Atkins: Blue Jays speak with Springer's agency 'at least once a week' - Sportsnet.ca
The Toronto Blue Jays are seemingly attached to every big name on the free-agent market, from George Springer to Jake Odorizzi to Michael Brantley, and now we might know why.
According to Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins, the team speaks with Excel Sports Management -- the group that represents those three players, as well as Masahiro Tanaka, Taijuan Walker, Didi Gregorius and others -- "at least once a week."
"Like any other agency that's representing, they have several free agents," Atkins said, staying vague, when asked how often he speaks to Springer's agency during an interview on Tim and Sid Thursday. "(Excel) have a pretty good group of free agents this year so we've had pretty consistent contact with that group."
While any of those players would be a significant upgrade for the Jays, the team does have familiarity with one of them, Walker, who was acquired by Toronto at the trade deadline and pitched well down the stretch as the team secured a playoff spot.
Walker told Sportsnet's Ben Nicholson-Smith in October that he would be open to a reunion. But when asked about that relationship Thursday, Atkins declined to tip his hand on any of the pitchers on the open market.
"Taijuan's a free agent; there are many free agent pitchers that we're talking to and will continue to," Atkins said. "Anyone of that calibre, we certainly want to understand where they are, what their interest level might be with us. We'll continue to canvas that market for sure."
