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Blue Jays: Looking ahead to the 2021 free agent crop

By Chris Henderson

TORONTO, ON - JANUARY 15: Ross Atkins, Executive Vice President, Baseball Operations & General Manager of the Toronto Blue Jays presents Shun Yamaguchi #1 his jersey and hat during a press conference at Rogers Centre on January 15, 2020 in Toronto, Canada. (Photo by Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images)
TORONTO, ON - JANUARY 15: Ross Atkins, Executive Vice President, Baseball Operations & General Manager of the Toronto Blue Jays presents Shun Yamaguchi #1 his jersey and hat during a press conference at Rogers Centre on January 15, 2020 in Toronto, Canada. (Photo by Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images) /
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DUNEDIN, FLORIDA – FEBRUARY 27: Lourdes Gurriel Jr. #13 of the Toronto Blue Jays at bat during the spring training game against the Minnesota Twins at TD Ballpark on February 27, 2020 in Dunedin, Florida. (Photo by Mark Brown/Getty Images)
DUNEDIN, FLORIDA – FEBRUARY 27: Lourdes Gurriel Jr. #13 of the Toronto Blue Jays at bat during the spring training game against the Minnesota Twins at TD Ballpark on February 27, 2020 in Dunedin, Florida. (Photo by Mark Brown/Getty Images) /

Outfield

There is a lot of upside to the Blue Jays outfield group that’s slated to start for Charlie Montoyo in 2020, but there are a lot of question marks as well.

Right now it looks like Lourdes Gurriel Jr. will start in left field, with Randal Grichuk in centre and Teoscar Hernandez in right. They’ll likely have Derek Fisher somewhere in the mix, possibly in all three positions, and Anthony Alford could be in the fold as well if he makes the team. We also heard rumblings of using Cavan Biggio more in the outfield this year, although we’ll see if that is still on the table by the time baseball resumes.

If the Blue Jays aren’t satisfied with one or more of their outfielders by next off-season, there are a few notable options that could be available.

By far the most talented player and the best fit for the Blue Jays would be Mookie Betts, but it’s hard to say if they’ll be realistic contenders for his services. For comparison’s sake, Mike Trout signed a contract worth more than 400 million, and something tells me that Betts will be looking to break that same threshold. As much as I’d love to see him in a Blue Jays uniform, I don’t think they’ll play in that end of the free agency pool.

If the Blue Jays still feel they need to upgrade in centre field a year from now, they could pursue someone like George Springer, who will be expensive, but less so than Betts. They could also sign a shorter-term solution like Jackie Bradley Jr., or look to upgrade an outfield corner instead. In that case, someone like Marcell Ozuna will be available again after signing just a one year deal with Atlanta, or perhaps a left-handed bat like Joc Pederson, or Michael Brantley.

The outfield remains one of the biggest question marks for now, and until the Blue Jays know whether they’re comfortable with Grichuk in centre long-term, and/or if Teoscar Hernandez can play defence on a regular basis, it’s hard to predict what they’ll do. If they do decide they need an upgrade, there will be a few options anyway.

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