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Every Single 2020 Free Agent the Blue Jays could be Interested in

By Reuben Gasee

TORONTO, ON - OCTOBER 29: General manager Ross Atkins of the Toronto Blue Jays poses with new manager Charlie Montoyo who was introduced to members of the media and president Mark Shapiro on October 29, 2018 in Toronto, Canada. (Photo by Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images)
TORONTO, ON - OCTOBER 29: General manager Ross Atkins of the Toronto Blue Jays poses with new manager Charlie Montoyo who was introduced to members of the media and president Mark Shapiro on October 29, 2018 in Toronto, Canada. (Photo by Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images) /
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SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA – OCTOBER 07: Masahiro Tanaka #19 of the New York Yankees pitches against the Tampa Bay Rays during the fourth inning in Game Three of the American League Division Series at PETCO Park on October 07, 2020 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA – OCTOBER 07: Masahiro Tanaka #19 of the New York Yankees pitches against the Tampa Bay Rays during the fourth inning in Game Three of the American League Division Series at PETCO Park on October 07, 2020 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /

Masahiro Tanaka

When Masahiro Tanaka was made available for a posting fee from his former team in the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles in Japan, he was in high demand among major league teams. The New York Yankees were the team that ended up getting negotiating rights with him and subsequently signed him to a seven year, $155 million deal.

He won’t be getting a deal anywhere close to that in his first time as an unrestricted free agent, but in an uninspiring pitching market, he could very well get a solid payday for himself.

His first ever major league game was at the Rogers Centre in which he gave up a home run to the first batter he faced in former Blue Jays outfielder Melky Cabrera.

Tanaka made 10 starts in the 2020 season going 3-3 with a 3.56 ERA while only giving up eight walks in 48 innings.

In his career, he’s 78-46 with a 3.74 ERA with only 208 walks in 1,054.1 innings pitched. Tanaka has done really well at limiting free passes in his career with the most amount of walks given up in one season being 41.

The Blue Jays could see Tanaka as someone who could slide behind Ryu in the rotation, but he does come with some concerns including his health and the fact that he has been inconsistent over the past few years.

Jays Journal co-site expert Chris Henderson wrote a piece a while back stating how the Jays should bring Tanaka north of the border.

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