Blue Jays: What high impact player could they add?

An impact player can really help the Blue Jays take the next step

The Toronto Blue Jays made the playoffs for the first time in four years in which it was the first postseason appearance with the young core of the team. As we all know though, the Jays got swept by the Tampa Bay Rays in two games.

Going into the offseason, the Jays have some needs to address, specifically on the pitching front and maybe some depth pieces. In a virtual interview with reporters, Ross Atkins stated he’s open to adding a a “super high impact” player whether it be through trade or free agency.

As we saw during the season and the playoffs, the Jays are a good pitcher and perhaps a big bat away from being true World Series contenders. If the team can add those kinds of players, they would truly be breathing on the necks of the Rays, New York Yankees as well as other American League contenders. Here is who the Jays could target as their ”super high impact player.”

Trevor Bauer

Trevor Bauer is by all means the best pitcher on the free-agent market and will be sought after by every contending team. The very outspoken right-hander went 5-4 with a 1.73 E.R.A. in 11 starts that consisted of 73 innings pitched. He struck out 100 batters while only giving up 41 hits and is probably the favourite for the NL Cy Young award.

Throughout his whole career, he’s 75-64 with a 3.90 E.R.A. in 205 games (195 starts) with 1,279 strikeouts compared to 1,051 hits given up.

You’d think that a pitcher who did that well this season would seek a huge contract that will set him up for life but this isn’t the case for Bauer. He has mentioned that he’s only signing one-year deals to maximize his career earnings. A risky move but one that could pay off if he continues pitching well.

If Bauer were to sign with the Jays, he would immediately form a very good top of the rotation of himself and Hyun-Jin Ryu.

J.T. Realmuto

J.T. Realmuto is arguably the most complete catcher in the game as he can contribute at a high level both at the plate and behind it. In 47 games this season, he slashed .266/.349/.491 with 11 HR.

Behind the plate, he had a fielding percentage of .993, caught 25% of would-be base stealers while only allowing one passed ball. While Gold Glove winners for the 2020 season have yet to be announced, he could win his second one in a row as he was the National League recipient for the catcher position last season.

While Realmuto would provide an upgrade to any team behind the plate including the Jays, it’s unlikely the front office will pursue him. The Jays have tremendous catching depth within their organization with the likes of Danny Jansen, Reese McGuire, and Alejandro Kirk as well as two other catchers ranked among their top 30 prospects.

Also, Realmuto is apparently seeking a contract similar to the one Paul Goldschmidt signed with the St.Louis Cardinals which he did so for $130 million over five years. This is a lot of money to shell out to a catcher when they’re not always able to play a good significant amount of games and at the same time, the Jays have catchers who can perform for a fraction of what Realmuto is seeking.

Although going after Realmuto can’t be ruled out. Last offseason, the Jays reportedly checked in on Yasmani Grandal who eventually signed with the Chicago White Sox.

George Springer

As Mookie Betts signed an extension with the Los Angeles Dodgers, George Springer is the best outfielder available on the free-agent market. This season, he slashed .265/.359/.540 with 14 HR. Last season, he was playing like an MVP before he went down with an injury. His 2019 season ended with a slash line of .292/.383/.591 with 39 HR and 96 RBIs.

With the Astros side stealing scandal aside, Springer has been to three straight all-star games and has two Silver Slugger awards with one of them coming last year.

Heading into 2020, the outfield was seen as an area of need for the Blue Jays but it may no longer be. Lourdes Gurriel Jr.is a key part of the Jays future and left field is his. Randal Grichuk showed improvements at the plate slashing .273/.312/.481, his best slash line since 2015, and got more hits than strikeouts in a season for the first time in his career. Teoscar Hernandez broke out in a huge way and for now, has entrenched himself as the future right fielder of the Blue Jays.

With the outfield not as much as a glaring need, Springer may not fit into the mold for the Jays but there’s always the possibility they sign him and trade Grichuk in order to accommodate the former Houston Astro. Deciding to go after Springer will probably come down to how much faith the front office and coaching staff have in Grichuk going forward and whether they believe his 55 game sample in 2020 was for real or a hot streak.

Nolan Arenado

The Colorado Rockies aren’t necessarily a winning team and all Nolan Arenado wants to do is win. Despite signing an eight-year, $260 million contract extension prior to the 2019 season, he has an opt-out clause after the 2021 season which allows him to enter free agency if he wishes to.

