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

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.

Luke Maile

A product of the Tampa Bay Rays system, Luke Maile has spent the majority of his career as a backup catcher, a role he assumed when he joined the Blue Jays via waivers back in April of 2017. Maile spent three seasons with the Jays, posting a .193 batting average and a .550 OPS through 158 games. Defensively, Maile was a strong player behind the plate, posting identical .989 fielding percentages each season and was always above league average in terms of runners caught stealing, although with a smaller sample given his backup capacity.

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table

After the 2019 season, Maile became a free agent and signed with the Pittsburgh Pirates. He would not see any game action during the shortened year after fracturing his finger prior to the start of the season. He became a free agent again last offseason and signed on with the Milwaukee Brewers, bouncing between the MLB and AAA all year long. He only appeared in 15 games for the Brew Crew last season, owning a .300 average through 30 at-bats.

Jeff Mathis 

Catcher Jeff Mathis spent only one season in Toronto, acquired from the Los Angeles Angels in the 2011 offseason in exchange for southpaw Brad Mills. With the Blue Jays, Mathis suited up in 70 games and authored a .218/.249/.393 with a .642 OPS. He worked more as a backup behind J.P. Arencibia, owning a .996 fielding percentage and a 41% caught stealing percentage.

Mathis would be included in the blockbuster deal with the Miami Marlins the following offseason and spent four seasons with the Marlins followed by stints in Arizona and Texas before suiting up for the Atlanta Braves last season. The Florida product spent a majority of the year in AAA with the Gwinnett Stripers and played in just three games for the Braves. Mathis is a 17 year veteran of the game and is entering the 2022 season at 39 years old.

Billy McKinney

Acquired alongside Brandon Drury from the Yankees back in 2017, outfielder Billy McKinney is a former first-round pick of the Oakland Athletics who was (and still is) struggling to find a permanent spot on an MLB roster. McKinney would spend parts of three seasons with the Jays, split between the MLB and AAA, finishing with a .230/.291/.439 line, 18 home runs, and a .730 OPS. The former top prospect would be DFA’d in September of 2020 and would be picked up by the Brewers days later, finishing the season in Milwaukee and beginning the 2021 campaign there as well.

The 2021 season saw Texas product play for three different teams, the Brewers, Mets, and finally the Los Angeles Dodgers. Combined, McKinney had 265 at-bats while posting a .638 OPS with 27 RBI. At the end of the season, the former Blue Jay would be traded to the Texas Rangers but would be non-tendered prior to the deadline, which is why he is currently a free agent.

Eric Sogard

Originally not making the Blue Jays Opening Day roster for the 2019 campaign, Eric Sogard would be called up to the squad a couple of weeks later and was a pleasant surprise for the front office. Through 73 games, Sogard racked up a .300/.363/.477 slash line with 10 home runs while spending most of his time at second base. Sogard would be traded at the deadline to the Tampa Bay Rays for two players to be named later (eventually Curtis Taylor and Edisson Gonzalez).

He would finish the year in Tampa and would spend the 2020 campaign with the Brewers before signing a deal with the Chicago Cubs for 2021. After 78 games where he posted a .597 OPS, Sogard would be DFA’d in late July and later released by the club and did not suit up for any other team to finish the year.

Jonathan Villar

A product of the Dominican Republic, infielder Jonathan Villar was acquired from the Miami Marlins at the 2020 trade deadline in exchange for prospect Griffin Conine.

Additional veteran depth for the Jays as they tried to make the playoffs and to help replace an injured Bo Bichette, Villar rubbed fans the wrong way with his poor baserunning and apparent walkout after he was pinch-hit for in the playoff Wild Card series against the Tampa Bay Rays. Overall, Villar finished with a .481 OPS and six RBI through 22 games.

The switch-hitting Villar would join the New York Mets for the 2021 campaign and was their primary third baseman, suiting up in 97 games for the Mets squad. Villar regained the bat the Blue Jays fans were hoping to see, earning a .249 batting average with a 102+ OPS through 454 at-bats.