Five Offseason Moves The Blue Jays Should Make

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.

More from Jays Journal

• Matt Chapman has been exactly what the Blue Jays needed
• Blue Jays: The goalposts are moving in the right direction
• Single-A Dunedin Blue Jays advance to the Championship Series
• Blue Jays: Comparisons for Alek Manoah’s Second Season
• Blue Jays: Adam Cimber, the unlikely decision King

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