After heavy loss in game seven On Saturday, Blue Jays fans were still licking their wounds from this week's World Series until a curious move from one of the team's best pitchers caught their attention.
Starter Shane Bieber, who joined the Jays in JulyI trained on Wednesday $16 million US player option to remain with the team, although many baseball observers say the 30-year-old could have commanded a much higher salary if he opted for free agency.
So fans have hope that Toronto can make another World Series appearance next year.
“I was absolutely shocked,” said Blue Jays superfan Leslie Mack, who was nonetheless happy to hear that Bieber, a former Cy Young winner, would be returning.
“It means he believes in the team, it means the team has shown faith in him,” she said, adding that it confirms everything that has been reported about the camaraderie among the current Blue Jays.
Some baseball observers are speculating that Bieber likely isn't the only member of the lineup excited about the possibility of winning again after coming so close to winning the World Series last weekend.
The Jays themselves were clearly heartbroken after losing in extra innings in Game 7.
“I’ve been crying for probably an hour now.” Ernie Clement said on Saturday. “I thought I was done with the tears, but I just love these guys so much.”
Star slugger Vladimir Guerrero Jr., speaking through an interpreter, noted that losing Game 7 was not the way to end the season and made a vow.
“We lost one battle, but we didn’t lose the war,” he said. “We must move forward. I’m very proud of myself and my teammates and we’ll be back.”
“I actually think these guys with the Blue Jays, a tight-knit group, want to bring it back.” said former major leaguer Sean Casey, reacting to Bieber's decision on MLB Network.
While the Blue Jays can now count on at least one more pitcher under contract through 2026, the work doesn't stop there. Every offseason is a struggle for teams to improve their rosters in order to be ready to compete in the spring.
Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins and president Mark Shapiro spoke with the media Thursday about what the ballclub will need to do this offseason and if they think it's possible, the team will return to the World Series in 2026.
Mark Shapiro, CEO and President of the Toronto Blue Jays, spoke Thursday about the World Series and what the team's resilience and tenacity mean to Canadians across the country.
Shapiro says that while the Jays intend to try to win it all again next year, the team may not look quite the same.
“You have to build on what happened,” he said. “Next year it won’t work exactly the same as this year.
“It was about that commitment, about continuous improvement and … making this a great place to play.”
Atkins said he's “open” to bringing it back and improving on what worked.
“I wouldn’t put myself in a box by saying change is necessary to improve,” he said. “I believe in people, I believe in the power of development, improvement and the power of unity.”
But even the most talented teams have to put in the effort to make back-to-back World Series appearances. And while Toronto had done it before, it took another 32 years for the franchise to get another chance.
“A lot of dominoes have to fall to do it again,” said Steve McAllister, a veteran sportswriter who covered the team's back-to-back championships in 1992 and 1993.
Remember the San Francisco Giants, who won three World Series titles in five years (2010, 2012 And 2014), without any appearances between these championships. Most recently, the Houston Astros have been to the World Series four times. 2017 To 2022 – winning twice – but only appearing once in a row.
Not only do the Jays face long odds of making another World Series appearance, but they will also have to deal with the potential departure of some of their best players who are currently free agents. And Bo Bichette is at the top of that list.
The World Series may be over, but the pain of a Game 7 loss for Toronto Blue Jays fans is not. Sportsnet reporter Hazel May told Hanomansing Tonight what it was like covering the series and her thoughts on possible lineup changes for next season.
“Bo needs to make a decision.”
The Blue Jays said Thursday that the club made a qualifying offer to Bichette in the amount of $22.025 million.first step in the offseason.
The 27-year-old is one of Toronto's best hitters and has played his entire career with the Jays. Usually he was a buddy, he was moving to second base during the World Series after returning from a season-ending knee injury.
Mark Shapiro responds to a question about the importance of Bo Bichette's return by choosing to focus comments on evaluating Bichette as a player rather than roster construction. pic.twitter.com/EXClFoy8O3
The two-time All-Star has expressed his desire to remain in Toronto, although nothing is a given when a free agent hits the open market.
“I said I wanted to be here from the beginning,” Bichette said again in an interview immediately after the Game 7 loss last Saturday.
But J.ays qualifying offer may be lowerHe'll likely command the table as one of the top free agents this winter. Toronto has shown it is willing to spend big whenever it wants, with Contract extension for $500 million for Guerrero earlier this year.
McAllister says he sees Bichette as a priority for Toronto not only because of his bat, but because of what he means to the ballclub and to Guerrero in particular.
“There’s a yin and yang between him and Guerrero,” McAllister said, hinting at the friendship between the duo, who grew up together in the Toronto system.
Mack says “Bo has a decision to make” about whether he wants to play for Toronto or pursue his dream elsewhere.
What about other free agents?
The Jays will also have to weigh offers to other notable free agents, including infielders Isaiah Kiner-Falefe and Ty France, who just won a Gold Glove, as well as starting pitchers Chris Bassitt and Max Scherzer and reliever Seranthony Dominguez.
McAllister points to the impact that the 41-year-old Scherzer – a likely future Hall of Famer – has had on his teammates and whether he will return for another season in Toronto.
“Will he give the Blue Jays a discount and come back for another year?” McAllister asked.
The Blue Jays will also be counting on interest from other free agents who may want to play for a proven World Series contender.
With that in mind, Mack believes the team should stock up on as much quality pitching as possible, whether it's in the starting rotation or the bullpen.
McAllister notes that Toronto's division rivals, the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees, will also compete for top free agents, as will their World Series rivals, the Dodgers.
Can the Dodgers do it again?
The Dodgers, now back-to-back World Series champions, will also be looking to make it back – in their case, hoping to win a third straight title, something that has happened only a few times in Major League Baseball history.
The last time this happened was when the Yankees won in 1998, 1999 and 2000. The Oakland Athletics also won the World Series three times in a row, from 1972 to 1974. Yankees run decades ago as a result, New York won four in a row (1936–1939) and five in a row (1949 to 1953).
Despite the relative rarity of triples, the Dodgers are optimistic.
The club has appeared in five of the last nine World Series, winning this year and last year, as well COVID-shortened 2020 seasonbut losing Astros in 2017 And Red Sox in 2018.
“Iit's a real challenge to go three in a row“said basketball legend Magic Johnson, part of the legendary franchise's ownership group. when I say in KTLA about this possibility.
However, Johnson believes the Dodgers “have people in the cluboh try.
Dodgers chairman and controlling owner Mark Walter promised the team would “be back next year” to celebrate another championship.
