Blue Jays: What high impact player could they add?

TORONTO, ON - APRIL 02: General manager Ross Atkins of the Toronto Blue Jays addresses the media after completing a trade earlier in the day that sent Kevin Pillar #11 to the San Francisco Giants during MLB game action against the Baltimore Orioles at Rogers Centre on April 2, 2019 in Toronto, Canada. (Photo by Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images)
TORONTO, ON - APRIL 02: General manager Ross Atkins of the Toronto Blue Jays addresses the media after completing a trade earlier in the day that sent Kevin Pillar #11 to the San Francisco Giants during MLB game action against the Baltimore Orioles at Rogers Centre on April 2, 2019 in Toronto, Canada. (Photo by Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images) /
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CHICAGO, ILLINOIS – SEPTEMBER 26: Kris Bryant #17 of the Chicago Cubs hits a grand slam in the third inning against the Chicago White Sox at Guaranteed Rate Field on September 26, 2020 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Quinn Harris/Getty Images)
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS – SEPTEMBER 26: Kris Bryant #17 of the Chicago Cubs hits a grand slam in the third inning against the Chicago White Sox at Guaranteed Rate Field on September 26, 2020 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Quinn Harris/Getty Images) /

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.