Five Offseason Moves The Blue Jays Should Make

The Blue Jays are coming off a disappointing 2017 season. What moves should they make in the off season to improve the 2018 team?

The Blue Jays have a daunting task ahead of them if they want to return to the playoffs. Their shopping list is long, the roster is aging, and the free agent market is weak compared to other years. However, if the right moves are made, the Jays still have a roster that has the talent to make noise in the AL.

The infield, led by Josh Donaldson and Justin Smoak, is relatively set, albeit with some major question marks. The Blue Jays may need a utility infielder in case Troy Tulowitzki or Devon Travis gets injured, and although Russell Martin should again be counted on for many games behind the plate, the front office would be wise to sign a capable MLB backup.

The outfield brings more intriguing possibilities than the infield with the departure of Jose Bautista. Some combination of Kevin Pillar, Anthony Alford, Teoscar Hernandez, Steve Pearce, and Ezequiel Carrera should make up the outfield. The question is, do the Blue Jays feel comfortable with that group, or do they bring in another outfielder to bring some certainty?

Like the lineup, the pitching staff is far from set. Starting pitching will be a real need for the Blue Jays as Marco Estrada (disappointing 2017), Aaron Sanchez (blister problems), and Joe Biagini (inconsistencies) are all question marks. As for the bullpen, the Blue Jays lack a strong left-handed relief option to pair with the likes of Roberto Osuna, Ryan Tepera, and Dominic Leone.

Obviously, the Blue Jays have a lot of needs to fill, but only a limited amount of money to spend. Here are five offseason moves (and one offseason move that the Blue Jays SHOULDN’T make) that focus on efficient spending, improving the roster as a whole, and taking the future into consideration.

2. Trade Kendrys Morales

Kendrys Morales is not a bad player. With 28 home runs and 85 RBIs in 2017, he was the player who the Blue Jays expected him to be – a slugger in the middle of the lineup who drives in runs.

Yet any fan who followed the Blue Jays in 2017 knows Morales is a liability. He’s a streaky hitter, slow runner, grounds into far too many double plays, and clogs the DH spot in the lineup. Arguably the exact opposite player that the Blue Jays currently need.

The biggest concern with Kendrys Morales is that his primary position is the designated hitter spot in the lineup. It’s no secret that the Blue Jays have an older and more injury prone roster with the likes of Troy Tulowitzki, Russell Martin, Devon Travis, and Josh Donaldson playing everyday. In 2016, John Gibbons was able to give his players “half days off”, which kept the team fresh and limited injuries. However, with the addition of a full-time DH in 2017, the Blue Jays saw a noticeable uptick in both declining performance and number of injuries.

Even if the Blue Jays have to absorb part of Morales’ salary, it is in their best interests to trade him away. He doesn’t fit the bill of a young or athletic player, and his performance does not merit enough value to cover up for the rest of the roster’s downfalls. In this situation, addition by subtraction would significantly improve the Blue Jays as a whole in 2018 and beyond.

3. Sign Jake McGee

While the Blue Jays have very strong right-handed bullpen options in Roberto Osuna, Ryan Tepera, Dominic Leone, and Carlos Ramirez, they still need to sign a left-handed relief ace. This is particularly important in the AL East where it is pivotal to shut down potent left-handed bats such as Chris Davis, Andrew Benintendi, and Brett Gardner late in games.

Too often, Blue Jays fans saw the likes of Aaron Loup, Matt Dermody, and J.P. Howell blow leads late in games because they weren’t able to do their job. Signing Jake McGee this off season would solve that problem.

In 2017, McGee pitched for the Colorado Rockies and posted strong numbers in a very hitter-friendly Coors Field. In 57.1 innings of work, McGee pitched to a 3.61 ERA and a 1.10 WHIP. McGee’s peripheral numbers painted an even rosier picture as he had a FIP of 2.93 that was accompanied with a SO/9 of 9.1 and a HR/9 of just 0.63.

Furthermore, McGee brings more merit because he already has experience in the AL East. From 2010-2015, he pitched for the Tampa Bay Rays and found great success with a 2.77 ERA and a 1.02 WHIP.

While McGee won’t come particularly cheap, he is the final piece to a truly dominant bullpen. As MLB fans know, a strong bullpen is now one of the biggest keys to success, and the Blue Jays would be wise to follow that trend in 2018.

4. Trade for Jurickson Profar

It’s no secret that the Blue Jays have a fragile infield. Troy Tulowizki, Devon Travis, and even Josh Donaldson to some degree should not be expected to play 162 games on the field. The Blue Jays desperately need a utility man who can give those aforementioned guys regular days off, and act as an insurance policy in the case of another major injury. Enter Jurickson Profar.

