Blue Jays: The holiday wish list for the 2021/2022 offseason

Finding a productive left-handed bat

It is no secret that the Blue Jays lineup is heavily influenced by right-handed hitters, with a potential Opening Day lineup currently consisting of:

1. George Springer (R)
2. Bo Bichette (R)
3. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (R)
4. Teoscar Hernandez (R)
5. Lourdes Gurriel Jr. (R)
6. Alejandro Kirk (R)
7. Randal Grichuk (R)
8. Santiago Espinal (R)
9. Cavan Biggio (L)

Bench:

1. Kevin Smith (R)
2. Otto Lopez (R)
3. Danny Jansen (R)
4. Reese McGuire (L)

Obviously, this lineup and bench situation is not set in stone and could be moved around (currently have Grichuk as the DH for example) but right now, the only left-handed batters in the Blue Jays lineup would be Cavan Biggio and potentially Reese McGuire if the club is looking to keep three catchers on the roster once again this year. Even looking at the depth charts of prospects looking to make their Major Leagues next year, they are all predominantly right-handed hitters.

Adding a left-handed batter could go a long way but the issue is deciding the best fit based on the area of need and payroll needed to sign the said player.

Kyle Seager – 3B

Kyle Seager checks off quite a few boxes on what the Blue Jays need. Left-handed hitter, third baseman, power stroke in his bat; it all seems to be shaping up to be a pretty logical fit. The one thing to keep in mind is that while he can smash the long ball, his batting average has dropped over the recent years and he is coming off one of his lowest statistical seasons when it comes to slash line (.212/.285/.438). He has also posted consecutive -3 bDRS at the hot corner in 2020 and 2021 and this could be a trend downward that may come back to bite the Blue Jays if he signs a multi-year deal. If the price is right and the Blue Jays strike out on adding a premium free agent like Kris Bryant or Cleveland doesn’t want to give up Ramirez, Seager could be just what the club needs from the left side that also fills in the hole at third base.

Freddie Freeman – 1B

Not many are predicting that Freddie Freeman will leave the Atlanta Braves this offseason but the Blue Jays are doing their due diligence when it comes to adding a premium player who also happens to bat from the left side.

Fresh off a World Series win with Atlanta, Freeman is looking for a deal in the $180 million area over six years, which makes sense considering he is a five-time All-Star, 2020 MVP Award Winner, and has three Silver Slugger awards along with a Gold Glove Award. His .295/.384/.509 slash line and .893 OPS over his 12-year career have him as one of the top first basemen in the past decade, evident by his career 43.1 bWAR, and adding him to the Blue Jays roster would make an already deadly lineup that much more powerful.

Kyle Schwarber – 1B/DH/OF

After six years with the Chicago Cubs, Kyle Schwarber split last season between the Washington Nationals and Boston Red Sox and was able to put together a pretty impressive campaign. He would finish the year with a combined .266/.374/.554 and posted an impressive .928 OPS with 32 home runs.

The biggest question mark for signing the free agent is where he would fit in the overall picture on the Jays roster. Position-wise, unless Schwarber is willing to be a full-time DH and the Blue Jays do not trade an outfielder this offseason, it would be tough to fit him in on the field on a regular basis. Guerrero Jr. is already entrenched at first base and most likely does not move unless the club somehow signs Freddie Freeman and the outfield is already stacked with four everyday MLB players.

Schwarber would be a great addition to the lineup but $20 million a season for a designated hitter is a steep price.