Blue Jays: The five free agents least likely to sign in Toronto

We spend time every off-season thinking about the players that could join the Blue Jays. Today, let’s look at a list of players who definitely won’t sign in Toronto.

Yesterday I wrote about how the Blue Jays have a large bag of trade chips that they could use this off-season, and that they could theoretically trade for almost anyone they’re after, assuming the other team is willing to deal. In addition to having trade flexibility, the Jays should have a fair bit of money to work with in free agency as well, further expanding their options to improve the roster ahead of next season.

That said, just because a player is hitting the open market doesn’t mean that the Blue Jays will have a chance to sign them. Looking ahead to this winter’s free agent class, I can see a few cases where the Jays likely won’t be making a call to the player agent, for one reason or another. It might be because of a previous relationship with the team, an assumed loyalty to their old club, or even an affinity for the National League. However, you slice it, not every player will be available for Ross Atkins to consider, even if he should have plenty of resources.

Who might these players be? Let’s have a look at this year’s free agent crop and see if there are any names that we can cross out ahead of time. With the future looking bright in Toronto, it should be a desirable location for free agents in a lot of ways, and the list is likely smaller than in some years. Still, it’s not empty.