Blue Jays insider points unique advantage in Roki Sasaki sweepstakes; explains Toronto's $33,000,000 signing after Orioles backed out after medicals

The Toronto Blue Jays surprised all of the baseball community when they were said to be finalists for Roki Sasaki alongside the Los Angeles Dodgers and the San Diego Padres. While their pursuit of the Japanese flamethrower continues they also added reliever Jeff Hoffman to their ranks to a three-year, $33-million deal on Friday.

Toronto insider Shi Davidi discussed both of the developments on the MLB Network on Tuesday. For Sasaki, he mentioned the uniqueness of getting to play in Toronto which brings the aspect of a third market outside the United States and Japan for Sasaki. He pointed out Shohei Ohtani's sweepstakes as well where he was attached to the Blue Jays before joining the Dodgers.

"The Blue Jays have some things going for them that the other 29 teams do not. One, they are a market for an entire country, and that is something that is unique within the Major League Baseball landscape. And I know that last year, when Ohtani was considering the Blue Jays, he was intrigued by the idea of coming to a third market through which to represent himself and his brand, and maybe there's some interest in there, on that front for Sasaki as well.

"So those are a couple things that are different from the other 29 teams. It's a place to come where you're not quite under the same media microscope that you might be in Los Angeles or definitely in New York. So there are some things that could certainly work," Shi Davidi said.

Jeff Hoffman was rejected by the Baltimore Orioles and the Atlanta Braves during medicals before he was signed by Toronto. As per Davidi, the franchise was comfortable with whatever it saw with the 32-year-old, stating:

"Whenever it comes to physicals, it is often not black and white. It is about a degree of risk, how much you can tolerate and how your medical team sees things. I do know the Blue Jays are very comfortable with what they saw... They're already thinking about him as their closer for next year."

Jeff Hoffman makes his feelings known about joining Blue Jays

Jeff Hoffman had initially agreed to a three-year $40 million deal with the Baltimore Orioles but the team backed off citing an issue with his throwing shoulder. The Braves, earlier, had followed the same path initially agreeing to a reported five-year deal with the veteran reliever. The 2024 All-Star spoke about it during his introductory press conference on Wednesday, stating:

“All the flags, physical stuff, was as big a surprise to me as anybody,” he said. “If you can check my kind of track record over the past few seasons, I’ve been as healthy as anybody. It’s a nonissue for me. It’s just something that they wanted to bring up and the Blue Jays see me for what I am. So I’d rather be in a place like that anyways.”

If Toronto can lock in Roki Sasaki, it will make a powerful pitching lineup that has depth both in rotation as well as bullpen.