Blue Jays: Scoot Cavan Biggio to the outfield and sign Scooter Gennett

CINCINNATI, OH - JULY 26: Scooter Gennett #3 of the Cincinnati Reds throws the ball to first base against the Philadelphia Phillies at Great American Ball Park on July 26, 2018 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
CINCINNATI, OH - JULY 26: Scooter Gennett #3 of the Cincinnati Reds throws the ball to first base against the Philadelphia Phillies at Great American Ball Park on July 26, 2018 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

The external outfield options have dwindled for the Toronto Blue Jays this offseason but what if they scooted Cavan Biggio to the outfield and signed free-agent second baseman Scooter Gennett.

A healthy Scooter Gennett would immediately make the Blue Jays a better team especially if he can channel his inner 2018-17 where he combined for 50 home runs over the two seasons. A Gennett signing would essentially shift Cavan Biggio to right field while Randal Grichuk would slide back over to centrefield.

Last season Gennett was hampered by a groin tear that limited the 29-year old to just 42 games split between the Reds and Giants. Gennett finished the season with a disappointing .226/.245/.323 line with only two round-trippers.

Those numbers are a far cry from his 2018 totals where he hit .310/.357/.490 with 181 hits, 23 homers, 93 runs batted in and a 4.2 WAR in 154 games. The previous season Gennett showed even more power hitting .295/.342/.531 with 136 hits, 27 home runs, 97 runs batted in and a 2.4 WAR in 141 games.

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If this guy is healthy, he can be a game-changer atop the Blue Jays lineup. The addition would also afford the Blue Jays to utilize Teoscar Hernandez as the designated hitter rather than patrolling the outfield in 2020.

The second-baseman earned $9.775 million last season but he could possibly be had for a lesser annual average salary if the team included performance incentives which he could reach for games played. An incentive-laden deal would also act as an insurance plan in the event he reaggravates his groin injury from last year.

Cavan Biggio played eight games in right field last season at the major league level along with only five games in Buffalo. The 24-year old would definitely require some on the job training during spring training to make the move feasible, however, Biggio is athletic enough and possesses a strong enough arm to make the jump.

The Jays have only added Travis Shaw in terms of position players this offseason and Gennett coupled with Shaw could be a huge offensive power boost in addition to the pieces already in place.

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As external options dwindle by the day, this may be an outside the box option that could pay dividends given the right set of circumstances.