Blue Jays: Goins may finally get to start in New York

Monday brought rumours that the New York Mets are potentially interested in signing former Blue Jay, Ryan Goins, to start at second base.

Since there isn’t a whole lot to talk about regarding the Blue Jays from day one (watch this change after I go to bed), I figured it was worth noting a piece of news from the rumour mill regarding a former Toronto Blue Jay.

Ryan Goins was non-tendered by the Blue Jays earlier this offseason, and then they immediately traded for a potential replacement in Aledmys Diaz from the St. Louis Cardinals. Goins was projected to get a raise to 1.8 million through arbitration, and the Blue Jays’ front office ultimately decided that they could use those funds a little better, and perhaps it was time to move on from the fan favourite anyway.

It appears he’s starting to draw some interest on the free agent market now that we’re into December, as Joel Sherman of the New York post reported that the New York Mets are considering him for their vacant second base job. They currently have Wilmer Flores listed at the top of their depth chart, and they used Jose Reyes there the most frequently in 2017, so the bar is nice and low for Goins to come in and win the job.

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The 29 year old utility man finished last season with a slash line of .237/.286/.356 with nine home runs and 63 RBI, while playing in 143 games. He’s a career .228 hitter, and has always been known for his glove work, whether it be at shortstop, second base, or even making appearances at third base, in the outfield, and on the mound. He debuted for the Blue Jays in 2013 and played in 448 games in blue and white before his career in Toronto came to an end, at least for now.

The Mets weren’t the only ones to mention him in the media, as Ross Atkins also admitted that the front office hadn’t ruled out bringing him back to Toronto either, and that they would like to further add to their middle infield depth picture, even after bringing in Diaz.

As far as Goins is concerned, he’s one of the more polarizing players the Blue Jays have employed in recent years, and his departure was a perfect example. One half of the fan base sighed with relief that the team finally decided to move on, while the other mourned the loss of a fan favourite, and cursed the front office for letting go of a blue collar hero.

For almost all of us, we should hope for Goins to end up with that starting gig in New York. Personally, I’d like to see him succeed as a starter, as he’s always been a likeable personality who works hard on the diamond, and those guys are easy to cheer for. And if you’ve been among the group that’s longed for his release, then his signing in New York would guarantee he won’t be coming back next year. Everybody wins!

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Good luck in whatever the next phrase of your career brings you Mr. Goins.