The Toronto Blue Jays entered the trade deadline as a team that could be fairly described as the third-best club in the American League.
When their work was done that status had not meaningfully changed. The team made a few upgrades, but what the front office accomplished was some successful tweaking rather than a paradigm shift.
A Juan Soto trade simply wasn’t in the cards for Toronto based on what the San Diego Padres ultimately offered. Coming away from Tuesday’s deadline without a brand-name relief ace or notable rotation upgrade could be construed as a disappointment, though.