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.

Joe Panik

Veteran Joe Panik has the rare distinction of being one of the only Blue Jays players to spend multiple seasons in Toronto yet never play a game at the Rogers Centre. Joining the squad prior to the shortened 2020 campaign, Panik spent one and a half seasons with the Jays, owning a .235 batting average through 234 at-bats. Brought in as a veteran bench piece, Panik ended up being traded at the 2021 trade deadline alongside prospect Andrew McInvale in exchange for reliever Adam Cimber and outfielder Corey Dickerson.

After the trade, Panik saw his production drop, struggling to a .462 OPS with one home run and seven RBI through 122 at-bats. He did miss a couple of weeks in August on the IL but the club would DFA him at the end of the season, making him a free agent. He will most likely be looking for a Minor League deal come Spring Training.

While players cannot sign MLB deals at this time, the Blue Jays have quite a few former position players who are still looking for a deal this offseason.

Kevin Pillar

Known for his defensive ability and Superman-like diving plays, outfielder Kevin Pillar was one of the veteran players Blue Jays fans had to say goodbye to when the club was rebuilding in the late 2010s. Drafted in the 32nd round by the Blue Jays, Pillar grinded his way through the Minor Leagues and made his MLB debut in 2013. One of the longer-tenured Jays on this list, Pillar was a staple of the Jays’ 2015 and 2016 playoff teams and would leave the organization with a career .260/.297/.396 slash line with 55 home runs and a .692 OPS through 695 games. Defensively, Pillar was an absolute wizard, earning 24 and 22 bDRS in 2015 and 2016 respectively while making highlight-reel plays almost on a nightly basis.

At the start of the 2019 campaign, Pillar would be traded to the San Francisco Giants in exchange for Alen Hanson, Derek Law, and Juan de Paula. He would spend one season in the Bay Area before moving on to the Boston Red Sox, Colorado Rockies, and finally the New York Mets for the 2021 campaign. With the Mets, Pillar lost a touch defensively (-1 bDRS in the outfield) and posted a .692 OPS with 15 home runs and an 88 OPS+ through 124 games. He and the Mets both declined their contract options and the righty-batter became a free agent.

Travis Shaw

Signing a one-year deal with the Blue Jays for the 2020 season, infielder Travis Shaw was looking for a fresh start with Toronto after spending the past three seasons with the Milwaukee Brewers. Known as the “Mayor of Ding Dong City”, the lefty batter mustered six home runs and a 95 OPS+ with the Blue Jays while splitting time between third and first base.

Becoming a free agent at the end of the season, Shaw signed a Minor League deal with the Brewers but would spend a couple of months on the IL with a dislocated shoulder. The Red Sox would pick him up on waivers in mid-August and he would finish the season in Boston, amassing a .200 batting average with nine home runs and a .659 OPS through 220 at-bats. He elected free agency at the end of the season.