The Toronto Blue Jays have made their free-agent interest in Shohei Ohtani widely known; in fact, there were even some rumors that Ohtani was closing in on a contract agreement with the Blue Jays. However, the Blue Jays struck out on the Japanese international, with the Los Angeles Dodgers simply giving the 29-year old dual threat an offer he can't refuse.

In addition to missing out on Ohtani, the Blue Jays also ended up losing in the Juan Soto sweepstakes, as Toronto's AL East rival, the New York Yankees, made it a point to get a trade done quickly so they can shift their attention to their pursuit of Yoshinobu Yamamoto.

Now, there aren't many big-time hitters available in the market that the Blue Jays can trade for or sign that would move the needle. This is precisely why the “clock is ticking” on the Blue Jays, as, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, there was a need for the team to bring in a marquee name to entice their fanbase to continue buying tickets amid the rising prices brought forth by the $300 million renovation Rogers Centre is currently undergoing.

Bringing in Shohei Ohtani would have done wonders for the Blue Jays in that regard. Ohtani is one of the most marketable presences in all of professional sports, as he's making $45 million a year on endorsement money alone, and even though he might not pitch in 2024, every plate appearance of his is a spectacle.

Juan Soto is also an entertaining figure at the plate, as he's not shy to express his feelings and engage in a bit of banter with the opposing pitcher. He also would have been a perfect fit on a Blue Jays team that's in need of a big bat at left field.

After missing out on Ohtani and Soto, Ken Rosenthal pointed out that the Blue Jays' best option might be to pursue Cody Bellinger, which is getting more and more realistic by the day, or retain third baseman Matt Chapman. Those are solid moves to prop up a team that won 89 games last season, but they're not needle-moving in a way that the franchise needs given its stadium renovations.