Blue Jays: Waiting for the dominoes to fall in free agency

It’s been a quiet few days as Blue Jays fans have waited to see if there is another star coming to Toronto, but that could change in a real hurry.

At the moment free agency is stuck in a bit of a holding pattern, and my assumption is that’s because most players, agents, and even teams are waiting for the first domino to fall. Granted, that happened in a smaller way when the Atlanta Braves acquired Matt Olson from the Oakland A’s in exchange for a package of prospects, all but guaranteeing that Freddie Freeman will be in a new uniform this season.

Now that Freeman knows he’s not going back to Atlanta, I believe that the decision about his next home is the biggest key to the current free agent market. It’s been reported by multiple outlets that Freeman’s suitors include teams like the Dodgers and Yankees, newer suitors like the Red Sox and Rays, and of course, the Toronto Blue Jays.

I’m sure Freeman and his camp aren’t thrilled that they lost Atlanta as a potential landing spot, and they can’t be happy with the way Matt Olson’s new contract went either. