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 -- The Blue Jays’ offseason finally has a shape.
There’s been pain along the way, most notably the Roki Sasaki decision from one week ago, but signing Anthony Santander to a five-year, $92.5 million deal has the wind at the Blue Jays’ back again. It’s incredible how quickly the momentum -- and the feeling -- can shift.
Trading for Andrés Giménez was a fine baseball move, but it brought more questions than answers on a team that needed offense, not another elite defender. Beefing up the bullpen with Yimi García and Jeff Hoffman worked, too, but this offseason always needed to be something more, especially with Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette entering their final years of club control.
Santander represents that, and now, the Blue Jays can’t stop halfway. The club still has the flexibility to spend, and given the deferred money involved in Santander’s deal, there’s a clear willingness to find creative ways to make this work in both the short and long term. A decent offseason can become a truly great one if the Blue Jays hit the right notes.
These are the three steps left:
1. One more big addition to the lineup … somewhere
This could come in one of two forms: More power or a true leadoff hitter.
Pete Alonso clearly represents the power option, and while the 30-year-old slugger is coming off a down year by his standards, that’s exactly why he’s a realistic option.
If Alonso is comfortable with a shorter-term deal including opt-outs, the Blue Jays could line up perfectly. There could be some DH days for Alonso to make the defense work, but if you’re Guerrero, wouldn’t you want to show the league what you’re capable of at third base before hitting free agency? Playing 50-plus games at the hot corner instead of a dozen could open up even more opportunities for Guerrero, as long as he looks competent there.
Jurickson Profar represents the leadoff option, fresh off an excellent season for the Padres with a .380 on-base percentage. Do the Blue Jays trust that number, or is there more truth in the .327 OBP he carried through the combined three seasons prior?
Regardless, the Blue Jays need to explore some lineups with George Springer in different spots, perhaps allowing him to chase some more power. Bichette is still an interesting option if he gets hot again, blitzing pitchers with his aggressive approach, but keep Will Wagner in mind. With one of the best plate approaches on the team and an ability to make solid contact, the club's No. 18 prospect has some real leadoff potential.
2. An MLB-caliber starter
Think veterans, think one-year deals. Max Scherzer is clearly on the Blue Jays’ radar. Jose Quintana is another name to monitor, too, along with fellow lefty Andrew Heaney, who Toronto has liked for years.
A move like this would be all about raising the floor of the rotation, less so the ceiling, and that’s just fine. Credit to the Blue Jays’ veteran starters and the club’s training staff for keeping them on the mound, but eventually, they’re going to need to go to their No. 7, No. 8 or No. 9 starter. This team hasn’t been ready to weather that storm for the past few seasons and has been extremely fortunate to avoid it, but that luck won’t last forever.
Adding a starter would likely move Yariel Rodríguez into a swingman role, leaving pitching prospect Jake Bloss (No. 3) in Triple-A on a regular routine. With Alek Manoah and Ricky Tiedemann (No. 4) both working back from elbow surgeries to potentially return late in the season, that’s suddenly a good-looking group. If the season goes sideways? A veteran starter on a one-year deal always works at the Trade Deadline, too.
3. Extras
It seems the Blue Jays have found their “just in case” outfielder in Myles Straw, who can fill in for Daulton Varsho if he isn’t recovered from shoulder surgery by Opening Day. There will be some bullpen tinkering and Minor League moves, too, but the backup catcher spot still needs to be addressed.
Alejandro Kirk has gotten in much better shape already and is working to handle as many games as possible, but as it stands today, Tyler Heineman and Christian Bethancourt, who signed a Minor League deal Wednesday, are penciled in as backups. Consider this position a moving target for now, and one the Blue Jays could address through camp, right up to waivers prior to Opening Day.