Blue Jays: More on the trade market for Kevin Pillar

According to Jon Heyman, there still seems to be interest in Kevin Pillar on the free agent, with mostly National League teams coming up in rumours.

As we inch closer to the Christmas holidays, there’s a good chance that things will be pretty quiet on the MLB hot stove, at least until later next week.

That said, there’s a good chance that things will be pretty busy with the free agency and trade market once the new year rolls around, and that could include the Toronto Blue Jays. There have been several rumours about the holdover veterans so far this offseason, and one name is popping up again in Kevin Pillar.

The 29 year old centre fielder is entering his second year of arbitration eligibility and is set to earn a little more than five million in 2019. His salary is not the problem by any means, but for a club that’s rebuilding and looking ahead a year or two, it’s entirely possible that Pillar’s skills will have regressed even more by the time the team is ready to compete again, or he could be a little more expensive than his performance would justify.

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All of this adds up to why his name is coming up in the trade rumour mill so far this winter, and it’s mostly been National League teams that have been linked to the California native. In fact, according to Jon Heyman of FanCredSports and his latest piece, there is “thought to be interest” in him.

Heyman notes that he would fit well with teams who play in spacious outfields, such as the San Francisco Giants or Colorado Rockies, both of whom have been linked to Pillar this winter through rumours, but Heyman also notes that it’s unknown whether either team is actively pursuing him.

There were some fans who raised their eyebrows when they saw the list of players that will be attending Fan Fest as well, especially because Pillar’s name was absent. There are a boat load of current and former players who will be there, as well as a big group of rookies and prospects. For what it’s worth, Pillar addressed this on social media, noting that he has been asked to head to Halifax on the team’s winter tour.

At it goes every offseason, we won’t know how much truth there is to the rumours until something happens, and it’s possible that nothing does, and Pillar is the Opening Day centre fielder in Toronto.