Blue Jays: Ryu should provide the confidence to spend big again

The accolades keep piling up for Hyun Jin Ryu after a strong 2020 season, and he’s given the Blue Jays reason to have confidence to spend big again.

When the Blue Jays broke out the cheque book last winter and signed Hyun Jin Ryu to a four-year, 80 million dollar deal, they did so hoping they were getting a bona fide ace to head their rotation. Thankfully, that’s exactly what they got in year one of the pact, even if the season was shortened to just 60 games.

The reality is, the Blue Jays don’t qualify for last year’s postseason without the southpaw in the mix, and his addition was about more than just improving the rotation. It was also a signal to the rest of the league that the Jays are serious about winning again, and they’ve kept sending that message with what sounds like an aggressive approach so far this offseason. All they have to show for it so far is re-upping with Robbie Ray on a one year, eight million dollar contract, but they’ve been linked to pretty much every meaningful free agent so far, as well as a few notable names on the trade market.

Part of the reason they’ve been able to take that approach is because the Ryu contract has worked out thus far. The Blue Jays haven’t been shy about spending on their payroll in the past, but Ryu’s deal represents the most they’ve ever spent on a free agent contract. It’s important that it’s gone well, especially because it’ll help convince ownership to do it again.

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It’s an important step of trust for Ross Atkins and his staff, especially as they look to add some finishing pieces to their rebuild and complete the transition into legitimate contenders. It’s taken some time, and a rebuild that had a total “stripped down” phase, but the result is a strong homegrown core, and the payroll room to add some of what’s missing.

Just as it was a year ago, the biggest roster need is in the rotation. Ryu is a legitimate ace, but after that comes a lot questions about health, and possibly performance for the aforementioned Ray, along with Nate Pearson, Tanner Roark, Ross Stripling and others. The Blue Jays likely enough depth to survive the season, especially when you compare what they have now to what they rolled out in 2019, but surviving is no longer the goal here.

However, due to the free agent and trade markets, it’s sounding more and more likely that the best asset the Blue Jays will add this winter will be a position player. It remains to be seen if that’s how it plays out, but there again, Atkins and company have earned the trust to decide what’s ultimately best for the roster. If that means spending the big money on someone like George Springer, and then taking a cheaper approach to the rotation with the likes of Taijuan Walker or James Paxton, then that’s okay too.

The important thing is that the Blue Jays are swimming in the deep end of the player pool, and that’s especially significant when so many other franchises are looking to save money. The credit goes to the front office, to Rogers Communications (assuming they do in fact pay to sign a significant player or two), to the homegrown core in Toronto showing promise, and lastly, to Ryu. The 2nd team All-MLBer (as was announced on Wednesday) proved that sometimes you have to spend to make a true difference, and it’s exciting to see them ready to do it again.