Blue Jays: Five players to consider signing who are not tied to a qualifying offer

As free agency sets to begin tomorrow, teams from across the league can negotiate with any eligible free agent five days after the conclusion of the World Series. The Blue Jays will now have the ability to take a look at some players who could help the team but not break the bank nor cost them draft picks because they aren’t tied to a qualifying offer.

All in all, 14 players received a QO, two of them being Marcus Semien and Robbie Ray, while the club offered a multi-year deal to southpaw Steven Matz but he declined, looking to test the open waters. That being said, here are three players who are not tied to a qualifying offer who are realistic options that could help the major league roster next season.

I will try and keep this is as realistic as possible (for example, Freddie Freeman is a free agent but will most likely return to Atlanta) so some of the bigger names may not make the list (but some might).

Kevin Gausman

A player that is already on the Blue Jays radar, Kevin Gausman accepted the qualifying offer from the San Francisco Giants last offseason and heads to free agency one again, minus the draft pick compensation holding him back.

The Jays’ front office reportedly offered Gausman a three-year deal in the $40 million range before he took the offer from the Giants and I would expect that the interest is still there considering he didn’t lose a step in 2021. Gausman authored a 2.81 ERA through 33 starts in San Francisco, striking out 227 batters through 192.0 innings of work. That comes a year after he posted a strong 2020 campaign, pitching to a 3.62 ERA through 59.2 innings during the shortened season.

The competition for the right-hander’s services will be off the charts considering he isn’t tied to the qualifying offer and you can expect the Giants will want him back. You can also expect that the Blue Jays will have to improve their offer from last season, as Spotrac has his market value sitting at $22.4 million.

Whether this is realistic or not, if Robbie Ray does end up heading elsewhere next season, having Gausman join the team would be almost like a similar replacement, considering the right-hander actually bested Ray in terms of ERA by a few points. This is one to keep an eye on for sure.

Anthony DeSclafani

If the Blue Jays aren’t interested in Gausman or lose out on his services, they could also be looking into his former rotation teammate in Anthony DeSclafani.

After posting rough numbers with the Cincinnati Reds during the shortened 2020 season, DeSclafani posted career numbers with the San Francisco Giants in 2021. A former sixth-round pick by the Blue Jays back in 2011, the right-hander was part of the massive trade with the Miami Marlins back in 2012.

Since making his Major League debut in 2014 with the Marlins, DeSclafani has posted a 4.06 ERA through 156 appearances with 734 strikeouts, 227 walks, and a 1.252 WHIP through 824.0 innings pitched.

This past season, the New Jersey product posted his best numbers as a member of the Giants, starting 31 games and finishing with a 3.17 ERA through 167.2 innings while racking up 152 strikeouts with just 42 walks.

The Blue Jays have a few players heading to free agency and may not return but could look to free agents not tied to a qualifying offer to improve the roster.

Signing DeSclafani would come with some risk considering he does have a bit of an injury past but if the club is looking for a way to replace Steven Matz at a potentially better value, DeSclafani might be the answer. Spotrac currently has him sitting at a $10.1 million dollar market evaluation and considering the Giants did not present him with a qualifying offer, there should be some interest from teams across the league for the University of Florida alum.

Carlos Rodon

A surprise when it comes to players not getting a qualifying offer, left-hander Carlos Rodon hits the open market with no draft pick compensation and this should pique the interest of quite a few teams including the Blue Jays.

Similar to DeSclafani, Rodon had a terrible 2020 campaign but bounced back with a great 2021 season, finishing with a 2.37 ERA through 24 starts with 185 strikeouts through 132.2 innings. He would have been a major player for the AL Cy Young if he didn’t hit the injured list in August with shoulder fatigue, highlighted by a no-hitter he threw back in April that was almost a perfect game (curse you inside sliders).

Spotrac has Rodon sitting at a $24 million dollar value and this only adds to the curiosity in regards to the White Sox not tendering him a QO. There is a possibility he would have accepted the offer but even if he rejected the $18.4 million dollar contract, the White Sox would at least receive draft pick compensation if he signed elsewhere.

This leads to the possibility that maybe there is an underlying issue with his throwing arm, especially since he has hit the IL three separate times over the past three seasons with left arm-related injuries. He has not appeared in more than 165.0 innings since becoming a Major League pitcher so the injury risk is something to take into consideration.

Depending on the level of risk the Blue Jays are willing to take, if they do take a chance on Rodon, if he can find the form he pitched this past season, the club would hit a gold mine in the rotation that could replace Ray if he does head elsewhere this offseason.

Kyle Seager

While Blue Jays fans have been teased about the potential addition of Cleveland Guardians third baseman Jose Ramirez, if the front office is looking to keep the prospects within the organization but add a veteran third baseman, look no further than Kyle Seager.

Hitting free agency for the first time in his career, Seager has spent the past 11 years in the Seattle Mariners organization. During that time, the lefty-batter has amassed a .251/.321/.442 slash line through 1480 games with 242 home runs, 807 RBI, with a .763 OPS, producing 20+ home run seasons in almost every year he has played with the Mariners (besides his condensed rookie campaign and the COVID shortened 2020 season).

The Mariners decided not to exercise his $20 million dollar option and bought him out instead, which was not a surprise considering the writing seemed to be on the wall. While he does have the ability to hit the long ball, he did see a drop in the slash line this past year and now have Abraham Toro to take over in his place.

The Blue Jays should be interested in Seager for a few different reasons. The biggest one is his lefty power bat, which could bode well at the top of the lineup alongside George Springer, Bo Bichette, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., and Teoscar Hernandez, all of whom are right-handed hitters. He also does have the ability to play third base, a known area that could be improved upon on the roster, however, he does seem to be trialing downwards defensively, evident by his -6 bDRS over the past two seasons at the hot corner.

For the right price, Seager does make sense to bring in to the Blue Jays organization but if they want to save some money, they could give Santiago Espinal or prospect Kevin Smith a shot this year, a move that didn’t work this past season with Cavan Biggio at third base. Espinal did have a great season so it wouldn’t be surprising if the Jays look to give him some more reps at the position, meaning Seager would be signing elsewhere.

If the price is right, look for the Blue Jays to take an extended look at the former Mariners’ third baseman this offseason.