Blue Jays: Three free agents still worth considering

The starter the rotation still needs

At this point I think that most of us have accepted that it isn’t going to happen, but the fact is that Jake Odorizzi is still available on the free agent market.

It’s no secret that the Blue Jays could use another rotation upgrade, even if they have plenty of depth for their rotation. For one reason or another, Atkins elected to forego making an impact addition to the rotation. They did re-sign Robbie Ray and traded for Steven Matz, but the need for a #2 starter behind Hyun Ryu remains.

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It’s entirely possible that Atkins has already spent his offseason budget after handing George Springer 150 million over six years, and Marcus Semien another 18 million for one season, or maybe the front office prefers to save some budget space for the trade deadline. However, Odorizzi might be worth spending it now if the price is right, and the later we get in the spring the more that could happen.

Perhaps the right-hander will ultimately prefer to sign a one-year deal again and hope he can be more healthy and productive than he was last season when he only made four starts and posted a 6.59 ERA. I’m sure the plan was to look for a multi-year pact, but between last season’s struggles and the tepid market this winter, that likely isn’t going to happen at this stage.

If he’s available for 10 million or even less on a one year deal, I think that’s the kind of thing that Atkins and his crew have to consider. Maybe someone will swoop in and offer him a multi-year deal, but until that happens then the Blue Jays should be keeping an eye on the situation, and one hand on the cell phone.