Blue Jays tried to sign Corey Seager? What does that mean?

According to ESPN’s Jeff Passan, the Blue Jays were legitimate contenders to sign superstar shortstop Corey Seager. We’ll likely never know just how close they came to landing the former L.A. Dodger, but in a lot of ways I’m glad they weren’t willing to match the 10-year, 325 million dollar contract that he ultimately signed with the Texas Rangers.

I have to admit, I was genuinely surprised to hear this report from Passan, and he’s one of the handful of reporters that I’ll generally take at their word. It’s not that I don’t think the Jays are willing to spend, but I’m sure they understood that it was going to take a mega-contract in order to secure Seager’s services. The fact that Passan names them as a team that was legitimately in the mix could mean a few different things.

The most obvious would be that they really liked what Seager brings to the table, which is fair enough considering the 27 year old is one of the premier infielders in baseball when he’s healthy. He missed some time in 2021 that held him to just 95 games, but he finished with a slash line of .306/.394/.521 with 16 home runs, 22 doubles, and 57 RBI, good for 3.7 bWAR. He’s a 2x All-Star, a 2x Silver Slugger award winner, and has received MVP votes in three of his seven seasons, and that number would likely be higher if not for his injury history.

In my view the Blue Jays’ interest in Seager is a pretty huge development, and it could mean a number of different things. For today I’d like to present what could be the good news, what could be the bad news, and what I think their interest most likely means. This is my own speculation of course, but now that we know that the Jays were interested in fishing in the deep end for roster upgrades, the possibilities have opened up in a significant way.

The upside of hearing the Jays were in on Seager

As I’ve already said, I was more than a little surprised to hear Passan’s report. It wasn’t a shock at all when Passan also indicated that the Blue Jays were interested in Noah Syndergaard, because I didn’t think he would sign any more than a one or two year contract. Seager’s market was never going to work out like that, even if he was injured for part of the 2021 campaign.

The biggest reason I’m surprised is because the Blue Jays have several long-term commitments to consider already, and I didn’t think they’d be willing to take on a contract of more than 30 million per season, especially for a decade-long term. They have Jose Berrios under contract for seven more years at up to 20 million per season, Kevin Gausman’s fresh 5-year pact at an annual average value of 22 million, and five more years of George Springer for a 25 million AAV. When you look at the young stars that are going to receive big raises over the next few years such as Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Bo Bichette, Teoscar Hernandez and more, I was pleased to see them sign a player like Gausman let alone entertain something like Seager.

It’s possible the Blue Jays just felt that Seager was “the one” free agent that they had to have, but I don’t know that I see that as the case. It shows that the front office is really willing to open the chequebooks in a significant way for the right player, and there are still several stars available in free agency whenever the lockout comes to an end. That list includes Carlos Correa, Trevor Story, or Kris Bryant if they still want a premium infielder, and it could mean that the rumours of their interest in Freddie Freeman are legitimate. As much as I would LOVE Freeman’s bat in the Blue Jays’ lineup, it’s hard to see how he fits with Vlad Jr. already at first base. Yes they could split time there and as the designated hitter, but they’re going to want to use the DH spot to keep other players fresh as well.

Whatever direction Ross Atkins and his front office team ultimately decide to go, it doesn’t sound like money is going to get in the way of an option that they really like. That makes dreaming about the return of the offseason all that much more fun for Blue Jays fans, as it’s clear that they’re not done shopping after signing Gausman and Yimi Garcia to free agent deals. Whether that means another significant free agent, a big trade, or maybe even both, I expect the Jays will be in the mix for several of the stars that could still be available.

What I think we can glean from their recent development

So far I’ve taken you through the two more extreme scenarios, and now I’d like to make some predictions for the rest of the offseason. I’ll admit that I’m a lot more optimistic about how aggressive the Jays will be after Passan broke the news about their involvement with Corey Seager, and that also makes me more excited for what’s to come.

Having said that, I am not of the belief that they’ll be seriously players in the Carlos Correa sweepstakes. There’s an argument that he’s an even better player than Seager, but he’s also going to command just as much or possibly even more when he signs his next deal. For all reasons I shared before about the “downside”, I have a hard time seeing the Jays apply the same thinking to both players.

That said, I would not be shocked at all if they checked in with Trevor Story’s camp, especially if they believe they can sign him to five or six year contract, or even something shorter. The hype behind Story isn’t near as high as it is for Correa or Seager, but he’s been a premium performer for the Colorado Rockies for a long time, and should still have a solid market for his services. I don’t think the Jays will go overboard to bring him in, but I wouldn’t be shocked if they kept a close eye on his market.

I’ll say the same for a player like Kris Bryant, who is probably a more feasible candidate to join the Jays. He’s been more of an outfielder recently, but he has a long resume as a third baseman and could certainly fill that current hole in the Blue Jays’ infield. With his ability to play the outfield as well, he could always transition to a corner spot once some of the other Blue Jays top infield prospects graduate to the big leagues.

Speaking of those top prospects, I still think the Jays could be serious players in the trade market, but that’s now become a lot more difficult path to pursue. I say that because we don’t know when the lockout will end, and if things remain stalled into the spring then it’s possible there will be a very limited window for teams to finish their roster building before the regular season gets underway. The Jays can’t negotiate with free agents during the lockout, but they can’t make trades either, and the latter generally takes more time to come together.

The truly encouraging part is that it looks like the Blue Jays days of being reluctant spenders are clearly in the rearview mirror. They’ve spent big the last three offseasons in a row, and it’s entirely possible that they’re not done adding to the payroll for 2022 and beyond. It remains to be seen how they’ll finish off their roster build, but I’m very excited to see what Ross Atkins and company can do, and I think you should be too.