MLB Rumors: Blue Jays eye Pete Alonso as fallback option; starting pitching remains top priority over Alex Bregman pursuit

The Toronto Blue Jays are one of the teams trying to land free-agent sluggers Pete Alonso and Alex Bregman. They have missed out on big-time free agent after big-time free agent over the years and they would love to land either of the two.

Toronto was one of the teams eyeing Juan Soto this winter before he signed his deal with the New York Mets. They also missed out on the likes of Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani over the years.

However, that is not the club's top priority. The front office wants to bolster the rotation and is more likely to get aggressive to land a starting pitcher, per MLB insider Jon Heyman.

"Right now, I do believe the Jays are more likely looking at starting pitching more than a Bregman. They have their hand in on Alonso, so I'm not going to rule out Alonso for the Jays," said Heyman.

Outside of starting pitching, Heyman sees a better chance of Toronto landing Alonso than Bregman. However, he does state that neither side is close to any deal as of Wednesday.

"Are they making some progress? Perhaps. But I hadn't really heard they were close to a deal or anything like that, and apparently they're not because right now, it does not appear that Alonso is close to a deal with anybody" said Heyman.

Blue Jays could turn to trade market to help bolster pitching staff

Toronto Blue Jays - Kevin Gausman (Photo via IMAGN)

With pitchers and catchers expected to head to camp soon, the Blue Jays need to address their starting rotation. They could desperately use another ace to help Kevin Gausman and Chriss Bassitt.

Unfortunately, many star-free agents have already signed a deal for the 2025 season. However, Jack Flaherty still sits without a home going into the new season.

Flaherty would be a great addition after his success last year. Toronto could also turn to the trade market to help their needs on the bump.

One starting pitcher that has been actively shopped this winter has been Michael King. He is in the final year of his contract and it seems the San Diego Padres are looking to get some value before his contract expires.

If Toronto decided to go this route, King would almost certainly be a rental for the 2025 season. However, it is uncertain whether they have the means to pull off a trade of this caliber.