Memo to Jays Management: Make Your Move!

Simon B

It's January, so let's talk...baseball!

I'm a Leafs fan, so, naturally, I'm a Blue Jays fan too. I've been going to games since I was less than a year old, and the team has always been somewhere in my thoughts. 

Last season, a young Blue Jays team unexpectedly made the playoffs. 

Yes, it was a shortened season, and yes there were expanded playoffs, but not many people predicted them to be in the postseason in 2020. Young stars Bo Bichette and Cavan Biggio made big strides to become every-day big leaguers. Teoscar Hernandez had a breakout season, hitting 16 Home Runs and posting a .289 batting average. Randal Grichuck led the team in RBIs. It was overall a good offensive season. The pitching was much improved compared to the 2019 campaign. They had more consistency and Manager Charlie Montoyo could trust that his starters would likely give the team 4 to 5 solid innings of work. The addition of ace Hyun-Jin Ryu certainly helped with that too. 

Is the Jays’ Offseason Edge Already Slipping Away?

However, the Jays seemed to always be just a step behind the best teams in Baseball (Yankees, Dodgers, and Rays). After getting swept by the eventual American League Champion Rays, GM Ross Atkins and team President Mark Shapiro decided to let the public know what their goals were for the winter: Sign at least one big-name free-agent. 

With the youngest part of their core still young and on cheap contracts, Atkins and Shapiro have a ton of money to work with here. They started out with a lot of great choices: George Springer, Trevor Bauer, JT Realmuto, DJ LeMahieu, Marcel Ozuna, and Liam Hendriks, just to name a few. With all these names on the market, it was easy to believe that the Jays could at least get one if not two of these guys. 

Well, it’s past mid-January (already!) and all we've heard is crickets from Toronto's front office. These free-agents are starting to sign other places and the list is getting smaller and smaller. The only two big-name guys the Jays have been linked to (since all the other ones have signed elsewhere) are Trevor Bauer and George Springer. JT Realmuto is also in the mix but I don't see why the Jays might need another catcher.

My Take On The Best Prospects

George Springer: After the sign-stealing scandal in Houston, he probably wants to get out of H-Town. He's going to be looking for some big-name money. No amount has been named yet but he’s not going to be cheap. The Mets and Jays are the top two contenders for Springer. They both could use the outfielder who had a .265 average in the 2020 season. 

If I were Springer, my choice would come down to two things: money and practicality. On the money side of things, the Jays have the edge. Their payroll is much lower on the Competitive Balance Tax (CBT) so they can definitely afford him. On the practical side, the Mets have the advantage, though. First, they are the top team in the US, and also close to Connecticut (which Springer calls home) so he won't have to worry about the border restrictions or playing in a "temporary home" like Toronto did last season. Second, he won't be in the American League East, which has both the Yankees and Rays who are championship-caliber teams that will make Springer’s path to the World Series more difficult. Overall, this is a doable deal, but it's not a done deal just yet. At this point, it’s looking less and less likely that the Jays will get Springer. If they do end up missing out on him, the outfield will continue to lack in defensive talent and the front office will not deliver on their promise to the fanbase. 

Trevor Bauer: He's an interesting character, to say the least. From his unpredictable attitude to his outraging self-confidence to the feuds he adores to start with opposing hitters, it's safe to say that the Jays would be signing a lot more than just a Cy Young-winning pitcher. In terms of other contenders, both LA teams are interested. Bauer wants a vast chunk of money and that's something Toronto can offer. "Geography is not going to be a huge factor in where I decide to play." Said Bauer in a recent interview. That's a good sign for the Blue Jays. Adding him will turn a merely decent starting rotation into something much stronger.

The Wrap

I think the Jays could -- and should-- sign at least one of these two players. Signing both of them might be a stretch, though, because Bauer has taken shots at Springer in the past (after the sign-stealing scandals) so having both of them in the same clubhouse could be a bad fit.

Spring Training is set to start a month from today with pitchers and catchers asked to report on the 17th or the 18th of February. Only time will tell where these players will land once all the dust settles.

Thanks for reading! I’d love your comments and questions. 

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