The Blue Jays didn't get their shot at Luis Robert Jr. after all.
The Orioles claimed him off waivers from the Mets this morning, closing the door on any Toronto pursuit.
That stings a bit more given the source. Baltimore is a direct AL East rival, and one Toronto has been chasing all season in the standings.
Robert was hitting .228 with 10 home runs, 23 RBIs, and 24 runs across 58 games with New York this year, dealing with a herniated disc that cost him two months.
He'd been red hot lately too, with three home runs over his last 10 games before the waiver process even started.
Toronto had a real reason to want him. The Blue Jays carry the second-lowest slugging percentage against left-handed pitching in baseball, and Robert's numbers against lefties would have ranked near the top of the current lineup.
The financial hit wasn't small either, roughly $4.89 million still owed, including a $2 million offseason buyout.
Why the timing made this window impossibly tight
That price tag likely factored into how quickly Toronto could act, especially with the postseason eligibility deadline requiring a claim before Sept. 1.
Baltimore evidently moved faster, or simply had better position in the waiver order to jump ahead of Toronto's interest.
For a Blue Jays team fighting for a wild-card spot with the worst OPS+ in the league, missing on a lefty-masher like this feels like a real opportunity cost.
It also means an already tough divisional rival potentially gets stronger against left-handed pitching down the stretch.
Toronto still has other paths to address its offensive holes before the season ends, even without this specific addition.
But watching a rival scoop up exactly the kind of player Toronto's own front office had been publicly linked to isn't the way anyone in that building wanted this to play out.
Are you frustrated the Blue Jays missed out on Luis Robert Jr. to a division rival?
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