So far, the most important offseason in the recent history of Toronto Blue Jays was defined by a player: Juan Soto. Toronto seems serious about going after the 26-year-old outfielder after already marked a meeting with him and agent Scott Boras last week; and given the amount of money a deal would require, just about everything else — from the futures of Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette to addressing needs on the field, in the bullpen and elsewhere – was suspended.

But whether or not the Jays succeed in their pursuit of Soto (spoiler alert: probably not), all these needs are not going to disappear. And they need to be addressed thoroughly if this team wants to turn things around after a last-place finish in 2024. That’s why at least one MLB insider thinks the team’s top free agent has nothing to do with Soto all: If Toronto wants to go from worst to first with just one winner, two-time Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell would be a good start.

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Make no mistake: You can’t really blame Atkins for shooting Soto if the outfielder is willing to listen to him. Rogers Communications made the money available, and while it’s possible Boras is simply using Toronto’s presence as extra leverage against teams like New York Yankees And New York Metsthe opportunity to showcase a future Hall of Famer, still early in his prime, doesn’t come around very often. Soto is a generational player, the type to change the way the rest of the league views the Jays.

But Soto is still far from there, and given how many holes he still has to fill, it might be better if he decides to go elsewhere. And if he does, that opens up at least one big contract to hand out to the Jays. Why not give it to Snell? The free agent market for infielders is pretty barren after Alex Bregman and Willy Adames, each of whom will be difficult to pry away from teams like the Houston Astros, Los Angeles Dodgers And Atlanta Braves. But Toronto also needs rotation help, with Chris Bassitt a year away from free agency and Kevin Gausman and Jose Berrios capable of testing the market in 2026.

Snell would give this team the ace it desperately needs and the ability to return Yariel Rodriguez or Bowden Francis to the bullpen. And of the top starters on the market this winter, Snell has the most question marks given his inconsistency and lack of workload – making him the most likely to be receptive to the Blue Jays who pay him too much to come north of the border. And that would still allow the team to pursue someone like, say, Gleyber Torres or Christian Walker, as well as reunite with Teoscar Hernandez, all for less total value than a hypothetical Soto contract.

This may not be the offseason Jays fans dreamed of, but it may be the best realistic path to adding impact talent that could lead this team back to the playoffs.