Marcus Semien should be the Blue Jays top priority in free agency

Free-agent Marcus Semien was everything the Blue Jays had hoped for and more during the 2021 season. His defence, his offence, and just as if not, more importantly, his leadership. Finding a player with these qualities is essential when developing a championship-caliber team, this is why Toronto needs to resign free agent Marcus Semien now.

At the still-young age of 31, there is a lot of good baseball left in Semien’s tank. During his time with Oakland, his stats were solid. In 2019, he was a finalist for the MVP. 2020, Semien’s regular season was cut short but he contributed in Oakland’s post-season, slashing a .533 batting average in 4 games. Think how much better he and Oakland could have been had there been a stronger team.

One of the most apparent reasons to re-sign Semien is because it’s no secret why 2021 was his best season at the plate; the Rogers Centre is widely considered a hitter’s dream park. When you consider this, along with the juggernaut team that is already in place, this really could be his best opportunity to win a championship. He knows it, and Jay’s management brass knows it.

Rogers has proven that they are willing to put the money in to make the Jays better; Atkins needs to sit down with Semien, crunch numbers as he did with Berrios, and get this done.
For those that say Robbie Ray is the essential signing, I understand why you believe that, and for the most part, I would agree with your point.

When developing a championship-caliber team, free agent Marcus Semien needs to be the Blue Jays top priority and sends a strong message to the team.

Ray is an outstanding pitcher, won the CY Young this past season, and has some post-season experience. Ray, a year younger, is coming into his own as a dominant pitcher and could easily be an Ace. Now, this is only my opinion; the Jays are at that crucial stage where they need the veteran leadership, on the field and off. Guys like Bichotte, Biggio, Guerrero Jr., and others continue to come on their own and become the franchise players that they have the potential to be.

The term “This is the most critical offseason for the Jays” gets tossed around a lot, and really, that argument will not hold any merit when the front office attempts to sign these cornerstones to long-term deals, that, will be an interesting and critical time. For now, Semien has done his part; he seems happy to be here; all Atkins has to do is get it done.