"God awful off season": Blue Jays fans disappointed as team shows strong interest in Joc Pederson

As per a report from Sportsnet, the Toronto Blue Jays are showing strong interest in Joc Pederson as an additional hand in the outfield. The former San Francisco Giants player is coming off a down season and is looking to shine again on the big stage.

The 31-year-old remains a potent at-bat if he can acclimatize himself to the home ballpark, something that significantly hampered his progress in San Francisco, usually considered to be a less homer-friendly park.

But for Blue Jays fans, Joc Pederson remains a significant downgrade from the likes of Shohei Ohtani and other free agents to whom the club was earlier linked. They took to Twitter to showcase their disappointment at the club's management.

"If true, the Jays appear deeply committed to ordinary," one fan wrote.

Another fan wrote, "God awful off season!"

Here are a few other reactions:

At the start of the offseason, the Toronto Blue Jays were in contention to sign some of the biggest free agents on the market. The chance remains, with a few still part of the pack, but their intentions have had to shift to more mediocre options as the offseason starts wrapping up.

Joc Pederson had a story of two halves last season, before and after June 17. In an injury-laden first half with just 137 plate appearances, the Giants batter hit .281/.394/.518 (150 wRC+), but that significantly decreased in the second half with 288 plate appearances, when he slashed .213/.326/.369 (92 wRC+). This impacted his overall season record, as he only hit 15 home runs.

Where does Joc Pederson fit in the Blue Jays setup?

While there remains interest from other clubs, namely the LA Angels and the Arizona Diamondbacks, if Joc Pederson goes to Toronto, he will automatically become a left-field starter for the team.

The left-hander could only play DH in 2023 and has adequate experience at first base as well, but the Blue Jays will need him the most in left field, where they lack depth.