As winter meetings come to a close, Blue Jays opt to wait for other opportunities
The week’s lack of additions for the Blue Jays simply means that their off-season business may drag into January, instead of being neatly wrapped up for the holidays.
The exception to doing that was with Andrew Heaney, with whom the Blue Jays pushed until the very end, nearly tempting him away from the $25-million, two-year deal the lefty accepted from the Texas Rangers with a stronger offer.
But their run at Justin Verlander was essentially a sure-why-not heave across the court before the halftime buzzer. They stayed firm on their valuations for Kyle Gibson, Quintana and Kenley Jansen, among others, refusing to extend beyond their comfort levels and follow the path that would have locked them into.
The same thing happened in the trade market, where they and the Cardinals both held their ground, prompting St. Louis to sign Contreras instead of trading for Danny Jansen or Oakland’s Sean Murphy. One industry source believes the Cardinals never engaged on outfielders Lars Nootbar and Dylan Carlson and tried to make a deal with closer Ryan Helsley instead.
Given the type of money Contreras commanded, demonstrating how the industry values such a scarce commodity, and the way the Blue Jays view Danny Jansen, Alejandro Kirk and Gabriel Moreno, there was no need for them to jump when other options remain.
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In terms of starting pitching, incumbent Ross Stripling along with fellow free agents Michael Wacha, Noah Syndergaard, Corey Kluber and Drew Smyly, each someone the Blue Jays have pursued in the past, are in the market tier the Blue Jays have shopped in thus far.
Up a notch is Japanese righty Kodai Senga, but he didn’t visit Toronto during his recent tour of potential destinations and the Blue Jays were described as not being at the forefront of his suitors by an industry source. Nate Eovaldi and Chris Bassitt are other options at that level but on both, the Blue Jays don’t seem particularly active, or on upper tier lefty Carlos Rodon.
Their interest in Kenley Jansen is intriguing and a potential path for the Blue Jays is adding stability to the rotation and high-end impact to the bullpen. The White Sox have reportedly discussed trading closer Liam Hendriks, who visited the Blue Jays’ spring facility in Dunedin as a free agent, and that’s a way to really alter the club’s run-prevention equation.
Offensively, free agent centre-fielder Brandon Nimmo remains an ideal fit, but the $90-million, five-year guarantee the Red Sox gave to outfielder Masataka Yoshida suggests bidding for the New York Mets free agent could get wild.
The San Francisco Giants, spurned by Judge, loom large there, too, but the Blue Jays could also aim for Michael Conforto, another Scott Boras client they’ve expressed an interest in, to play right field and add someone like Kevin Kiermaier to play a part-time role in centre field.
Opportunities in the trade market exist for both starters and position players and while costly, there are always ways for the Blue Jays to get creative.
Given all that, the week’s lack of additions for the Blue Jays simply means that their off-season business may drag into January, instead of being neatly wrapped up for the holidays.
