Blue Jays: The free agent stars they won’t be bidding on

BUFFALO, NEW YORK - JULY 18: George Springer #4 of the Toronto Blue Jays hands teammate Hyun Jin Ryu #99 a ball after defeating the Texas Rangers 5-0 in game one of a doubleheader at Sahlen Field on July 18, 2021 in Buffalo, New York. (Photo by Bryan M. Bennett/Getty Images)
BUFFALO, NEW YORK - JULY 18: George Springer #4 of the Toronto Blue Jays hands teammate Hyun Jin Ryu #99 a ball after defeating the Texas Rangers 5-0 in game one of a doubleheader at Sahlen Field on July 18, 2021 in Buffalo, New York. (Photo by Bryan M. Bennett/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
3 of 4
Next
TORONTO, CANADA – MAY 6: Corey Seager #5 of the Los Angeles Dodgers reacts after striking out in the first inning during MLB game action against the Toronto Blue Jays on May 6, 2016 at Rogers Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images)
TORONTO, CANADA – MAY 6: Corey Seager #5 of the Los Angeles Dodgers reacts after striking out in the first inning during MLB game action against the Toronto Blue Jays on May 6, 2016 at Rogers Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images) /

A perfect fit, except…

If the Blue Jays could sign one player without any financial repercussions, I think there’s a strong argument that Corey Seager could be at the top of the list, at least for position players. Alas, I don’t see the Blue Jays as serious bidders for the former Los Angeles Dodger star shortstop either.

As for the fit, Seager would be an amazing replacement for Marcus Semien in the event that the veteran signs elsewhere this offseason. The 27 year old slashed .306/.394/.521 with 16 home runs and 57 RBI over just 95 games played this past season. It was unfortunate that he wasn’t able to stay healthy for his entire walk year, but teams around the league know what he’s capable of. He still managed to earn 3.7 bWAR in just over half a season, and he’s twice been over 5 WAR for a single campaign.

As a premium left-handed hitting middle infielder, the North Carolina native would be a nearly perfect fit to help bring some balance to the Blue Jays’ lineup. Seager is also more likely to move off of the position of shortstop than Correa would be, which makes his fit in Toronto a tiny bit better. However, the problem here boils down to a very similar issue to that of Correa, and that’s the size of his next contract.

MLBTR projects Seager to receive just a little bit less than Correa at 10 years and 305 million, and even if I think that’s more than he’ll ultimately settle for, his next contract is going to be out of range for the Blue Jays. More important than the 30+ million per season is the length of the commitment it would require to get Seager in a Blue Jays uniform, and I just can’t see it happening. I truly believe that if the Blue Jays are going to sign a player to a decade-long contract, it’ll be one or both of Vlad Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette.