Toronto Blue Jays luck out by not signing these players last off-season

This past off-season was pretty busy for the Toronto Blue Jays, as the club signed outfielder George Springer to the largest financial contract in team history at 6 years, $150 million while also signing Marcus Semien, Robbie Ray, Kirby Yates, David Phelps, and Tyler Chatwood to one-year deals. While Springer has missed some time on the injured list along with Yates and Phelps, who are both done for the season, Semien and Ray have been outstanding additions to the club while Chatwood was the only one to really flame out.

That being said, the Blue Jays were interested in quite a few free agents this past Winter, and although they did attempt to sign a few different players, some spurned the club to sign elsewhere while others never received a formal offer from the club.

Here is a list of players that the Blue Jays were lucky to miss out on, whether or not they were just partially interested in them or actually offered a contract to said player and they went elsewhere.

Trevor Bauer – RHP

The coveted starter on the free-agent market this past off-season, the Blue Jays appeared very interested in signing Trevor Bauer after the numbers he put up with the Cincinnati Reds last season.
He would start 11 games in the shortened season and would pitch to a 1.73 ERA with 100 strikeouts in 73.0 innings of work, earning the NL Cy Young award in the process.

Adding Bauer to the rotation would have been a big help considering the only additional arms added during the off-season were Ray and Steven Matz (via trade) and adding Bauer would form a formidable one-two punch with Hyun Jin Ryu at the top of the rotation. The right-hander even confirmed the mutual interest when he posted a video to his Twitter account mentioning that he spoke with Jays pitching coach Pete Walker and other members of the coaching staff.

Bauer would end up signing with the Los Angeles Dodgers on a three-year, $102 million dollar contract with player options for both the second and third years worth roughly $35 million each year. The Blue Jays even made it into his Lebron-style announcement video but he would go on to sign with the Dodgers, with no word on any reported contract details on whether the Jays’ offered the right-hander anything official.

In his first season in California, Bauer has appeared in 17 games this season and thrown to a 2.59 ERA through 107.2 innings with 37 walks, 137 strikeouts, and a 1.00 WHIP.

While the stats are impressive, the California product is experiencing some difficulty off the field, as he is currently under administrative leave from Major League Baseball in regards to sexual assault allegations made against him earlier this year. While the case is currently with the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office, Bauer is currently on paid leave and could receive a further suspension from the MLB once the dust settles with his legal proceedings.

His stats are impressive on the field but it is the off-the-field issues that are the main reason the club was lucky to miss out on Bauer, as he has not appeared in a game since June 28th and is earning almost $40 million this season (his leave is paid). The Jays went through a similar scenario with Roberto Osuna back in 2018 and traded him to the Houston Astros once his suspension was over.

While it is not my place to comment whether or not he is guilty (as the legal system will do that for us), having a player making a ton of money and not playing due to a league administered leave does not help the club and it is better to have no drama off the field impacting what the team is doing on the field.

Jake Odorizzi

One of the last free-agent pitchers on the market this past Winter, right-hander Jake Odorizzi drew the interest of the Toronto Blue Jays because of his veteran presence and his ability to pitch to around a 3.50 ERA when he is on his game. The signing would have been risky, especially coming off a rough injury-riddled 2020 season (four starts and a 6.59 ERA) and a subpar performance in 2018, but the club felt he may have been an upgrade over the likes of Tanner Roark and/or Steven Matz to begin the season.

Odorizzi would eventually sign with the Houston Astros on a three-year, $23.5 million dollar contract with a player option worth $6.5 million for the third year.

The Blue Jays were interested in quite a few players this off-season, and while they did sign some notable free agents, there are a few players that the club is most likely glad they either missed out on or didn’t pursue.

The righty pitcher would have a late start to the season given he did not sign with the Astros until deep into Spring Training and would also miss some time on the IL in late April/early May. Through 20 outings (19 starts) this season, the Illinois product has thrown to a 4.32 ERA through 89.2 innings of work while striking out 82 batters compared to his 31 walks.

Looking at the Blue Jays’ current starting rotation, only Ross Stripling boasts a higher ERA at 4.34 while the likes of Hyun Jin Ryu, Alek Manoah, Robbie Ray, and newcomer Jose Berrios have better stat lines than Odorizzi.

While the terms and contract are not bad with the starting pitcher, adding the righty to the Jays rotation would hardly be considered an upgrade given how well Manoah and Ray are pitching this season along with Ryu and Matz pitching below a 4.00 ERA. Berrios is around for next season if Ray moves on during the upcoming free-agent period and hopefully Nate Pearson can put the injury bug behind him and become a rotation arm again next year, essentially making any potential reason to sign Odorizzi in the first place a moot point.