It wasn’t too long ago when Jurickson Profar was considered the top prospect in all of baseball. As a shortstop who flashed five-tool talent, Profar electrified the minor leagues and got many in the majors excited for his arrival. However, after missing two seasons with shoulder injuries, Profar quickly disappeared from the prospect scene.

This disappearance had more to do with the emergence of Rougned Odor and Elvis Andrus than the regression of Jurickson Profar. The opportunities were so limited that Profar was reportedly disgruntled when he wasn’t traded this year at the deadline.

It’s curious as to why the Rangers didn’t give Profar more chances to succeed. In the minors this year, Profar produced a very strong slashline of .287/.383/.428 in 87 games. Coupled with the fact that Adrian Beltre missed a portion of the year with an injury, and Profar’s ability to play shortstop, second base, and third base, there is really no reason as to why Profar only got to play in 22 games at the Major League level.

As a young player who seemingly still has an enormous amount of potential, can play all around the infield, and will come cheap, Profar should be high on the Blue Jays’ wish list this offseason. He would immediately fill a need in the utility position and could provide more upside than Ryan Goins or any of the other options in free agency this year.

Oh, that and the fact that the Blue Jays have a knack for finding hidden stars.

5. Sign a Major League Calibre Starter

For the fifth and final off season move, I had some trouble picking between a backup catcher and a fifth starter. There were two reasons that compelled me to choose signing a major league calibre starter.

For one, the Blue Jays already have in-house options for the backup catching position. Danny Jansen surprisingly emerged as a top 10 catching prospect in 2017 and looks to be a legitimate option as Russell Martin’s heir. Another option could be Reese McGuire who is a young catcher that has very strong receiving skills, but still needs a little more work with the bat.

The second reason that convinced me to choose a starter over a backup catcher is the fact that I really like Joe Biagini in the bullpen. While his stuff could definitely play in the rotation, I personally think that a shutdown reliever is more valuable than a fifth starter.

So with that in mind, who could the Blue Jays target in free agency? Because the Blue Jays have many holes to fill and a limited amount of money, they can’t sign top tier pitchers such as Jake Arrieta or Yu Darvish. Instead, they are more likely to target mid to low tier starters to complement Stroman, Sanchez, Estrada, and Happ in the rotation.

Intriguing right-handed options include Tyler Chatwood, Alex Cobb, and John Lackey. Interesting left-handed options include Brett Anderson, Jaime Garcia, and Francisco Liriano.

The most important aspect in this offseason move is not who the Blue Jays sign, but the fact that they do sign a Major League calibre starter. With so many question marks in the rotation, the Blue Jays can’t afford to sign minor league deals with fringe MLB starters and hope for the best – at least not if they want to legitimately complete in 2018.

Bonus. Don’t Sign an Outfielder

If the Blue Jays truly want to emphasize youth and athleticism, they shouldn’t sign an outfielder this offseason. The outfield is the one area on the roster where the Blue Jays have many quality options, and wasting money on a position of surplus would be detrimental to the efforts of restocking the roster. In fact, not only do the Blue Jays have enough quality outfielders, they may have even more talent than what they recognize.

With Kevin Pillar entrenched in center field, the Blue Jays only need to find two players to play the corner outfields. They can choose any two from the group of Anthony Alford, Teoscar Hernandez, Steve Pearce, and Ezequiel Carrera. Two other names to keep an eye on are Dalton Pompey, an oft-injured yet talented outfielder, and Roemon Fields, a player who batted .283 and stole 50 bases in the upper minors last year.

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I would personally like to see Kevin Pillar, Anthony Alford, and Teoscar Hernandez roaming the outfield as the trio could seriously challenge the Boston Red Sox for the most athletic outfield in all of baseball. Not only would the Blue Jays have one of the best defensive outfields in the game, Alford and Hernandez can truly be spark in the lineup with their blend of speed and power.

However, if the Blue Jays want to have more experience in the everyday lineup, Pearce is also a quality option as he produced a steady .252/.319/.438 slashline to go along with 13 home runs and 37 RBIs in just 92 games. And while Carrera shouldn’t be considered a candidate for an everyday role, he still brings value as a fourth outfielder.

No matter the combination in the outfield, the Blue Jays have the makings of a strong outfield in 2018 with just the in-house options. They would be wise to spend their efforts and money elsewhere, and give the young outfielders a chance to bring back the buzz and excitement in 2018.

Next: Might be time to consider a Pillar trade