Why the Toronto Blue Jays are an unlikely target for SF Giants pitching target

The Toronto Blue Jays are looking to make a big splash this winter. Jon Morosi of The MLB Network says that they recently met with SF Giants pitching target Corbin Burnes but are they a realistic destination?

Why the Toronto Blue Jays are an unlikely target for SF Giants pitching target

At this moment, the Blue Jays are focused on recruiting superstar outfielder Juan Soto along with the New York Mets, New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, and Los Angeles Dodgers.

In a weird way, they are in a similar and uncomfortable spot as the Giants have been in recent years. They are targeting the top names on the market while knowing that they are facing an uphill battle to win the bidding. This was the case with the Giants' recruiting of Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani while the Blue Jays aggressively pursued Ohtani and are now courting Soto.

The Giants are sitting this one out for better or worse. However, they remain interested in Burnes as do the Blue Jays. Any team that misses out on Soto will aggressively pivot to some of the top remaining options on the market.

This includes Burnes and Toronto has recently met in person with the four-time All-Star. If they have the money to afford Ohtani or Soto, they undoubtedly have the funds to lock up Burnes to a long-term deal.

That said, the Blue Jays already have a lot of money locked up to the pitching staff. There is no doubt that Burnes would make any team better. However, Toronto needs to weigh how to best allocate those funds if they miss out on Soto.

Perhaps, they feel that the best path forward is to continue investing into the rotation. They currently have Kevin Gausman ($22 million), Chris Bassitt ($21 million), and José Berríos ($18.7 million) under contract through next season. In the case of Gausman and Berríos, they are under contract beyond next year.

With Bassitt coming off of the books, that could open up future payroll space to make a significant addition to the rotation this offseason. However, if Burnes is signed to a contract with an average annual value of $30 million, that puts the rotation cost at around $90 million between those four options. That is a lot of money to spend on four players for one albeit critical area of the roster.

Plus, some of the team's best prospects are pitchers including Trey Yesavage, Jake Bloss, and Ricky Tiedemann. And, Alek Manoah, who has a Cy Young candidate not long ago, is expected to return from Tommy John at some point in 2025.

The Blue Jays have options in the rotation. Could they use Burnes? Absolutely. Could they invest in a lineup with some soft spots, specifically in the outfield? That makes much more sense.

On the other hand, the Giants have a more pressing need in the rotation. More than anything, they need innings and Burnes offers both quantity and quality. This is not to say that the Giants' need for pitching should put them in the front of the line. It is just that the Blue Jays have options.

The four-time All-Star will have a robust market after posting a 2.92 ERA in 194.1 innings with the Baltimore Orioles. The Blue Jays and Giants appear to be in the mix as well as several other big-market clubs.