The Blue Jays were gearing up for what could be their most ambitious Pacific Rim chase yet. But things just got complicated and rather fast. Toronto has long dreamt of landing a true Japanese star, and with Munetaka Murakami entering the MLB’s posting system, that door is now wide open. But of course, nothing good comes easy, and to make things tough for Toronto is New York!

The Toronto Blue Jays need the 25-year-old, four-time NPB All-Star–the Japanese Babe Ruth–for their roster, especially if they want to go as deep or even win the rings the next season. Plus, they scouted Murakami for years and expanded their Pacific Rim presence exactly for chances like this. But the Toronto Sun poured water over the Jays’ plans.

“While the 25-year-old, who is a four-time Nippon Professional Baseball all-star, will be heavily linked with the big-money New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers, the Jays are likely to be in the mix as well.”

Now, before the Dodger panic sets in, and how they are always the ones to take Japanese superstars, you can count them out of this race at least. They don’t have a need for Murakami at that position, and they are also the MLB payroll leader.

So, from the two names Toronto Sun pointed to as the Jays’ threat, the Yankees are the ones left in the race. And they do have a pressing need, given the Yankee and the Ryan McMahon situation is a little wonky now.

Brian Cashman had traded for McMahon ahead of last year’s deadline, hoping that he would finally stabilise the infield. Well, defensively, he was rock solid, but sadly, the bat never arrived.

By October, McMahon wasn’t even starting against the leftie. And then the Yankees shifted him towards a late-inning defensive role. So the Yankees need Murakami, someone who has a triple crown on his resume. This makes the Yankees a real threat to the Toronto Blue Jays.

Moreover, for the Jays, this could be their moment. Their footprint in Japan is now bigger than ever, and their World Series run really boosted their profile overseas. In Japan, the viewership broke records, too.

Now Murakami’s 45-day negotiating window opens on Saturday, and one thing is for sure: the sweepstakes will get wild –maybe as much as the Sasaki one was.

Toronto Blue Jays double down on pitching 

If you watched the Toronto Blue Jays this season, then you don’t need analytics to tell you the one thing that this team did the best – smash baseballs. The offence carried them for months on end and helped them win games they maybe didn’t even have any business winning. But come October, it showed that a great lineup can only take you so far!

For most of the year, the starting pitching was Toronto’s soft spot–the injuries and the bullpen days made every series feel like a struggle. Things finally paid off late in the season when the Shane Bieber trade paid off, and Trey Yesavage burst onto the scene.

Suddenly, Jays could see the future in light. But the front office knew that was not enough. Then came the early Thanksgiving gift: Biyombo picked his player option and gave Toronto a proven anchor for the next year. Add Yesavage, who is entering his first full year, and Kevin Gausman, and a healthy Jose Berrios–the rotation has already started to look a whole lot steadier.

But steady doesn’t cut it when Jays want dominance.

So into the picture enters Dylan Cease, the one who headlines for the video game stuff he does. Toronto didn’t hesitate and got him. Now ignore the 4.55 ERA from last season. The strikeouts, those are what translate everywhere.

The Jays with Cease in the fold have turned their biggest weakness into their strength. And now the final move of the off-season might be to lock Bo Bichette. If Toronto signs him long-term, this roster won’t just be dangerous; it will be a problem for the rest of the league.