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

A snowball’s chance in Hell

As I scanned the list of potential free agents this winter, there’s one player that I’m all but certain won’t be returning to Toronto. In fact, I’d bet pretty much everything I own that there won’t be a reunion with Marcus Stroman this off-season.

It’s a fun idea to think about, fleecing the Mets by getting Simeon Woods Richardson (#93 on Baseball America’s top 100 list) and Anthony Kay in exchange for Stroman, and then re-signing him back a year and a half later. That would especially sting for the Mets, who only got 11 starts from the right-hander in 2019, and then saw injuries/an opt-out have him miss all of 2020. In hindsight, the Mets paid a fairly hefty price and didn’t get a lot in return, at least not yet.

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However, the chances of Stroman returning to Toronto are almost zero. The man who once had the Toronto skyline tattooed on his body has had that artwork covered up, and has moved on from his first MLB home. There was no love lost between him and the front office in 2019, as Stroman publicly called them out over extension talks (or a lack there of), and it was clear the relationship was greatly strained, if not irreparably damaged.

While the Blue Jays could theoretically use someone with his skill set to slot in behind Hyun Jin Ryu, I can’t imagine that either side would be interested in a reunion. Even after not pitching in 2020, Stroman is going to command a sizeable salary, and I suspect that Ross Atkins and company would feel far more comfortable spending it on someone like Taijuan Walker. There’s no guarantee that comes together either, but it appears that the Blue Jays and Walker had a mutually positive experience down the stretch, which is a lot more than can be said the end of Stroman’s tenure in Toronto. My colleague Tyson Shushkewich wrote about the possibility of a reunion yesterday, and again, it’s fun to think about, but he ultimately agreed that the chances are slim to none.

So while the Blue Jays have all kinds of options on the table to improve the roster over the winter, there are some potential free agents that can be crossed off before things even get officially started. Who did I miss? Which other free agents can you all but guarantee won’t work for the Blue Jays?