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Blue Jays: Former position players who are currently MLB free agents

By Tyson Shushkewich

ST PETERSBURG, FL - SEPTEMBER 28: Kevin Pillar #11 of the Toronto Blue Jays gets hit by a pitch in the sixth inning against the Tampa Bay Rays on September 28, 2018 at Tropicana Field in St Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images)
ST PETERSBURG, FL - SEPTEMBER 28: Kevin Pillar #11 of the Toronto Blue Jays gets hit by a pitch in the sixth inning against the Tampa Bay Rays on September 28, 2018 at Tropicana Field in St Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images) /
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BALTIMORE, MD – AUGUST 19: Brandon Drury #3 of the Toronto Blue Jays celebrates a win after a baseball game against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on August 19, 2020 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images) /

Last week, I wrote on the topic of former Blue Jays pitchers that were unable to secure a Major League deal before the owners locked out the players back in December.

The focus now shifts to former Jays position players that still do not have a contract in hand, waiting for the lockout to be over and the free-agent signing frenzy to begin. While the timing of a new CBA is currently up in the air for a multitude of reasons, there is no shortage of former players that are looking for a contract come Opening Day.

For the purpose of this article (and similar to the pitcher’s article), position players will only be considered if they spent a year on the active roster or have 50 plate appearances with the Blue Jays, and I will not include players that were only with the squad this past season such as Corey Dickerson or Jarrod Dyson. I will use the MLB Trade Rumours free-agent tracker and Spotrac tracker when it comes to eligible free agents and will not include players that have signed overseas in other leagues such as Freddy Galvis.

Brandon Drury

A rare example of an AL-East division trade, the Blue Jays and New York Yankees made a deal back at the 2018 trade deadline that would send veteran starter J.A. Happ to the Bronx Bombers in exchange for infielder Brandon Drury and outfielder Billy McKinney.

A former 13th round pick by the Atlanta Braves, Drury spent parts of three seasons with the Jays mainly in a utility role across the diamond. Seeing the most action in 2019, the righty-batter would accumulate a .208/.253/.353 slash line with 15 home runs and a .606 OPS through 490 at-bats with the Jays. He would be designated for assignment in late August of the 2020 campaign and became a free agent that winter.

Last season, Drury signed on with the New York Mets, posting a .783 OPS with a 112 OPS+ through 51 games in a bench capacity and as a pinch hitter, splitting time between the Majors and the Minor Leagues all season. He was DFA’d by the Mets at the end of the season.

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