also some quality, as Severino allowed 3.91 earned runs per innings. His 21.2% strikeout rate, 7.9% walk rate and 46% ground ball rate were all pretty close to league average. Severino isnt as exciting as Burnes or Fried but he also wont cost as much. MLBTR predicted Burnes for a $200MM guarantee and Fried a bit behind at $156MM. Severino, on the other hand, was projected for a three-year deal worth $51MM. The Jays have a veteran rotation nucleus consisting of , and . Another spot is likely ticketed to after his strong second half. Options for the fifth spot include and but theres sense in the Jays adding. Rodrguez has plenty of relief experience and the Jays need help in the bullpen, so he could be pushed there, at least until an injury opens up a need in the rotation. Blo s has le s than 12 big league innings and only 112 in the minors, so he could get some more seasoning in Triple-A until a big league opportunity arises. On the financial side of things, projects the Jays for a payroll of $189MM next year. President Mark Shapiro has suggested the club will end up with a roughly similar payroll as they did in 2024. pegged their Opening Day figure at $225MM last year, so that could leave them with about $35MM of wiggle room. Adding one of these notable free agents could certainly fit into that window, though Soto would be a unique case. The average annual value of his contract will certainly eclipse that number but its been reported by Nicholson-Smith that the Jays would make an exception for Soto, willing to stretch the budget further than they would otherwise. Each of Soto, Bregman, Severino, Fried, Burnes, Santander and Adames rejected a qualifying offer, so the a sociated penalties will also have to be a consideration. The Jays seemingly in 2024 with their midseason selloff, though its not yet official. If that proves to be the case, the Jays would have to surrender their second-best pick in the upcoming draft as well as $500K of international bonus pool space for signing one of these players. Dejounte Murray Jersey