Similar to Bauer, there were no formal details regarding any potential deal or contract offered from the Blue Jays to Odorizzi although the interest was reportedly there.

DJ LeMahieu

Another big name on the free-agent market this season, many were surprised to see DJ LeMahieu actually become available given his 2020 campaign and the reported interest between him and the New York Yankees on a reunion.

A productive hitter before heading to the Yankees, LeMahieu sports a .301/.356/.423 slash line for his career with 94 home runs, 532 RBI, and a .780 OPS. His 2020 campaign was one of his best by far (even in the shortened season) where his .364 batting average led the Major Leagues  and his .421 OBS and 1.011 OPS led the American League. LeMahieu also played second base, a position the club was in need of with Vladimir Guerrero Jr. moving to first base and Cavan Biggio being entrusted with third base duties.

Contract talks between the Blue Jays and the righty slugger progressed so far that the front office reportedly offered him a four-year deal worth $78 million. The all-star would go on to re-sign with the Yankees in January, accepting a six-year deal worth $90 million to return to the Bronx Bombers. The deal he accepted is for two additional years compared to the Jays’ offer but he did leave money on the table, as he would have made roughly $4.5 million more in terms of contract value if he signed North of the border for the four years.

This season, LeMahieu is slashing .268/.350/.367 with nine home runs, 54 RBI, and a .716 OPS through 129 games and 518 at-bats. While these stats are not nearly as bad as other options the Blue Jays considered this off-season, if the front office had signed LeMahieu, they would have missed out on signing Marcus Semien to his one year deal. The infielder is currently having one of his best statistical seasons to date with his .266/.334/.530 line, 35 home runs, 82 RBI, and .865 OPS and is one of the leading players in terms of position player WAR in the league at 5.7 bWAR.

While Semien may leave the team this upcoming off-season, the upside is currently with the Blue Jays’ current second baseman over LeMahieu. Even if Semien does leave via free agency, the club will most likely submit to him a qualifying offer which will entitle the Blue Jays to draft pick compensation if he signs elsewhere.

If LeMahieu can find his old form at the plate, then this miss will turn into regret for the Blue Jays as he mashes for the Yankees in a competitive AL East division. Only time will tell after this season.

Honourable Mentions

Below is a list of players that reportedly never received a contract offer from the Blue Jays but the club was reportedly interested in before they signed elsewhere.

Trevor Rosenthal – RHP

A career reliever, right-hander Trevor Rosenthal had a bounce-back 2020 campaign that saw him pitch to a 1.90 ERA between the Kansas City Royals and San Diego Padres. With his 2019 campaign being one to forget, Rosenthal sports a solid 3.36 ERA for his career through 373 outings with 490 strikeouts and 132 saves. The Blue Jays appeared interested in the reliever to help improve the bullpen but ultimately he would sign elsewhere.

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The Missouri product would go on to sign a one-year, $11 million dollar deal with the Oakland Athletics but will miss the entire 2021 season on the injured list with a torn hip labrum. He did not make an appearance for the Athletics this season.

Marwin Gonzalez – UTIL

While the reported interest in Marwin Gonzalez was not very high, the Blue Jays kicked the tires on the former Houston Astro and Minnesota Twin before he signed with the Boston Red Sox on a one-year deal worth $3 million dollars. Last season, Gonzalez slashed .211/.286/.320 and for his career owns a .256/.314/.403 line with 98 home runs, 389 RBI, and a .717 OPS.

The 2021 season has not been kind to the utility man, as he only mustered a .202 batting average and a .567 OPS through 242 at-bats before being designated for assignment and later released on August 16th by the Red Sox. The Astros would sign him to a minor league contract and he was called up to the big league roster yesterday.

Andrelton Simmons – SS

Known for his defensive ability at shortstop, Andrelton Simmons began his career with the Atlanta Braves before being traded to the Los Angeles Angels in the 2014/2015 off-season. In Los Angeles, Simmons found his bat and would slash .281/.328/.394 through 561 games with 36 home runs and a .722 OPS.

The Blue Jays checked in on Simmons most likely looking for a defensive upgrade, possibly prompting a potential move for Bo Bichette to either third or second base. The defensive wizard would sign with the Minnesota Twins on a one-year, $10.5 million dollar deal and has struggled at the plate, owning a .220/.284/.274 line with a .559 OPS through 404 at-bats. His fielding ability is still going strong, sporting an 11 bDRS at shortstop so far this season but that bat has fallen off since leaving California.

The Blue Jays would decide to keep Bichette at shortstop and signed Marcus Semien to a one-year deal to play second base, and the rest is now history.