Arenado didn’t have his best season this year slashing just .253/.303/.434 but he has outstanding career numbers of .293/.349/.541 with 235 HR and 760 RBIs. He’s been to five consecutive all-star games, has four Silver Slugger awards, and has won the Gold Glove award each year since he’s entered the league back in 2013.

While Arenado is an excellent player, one thing to be wary of is his home/road splits as he does significantly better at the high altitude of Coors Field. For example, this season at home, he slashed .271/.304/.505 with seven home runs but on the road, he put up a line of .227/.302/.333 with just one ball going over the fence.

Arenado trade rumors are sure to heat up throughout the offseason as there’s a chance he opts out of his contract after the 2021 season, so the Rockies may want to get something for him instead of letting him walk for nothing. The Blue Jays could give the Rockies a call and see what the asking price is as he would make this team immediately better, especially on the defensive side of things as that is an area the team struggled with this season.

DJ LeMahieu

When DJ LeMahieu signed a two year deal for $24 million with the New York Yankees prior to the 2019 campaign, he wasn’t even expected to be a starter as he was brought in to be a utility player off the bench (he wasn’t even in the starting lineup for Opening Day 2019). Yet, he’s been one of the best players in the major leagues since signing that contract.

In two years with the Yankees, he’s slashed .336/.386/.536 with 268 hits and 36 home runs. He’s way outplayed his contract and got the Yankees wishing they signed him to another year on his deal.

He’ll be a free agent now looking to cash in on his recent success and he’ll surely be looking to exceed $100 million despite being 32 years old. Teams may shy away from paying him that much for a player of that age but he’ll be sure to get a boatload of money from whatever team signs him.

The Blue Jays could look to sign LeMahieu away from their division rival but there is sure to be tons of competition for his services. If the Blue Jays are the lucky team to get him, he’ll most likely be stationed at the hot corner which he just learned how to play with the Yankees. Although, he can also play his primary position of second base or first which affords the Jays additional defensive flexibility.

Kris Bryant

Chicago Cubs President Theo Epstein recently said that changes are most likely going to be made to the team and that could mean moving on from Kris Bryant who has one year left on his deal.

Bryant struggled mightily this season slashing .206/.293/.351 with just four long balls and 11 RBIs but in seasons prior, he’s been pretty good. Prior to the shortened 2020 season, he hit .270 or better in five consecutive seasons while getting on base at very good clips as his on-base percentages are as followed:

2015: .369
2016: .385
2017: .409
2018: .374
2019: .382

In regards to slugging percentage, he has slugged .500 or higher in three seasons and has also had three years where is OPS is .900+. He has a career slash line of .280/.380/.508 with 172 doubles and 142 home runs.

Another thing that Bryant comes with is versatility as he can play all of third, first, right, left, and even has experience captaining the outfield in center. Versatility is a trait that Ross Atkins love in players as we’ve seen with prior signings and trades.

As mentioned before, Bryant only has one year left on his contract so it would be up to the front office to determine if it’s worth going after him with the risk that he could leave for nothing the year after. If the Jays do get him though, he would give the Jays a big bat in their lineup and could be a game-changer if he gets back to his previous form.

Trevor Story

As Trevor Story’s contract expires after the 2021 campaign, the Rockies may explore trading him if they don’t feel like they can get him to agree to a contract extension. He’s in a similar situation with his team as Arenado is.

Appearing in all but one game this season, he slashed .289/.355/.519 with 68 hits and 11 home runs. Throughout his career, he’s slashed .277/.343/.535 with 134 home runs. He can also run too as he’s stolen 80 bases in his career. Over the past two seasons, he’s blossomed into a high-quality player with consecutive all-star appearances and Silver Slugger awards.

Like Arenado, Story has benefited from playing half his games at the high altitude of Coors Field as he tends to do better at home than on the road which can be seen from his home/road splits. But that doesn’t matter when it comes to defence which he tends to do well at (career .980 fielding percentage).

If the Blue Jays were to acquire Story, they would most likely give him playing time at shortstop with Bichette most likely being shifted over to second base and Biggio would have to play elsewhere on the field.

Who would you like to see the Toronto Blue Jays go after? Any of the guys mentioned in the article? A different player? Let us know in the comments who you would like to see in a Blue Jays uniform.