Blue Jays: There are plenty of affordable rotation upgrades available

Third Tier

The Blue Jays certainly should have the funds available to shop in the first or second aisle of free agency, but it’s the third tier that I expect them to do the majority of their dealing. It’s also the place where the four and five year deals are generally off the table, and even looking for a three year pact could be tough as well.

That said, that doesn’t mean there won’t be value left for the Blue Jays to bid on, especially if the predictions from MLB Trade Rumors end up coming true. Do any of these terms or dollar figures seem unreasonable to you?

• Kyle Gibson (2 years, 18 million)
• Tanner Roark (2 years, 18 million)
• Julio Teheran (2 years, 18 million)
• Wade Miley (2 years, 16 million)
• Rick Porcello (1 year, 11 million)

Each of those veterans comes with pros and cons, but if that’s the way the market plays out then the Blue Jays have no excuse not to make a serious offer for at least one of those starters. We’ve already covered why Roark could be a good candidate to land in Toronto here at Jays Journal, and MLB Trade Rumors also has him pegged to be a Blue Jay. Personally, I’ve liked Gibson as a potential target since the 2019 season ended, assuming they’re not going to shop in the deep end.

The point is, each of the above names is a worthwhile risk on those terms, especially for a pitching-needy team like the Blue Jays. Ideally they would bring in an ace over the winter, but a reliable veteran of any kind will provide an upgrade to the current group they have in place. Tier three can give the Blue Jays just that.