Mid-tier free agent targets for Blue Jays’ rotation

Alex Wood

Age: 31

Position: LHP

Last contract: 1yr/$3MM (plus $2MM in incentives)

2021 stats: 138.2 IP, 9.87 K/9, 2.53 BB/9, 0.91 HR/9, with a 3.83 ERA and 3.48 FIP, resulting in 2.5 fWAR.

Wood is coming off a bounce-back year in 2021 with the San Francisco Giants after having pitched just 48.1 innings through the 2019 and 2020 seasons where he showcased a less than impressive 5.96 ERA. The lack of innings pitched over those two seasons was due to a back injury he suffered while with Cincinnati and a shoulder injury while with the Dodgers and were likely contributors to his poor performance.

Fortunately, Wood, a one-time all-star in 2017, has had a productive career when healthy, sporting an ERA and FIP of 3.50 and 3.51 respectively and while in 2021 he did have a career-worst HardHit% of 40.5 according to BaseballSavant, he managed to keep his barreled ball rate down by attacking the lower half of the zone with his slider and changeup.

Whether the Blue Jays front office likes Wood or not might come down to roster construction and if they think the bullpen can pick up the slack. Wood, more than most, suffers badly from the third time through the order penalty. In 2021, he pitched 27 innings to batters who were seeing him for the third time in a game, and in those innings, he surrendered six of his 14 home runs and saw his ERA balloon to 8.00.

If the Blue Jays are willing to put that burden on their relievers and the bullpen manages to remain effective, then signing Wood could easily eclipse “palatable” territory and head into “downright makes sense” land.

Anthony DeSclafani

Age: 32

Position: RHP

Last Contract: 1 yr/ $6MM

2021 stats: 167.2 IP, 8.16 K/9, 2.25 BB/9, 1.02 HR/9, with a 3.17 ERA and 3.62 FIP, resulting in 3.0 fWAR, good for eighth amongst free-agent starting pitchers.

2021 marked DeSclafani’s best year since his age 25 season with the Reds and although he’s likely to regress next year, based on an unusually low BABIP of .265 (league average is around .300), he still proved that he’s a good pitcher, and his injury-laden 2019 and 2020 were hopefully aberrations rather than a catalyst for his decline.

One of DeSclafani’s main draws is his ability to eat innings, as he’s pitched over 150 innings three times and has only failed to start at least 20 games in two of his seven seasons in MLB. Plus, by modern baseball’s standards, he has the ability to go deep into games, pitching at least six innings in 15 of his 31 including two complete games (the Blue Jays as a team had zero in 2021).

If DeSclafani can stay healthy and continue to go deep into games he could be a big acquisition to the pitching staff as another arm, along with Berrios and Manoah, that you can pencil in for six-plus innings for nearly half of his outings, helping ease pressure off the bullpen.