Blue Jays coach claims "Juan Soto, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. back-to-back would be exciting" in lineup, pitching reasons for Dominican to pick Toronto
The epic hitting duo of Juan Soto and Aaron Judge struck fear in opposing pitchers in 2024. While Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is no Judge, he's no slouch either. Hitting behind fellow Dominican in Soto is what could elevate him to the next level and potentially help the Blue Jays get out of competitive AL East.
The Toronto Blue Jays are among five teams who have reportedly submitted an offer to Soto. As per SNY's Andy Martino, the Blue Jays are expected to give Soto the biggest offer he has seen yet. That truly means the Blue Jays, who lost Shohei Ohtani to the Dodgers last season, might want to lock Soto as the next face of the franchise.
Blue Jays first base coach Mark Budzinski, on Tuesday's episode of "The Mayor's Office with Sean Casey," seemed excited on learning that the Blue Jays are leading the Juan Soto sweepstakes.
"Obviously, if we can put him and Vladdy back-to-back in some aspect with the rest of our lineup, that would be super exciting for our organization and team," Budzinski said (5:46 onwards).
Budzinski highlighted why the Dominican would love Toronto.
"As far as Toronto goes, I've fallen in love with the city. It's just a great town full of wonderful people, very diverse," Budzinksi added. "Every kind of restaurant you can imagine—whatever food you like, it's there. It's a great, walkable city. You've got the water right there; it's beautiful in the summer, typically with temperatures in the 70s and 80s.
"Obviously, we've got a newly renovated stadium, from the clubhouse to where the fans sit, and that's top-notch. Along with that, our spring training facility down in Dunedin, Florida, is what I think is the best in baseball."
Blue Jays coach hails Juan Soto as the "most complete hitter in baseball"
While talking about Juan Soto and the experience he had facing the hitter, Blue Jays coach Mike Budzinski hailed the hitter for his versatility and strong plate discipline, making him the most complete hitter in baseball.
"He hammers the ball from the left-field foul line to the right-field foul line. He handles everything, uses the whole field, drives the ball everywhere, and he's just a pain. Obviously, he has pop too. For me, he's the most complete hitter in the game—that's the way I would determine it," Budzinski said.
It's not yet clear whether Juan Soto picks the Blue Jays as his next destination. However, one thing is for sure: the management is looking to make team competitive this offseason.