This story was excerpted from Keegan Matheson's Blue Jays Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

TORONTO -- Two weeks from now, pitchers and catchers report for the first day of Spring Training in Dunedin, Fla.

For you, that means the long wait is finally over. For me, that means I need to get off the couch and start wearing real pants again. The new year is almost here.

Let¡¯s get to your questions in one last Blue Jays Inbox before camp begins:

Quick one: Likelihood of Alonso? Scherzer? Anyone to save the day? ¨C @MivilleTaylor

Pete Alonso¡¯s market -- and some of the reporting around it -- has been ¡­ unique.

Yes, the Blue Jays like Alonso, but this continues to feel like a situation where Alonso is waiting for the Mets. Like they¡¯ve done many times in past pursuits, the Blue Jays can position themselves well as the next-best option here, which may be enough in the end, but my eyes are still on the Mets.

As for Max Scherzer? Our Mark Feinsand wrote Wednesday that the Blue Jays appear to be the most serious team about signing him.

¡°Toronto has been hot for him for about two months,¡± one source told Feinsand. ¡°[The Blue Jays] certainly feel like the favorites to get him.¡±

If the Blue Jays do not sign Alonso, will they pivot and trade for a thumper to get another big bat in the lineup before Spring Training? ¨C Patrick S.

They need to. Let¡¯s get broad and philosophical with this.

The Blue Jays, as they¡¯re currently built, are a fringe Wild Card team in the American League. When looking to add a few more wins, there is no time more valuable than the exact one the Blue Jays find themselves in, when a club can jump from 81 to 84 wins, or 84 to 87.

Why sign a closer and Anthony Santander just to stop an inch short? The Blue Jays need another offensive upgrade, period, and if it¡¯s not Alonso, they have the trade chips they need. One more big bat turns this offense into one which could win games single handedly.

For the Jays to be competitive in 2025 and beyond, what prospects do you think need to make the jump to being more than replacement level? -- Jake D.

You nailed it with ¡°more than replacement level¡±. Developing big leaguers is great, but eventually, someone needs to raise this team¡¯s ceiling.

The upside players who jump to mind are Orelvis Martinez (TOR No. 2 per MLB Pipeline), Charles McAdoo (No. 7), Enmanuel Bonilla (No. 13) and Dasan Brown. You can add Ricky Tiedemann (No. 4), too, when he returns from surgery. These are riskier prospects than someone like Jake Bloss (No. 3), Josh Kasevich (No. 9) or Alan Roden (No. 12), but the upside if one truly pops could change this roster.

Does Orelvis have a chance to make the team and actually do some damage at the big league level in 2025? ¨C @MYSTARQUEST

This is a bit of a ¡°prove it¡± spring for Martinez, coming off his suspension. His odds of cracking the Opening Day roster aren¡¯t zero, but they aren¡¯t high. As long as he¡¯s still hitting for power, Martinez needs to prove he¡¯s competent in the field, which has been a challenge at times. It all makes me wonder how he¡¯d look at first base in a year if Vladimir Guerrero Jr. signs elsewhere.

While [Ernie] Clement looks like a lock for a roster spot, who of Lukes, Loperfido, Barger and Wagner does the front office have the most faith in being a starter? ¨C @Cactuarduelist

The Blue Jays are high on Will Wagner, so he¡¯s got the inside track. Joey Loperfido comes in close behind, especially if Daulton Varsho (shoulder) isn¡¯t ready for Opening Day. Addison Barger has big, loud tools, but the Blue Jays need to see that all come together in the big leagues against more advanced pitching while Nathan Lukes -- a good player and teammate who has produced -- still seems like the odd man out.

If the Jays don¡¯t bring anyone else in for the rotation, who do you think is the 5th starter out of camp? ¨C @JenHoogenes

I¡¯d consider Yariel Rodr¨ªguez the No. 5, with Bowden Francis ahead of him -- only because I¡¯d be more eager to see what Rodr¨ªguez brings in a shorter role if another starter were added. Francis has been yanked back and forth enough already and deserves a full season starting.

Beyond that, Bloss would be the No. 6 and Adam Kloffenstein, back with the Blue Jays, could pitch his way into the rotation depth picture, too. It¡¯s an OK group for now, but one more addition would make it so much stronger (and deeper).

If Bloss has a good ST, is there a chance he cracks the Opening Day roster? ¨C @Zazzii28

I think that would still take an injury in front of Bloss¡­ and it¡¯s still possible another starter is added to the MLB roster, as well. That¡¯s no knock on Bloss, but more of a timeline issue.

The best way to frame this is by what a successful season would look like. If Bloss can help the club as a spot starter a few times and build his workload past his 93 1/3 innings in 2024, that¡¯s a great start. This is about having Bloss ready to potentially run with a full-time rotation job a year from now, but with his excellent feel for pitching, he¡¯ll already offer the Blue Jays great depth. This is what Toronto needs to develop (or trade for) more of.

In your opinion, has the lack of extensions for core players affected the team¡¯s ability to land free agents? ¨C @G_Litzy10

It has to. Big money always wins, but in a close pursuit between multiple clubs, players care about these things, along with the strength of a farm system.

If you¡¯re a player at the top of the market, you have options. You want to win in Year One, of course, but you also want to play for competitive teams through your 30s on what, in many cases, will be your last contract. A Vladdy extension makes the Blue Jays 100 times more attractive to a veteran looking at this organization from the outside.