Blue Jays Rumours: Why The Interest In Michael Brantley

The Jays Journal staff are explaining why the Jays have a significant interest in several players. For this segment, I will be explaining why the Jays have a significant interest in the Astros outfielder, Michael Brantley.

After a spectacular 2020 postseason, Astros outfielder, Michael Brantley will become an unrestricted free agent. The 33-year-old left-handed batter is coming off another outstanding season where he played in 46 games hitting .300 with 5 home runs and 22 RBIs. He topped his regular-season performance by hitting .346 with 3 home runs and 11 RBI’s in this year’s postseason. Brantley’s stats alone and consistency over the years show why he could be an incredibly effective player on a team that is hoping to compete as early as next year.

Here are two reasons why the Jays should push to sign Michael Brantley:

1. Playoff Experience/Veteran Presence

As we are all aware, the Blue Jays have a very young team. Michael Brantley has experienced it all throughout his illustrious 12 year MLB career. With playoff appearances in 5 years including a World Series appearance, Brantley has been on the biggest stage in baseball. Brantley is a career .297 hitter and the fact that he is a lefty makes him that much more intriguing. With such a young outfield that includes Teoscar Hernandez and Lourdes Gurriel Jr., the acquisition of Brantley could go a long way in the team’s hopes at competing this year.

2. Improves Outfield Depth

Coming into the 2020 MLB season, there were several questions surrounding the Blue Jays outfield. Many of these questions were put to rest as each of the starting outfielders had career seasons. However, we do not exactly know what we are going to get from these guys over the course of a 162 game season.

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Michael Brantley has been able to stay healthy for the most part which has resulted in all-star appearances in three straight years from 2017-2019. Brantley is one of the most underrated players in baseball. If he is able to stay healthy, you know exactly what you are going to get out of the perennial all-star.

Overall, the Jays brass has made it known that they are looking to spend this off-season in hopes of competing as early as next year. Brantley is a 34-year-old veteran who has experienced it all in his phenomenal 12-year career.

If the Jays can get Brantley on a short two to three-year deal, he could be a massive piece for the Blue Jays. With the lack of playoff experience and outfield depth that the Blue Jays possess, Brantley could be a great addition to an up and coming Blue Jays team.