Blue Jays: Three free agents still worth considering

The Blue Jays may be happy with the collection of players they’ve assembled, but there are still few solid free agents available, and they could come cheap.

Ross Atkins and his front office staff did a lot of heavy lifting this offseason, and as a result the Blue Jays are well set up to take another run at playoff baseball in 2021. They were already returning an exciting core of young players, and then they brought in impact veterans like George Springer, Marcus Semien, Kirby Yates and more.

As of right now the 40-man roster is full, and you could argue that the Blue Jays are done shopping for the winter. That may very well be the case, but Atkins has always been GM with an eye on opportunity, and there could be a few left on the free agent market.

Things were ridiculously slow for free agents this winter, especially after a 60-game 2021 season that didn’t have fans in the stands. While most players have found new homes, there remain a few options on the free agent market that Blue Jays should keep an eye on. This late in the winter there could be some real bargains to be had, and they might even be able to offer a MiLB contract and still sign a useful player or two.

For example, Blue Jay legend Edwin Encarnacion is still looking for a place to play this season, and while that’s unlikely to be Toronto (or Florida, or wherever), I’m sure the veteran can still contribute. He struggled through 159 at-bats last year with a .157/.250/.377 slash line, but he still had 10 home runs for the White Sox, and was a dangerous hitter in 2019.

For the Blue Jays, there are options that don’t fit the DH mold, which is what likely rules out a player like Encarnacion. Let’s see what the market still has to offer.