Blue Jays: Winter Meetings will bring another checkmark to the checklist

It’s been a very quiet off-season for the Toronto Blue Jays and all of the MLB for that matter. That is largely due to the Shohei Ohtani sweepstakes as well as the Giancarlo Stanton trade market. The Blue Jays were never in on Stanton and they’ve been ruled out on Ohtani. With the Winter Meetings next week, you can bet the MLB Hot Stove will finally turn on and that the Blue Jays will add another checkmark to their off-season checklist.

The Blue Jays got their off-season checklist off to a great start on Friday, December 1st when they non-tendered the light-hitting-all-glove Ryan Goins. That move was followed up later in the day by a trade with the St. Louis Cardinals that saw outfield prospect J.B. Woodman sent to St. Louis for 2016 All-Star Aledmys Diaz. The Blue Jays came into this off-season needing to improve their depth up the middle behind Devon Travis and Troy Tulowitzki. It’s likely they will look to add someone else to the middle infield depth, but Diaz has potential to be quite good and signals a great start and the need to turn the attention to other areas of the roster.

Of course, should a middle infielder come available during the meetings via trade or a free agent signing, they will pounce on it. I think it’s likely that Ross Atkins and Mark Shapiro head into the Winter Meetings with the goal of adding either an outfielder, catcher, starting pitcher, or reliever. I believe one, if not two of the four get addressed next week.

The question would then be, who will be added, or which area of need will be addressed. It’s impossible to say who will be added other than pure speculation based on a good fit for the Blue Jays. People have made the case for a ton of different players based on fit and need. You can throw around the names like Alex Cobb, Lorenzo Cain, or Jarrod Dyson to name a few.

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However, based on what we’ve seen of Ross Atkins and Mark Shapiro from two years of them being in control, you could make an educated guess as to the type of move that we could expect to see. Based on last year, it’s unlikely we see them add a reliever. With tons of bullpen depth and the reluctance to commit big money to a reliever (which is completely okay), it’s likely we see the Blue Jays opt to find a bargain reliever late in the off-season. See Joe Smith and what they had hoped to get from J.P. Howell.

It’s also unlikely we see a big splash, and that’s okay too. The Winter Meetings a season ago brought lots of conversations but not much action. We haven’t seen any big splashes over the past off-seasons at the Winter Meetings from the Toronto Blue Jays, but the start of potential trade or free agent talks for later on. All that being said, I think if we saw a major splash like an Alex Cobb, Jake Arrieta, Lorenzo Cain, or a big trade that will address areas of need, it will come after the Winter Meetings have concluded.

All of that ramble has led to what I think will happen. Ross Atkins and Mark Shapiro will go into the Winter Meetings and come home being able to check off of box on the off-season checklist. I think we will see the Blue Jays add an outfielder who could be a 4th outfielder or part-time starter. If you ask me, I think we see the Blue Jays come back to Toronto with Jarrod Dyson.

Adding Aledmys Diaz addressed the need for insurance behind Tulowitzki, but it also was insurance that can hit. That’s something they didn’t have from Ryan Goins or Darwin Barney last year, and Diaz can also bring a decent glove. Aledmys Diaz was pretty much exactly what the Blue Jays needed. Jarrod Dyson could be that guy too and he wouldn’t come with an expensive or lengthy price tag. Dyson would also add an element of speed the Blue Jays didn’t have a season ago. Despite being in his 30’s, he is still one of the fastest in all of baseball according to Statcast. He also bats left handed, something the Blue Jays need.

Next: Blue Jays' plans should come to light soon

The Blue Jays need an outfielder. Maybe even two. One legitimate full-time starter and one guy to be a 4th outfielder or part-time/platoon player. I feel the Blue Jays won’t leave the Winter Meetings empty handed. Jarrod Dyson would be a nice addition to the roster and allow for the Blue Jays to add another checkmark to the off-season checklist. The major moves will come after the Winter Meetings, but the meetings will still bring a move that will make the fanbase happy.