Toronto Blue Jays: Five Moves the Club Should Make Post-Lockout

The MLB owners continue to lockout the players, but fans can hope that it will soon come to an end.  If things can get up and running again, here is a look at five moves I think the Blue Jays should do coming out of the lockout.

1. Acquire Jose Ramirez
The Blue Jays offence took a big hit when Marcus Semien and 45 home runs signed a seven-year deal with the Texas Rangers for $175 Million.  While I really enjoyed watching Semien during the 2021 season, I think it was a contract you don’t want to lock yourself into if you are Blue Jays management.  With that being said, that was a big part of the offence that is gone from last year.

Jose Ramirez is likely the most talked-about name that the Blue Jays have been linked to in trade possibilities.  Ramirez is a 29-year old superstar that has two years of team control remaining before he hits free agency.  He brings several assets that the Blue Jays need to fill as Ramirez is a third baseman, which is a current hole on the defensive side of the team and possesses a power bat that finished with 36 home runs in 2021, which could replace the loss of Semien’s bat.  Unlike Semien, Ramirez has a longer track record and consistency, with his three Silver Slugger Awards in the last five seasons and has finished top six in AL-MVP voting in four of those seasons.

The debate would be, what would the Blue Jays have to give up to get Ramirez.  My opinion would be any non-roster prospect would be made available.  With that being said, if a player like Gabriel Moreno was included in the deal, he would be the only top prospect going the other way and you would need to have talks with Ramirez about signing an extension.  In an ideal situation the club would be able to keep Moreno, but no matter what the Jays will be moving a few top prospects.  There are so many trade packages that can be contemplated, but I will save that for another time.   Ramirez would be my top priority.

2. Sign Kenley Jansen
The 34-year old Kenley Jansen is a three-time All-Star who has played his entire career with the Los Angeles Dodgers. He hit free agency this past offseason and was still available at the time the players were locked out.  If we learned anything from last season, a weak bullpen can ruin a great season.

The Blue Jays struggled through the first portion of the campaign, primarily because of the bullpen.  Ross Atkins made some great additions during the season, but he needs to continue to build on that.  I have a ton of confidence in Jordan Romano being the closer for the club next season, but if you can sign a pitcher Jansen to a two or three-year deal, you have to add him to the bullpen.

Over his 12-year career, Jansen has posted a 2.37 ERA with 350 saves, including 38 in 2021 and a 2.22 ERA.  Jansen can either be the closer or the mentor in guiding Romano.  Either way, adding Jansen would help the club.

With the owners and players looking to sign a CBA in the near future, here are five moves the Blue Jays should make post-lockout.

3. Sign Carlos Rodon
Carlos Rodon is a former third overall pick in the 2014 MLB Draft and had a breakout season in 2021 that saw him post a 13-5 record with a 2.37 ERA that led him to be selected to the All-Star Game and finishing fifth in AL Cy Young voting.  Rodon’s 2.37 ERA was nearly two whole runs lower than his career average of 4.14 ERA.

While he was a Cy Young Award contender in 2021, his track record won’t get him the big-time money others have got.  I would hope the Blue Jays would be able to sign him to a three to a four-year deal at around $12 Million per year, but it may be a bit higher.  If the club can add Rodon to the rotation, the Blue Jays would have a rotation of Rodon, Kevin Gausman, Jose Berrios, Hyun Jin Ryu, and Alek Manoah.