Predicting the next offseason move for the Toronto Blue Jays

Upgrading at Third Base

The Blue Jays do have some internal options at the hot corner in Kevin Smith and Santiago Espinal but the allure of an upgrade in the form of Jose Ramirez, Kyle Seager, or Matt Chapman will be too much for the organization to pass up given the current state of the young core.

Both Ramirez and Chapman would require some serious prospect/player capital to get any deal done, meaning the club would most likely have to depart with a few top ten prospects other than Gabriel Moreno and possibly Orelvis Martinez, with both players being considered the most valued prospects in the organization considering their top rankings. Moreno is absolutely going nowhere while Martinez could be moved for the right price but the front office did shut down any trade talks involving him this past season, which could still be in effect today.

With Moreno going nowhere and the details of Lourdes Gurriel’s contract being a little different than what we all believed it to be, both Gurriel and Alejandro Kirk could be potential trade candidates along with a host of other Blue Jays’ prospects if the club wants to take a run at improving the hot corner.

With the CBA set to expire in under two weeks, this article examines a few different moves the Blue Jays could make before the deadline passes.

With Ramirez, you will get a team-friendly contract over the next two years with a switch-hitting power hitter that immediately creates the most feared lineup in the AL East even with a potential Marcus Semien departure. Compared to Chapman, the Blue Jays would be taking on a defensive-style third baseman whose bat has been cooling off as of late but still has some pop, evident by his 27 home runs last season.

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If the Blue Jays don’t feel like trading, there are a few third base options this winter in the form of Kris Bryant, Kyle Seager, and Eduardo Escobar.

Bryant would command the most money given his pedigree but Seager has a veteran background that also hits from the left-side, an evident area missing from the Jays lineup. Escobar is most likely the fallback option in this scenario but to be honest, I would rather give Espinal more reps at third base instead of spending money to potentially upgrade the position.

Prediction

1. The price for Ramirez and Chapman will be too high and the Blue Jays will pass
2. Kyle Seager joins the Blue Jays on a short-term contract similar to the Marcus Semien deal