Toronto Blue Jays free agent options: Under-the-radar outfielders

Franklin Gutierrez  –  33 years old
2016:  Seattle Mariners

Off the top, Gutierrez is an interesting case due to his long-ago Cleveland connection. The outfielder was traded from the Los Angeles Dodgers to Cleveland in a deal for Milton Bradley in 2004.

After parts of four seasons with Cleveland, Gutierrez was involved in a multi-player, three-team deal that sent him to the Seattle Mariners where he’s been ever since. The Cleveland general manager at the time of both trades, of course, was Mark Shapiro.

Gutierrez has made a home for himself in Seattle, and over the past several seasons has continued to re-sign with the Mariners after being granted free agency multiple times. With Seattle now facing several free agent decisions, perhaps this is the time Gutierrez walks.

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If so, he enters the market as a tough player to get a firm read on. Gutierrez was forced to miss the entire 2014 season as he dealt with serious gastrointestinal problems, an issue that had forced him to miss time in the past. Between that and a mixed bag of other injuries, Gutierrez has not appeared in 100 games since 2010 as a 27-year-old.

Among other things, groin and neck injuries have limited him since returning in 2015. His results have been encouraging when he’s on the field, though. Blue Jays fans will remember Gutierrez most fondly for this July, 2015 walk-off against Aaron Loup:

Back in 2009, Gutierrez was one of baseball’s truly elite defenders in centre field. He posted an incredible 33 Defensive Runs Saved and 31.0 UZR en route to a 6.0 Wins Above Replacement. Since returning in 2015 he’s been inconsistent, but may still have a ceiling of being an above-average defender league-wide.

The corner outfield spots are not foreign to Gutierrez, and while he stole just one base last season, he did grade out positively when it came to base running.

If Gutierrez can post numbers similar to his 2016 campaign and keep his defence above water, theres certainly starter-quality value left in his game. There are several variables at play, however, and his long history of injuries should give any potential suitor plenty of reason for pause.

Next Up:  Speaking of Seattle…