Blue Jays: Three free agents still worth considering

Another utility guy- Danny Santana

I’ve written about the idea of signing Danny Santana, and I’m still a fan of exploring the opportunity. Especially now that the Blue Jays might even be able to sign him to a MiLB contract.

According to mlbtraderumors.com, it sounds like Santana is close to signing his next contract, and should be healthy after having elbow surgery and missing most of last season. He was non-tender by the Texas Rangers earlier this winter, which was a bit of a surprise to me.

The 30-year-old is the kind of player that Atkins and the Blue Jays staff love; someone who can play all over the diamond. In 2019 he made 51 starts in the outfield for the Rangers (split between all three spots), 44 at first base, 17 at second base, nine at shortstop, and eight more at the hot corner. That year he also hit .283/.324/.534 with 28 home runs, 84 RBI, and 21 stolen bases. Frankly, I’m kinda shocked that he’s still available. I realize he’s coming off an injury, but still, he’s a valuable player to have around when he’s healthy.

The Blue Jays could make it work with him as a bench piece, especially because of his ability to cover basically any position. If they aren’t keen on viewing him as a back-up as shortstop, they could always slide Marcus Semien over to give Bo Bichette a night off on occasion.

It sounds like there will be competition, including from the Twins, but I’d be keeping an eye on the situation if I were in Atkins’ shoes.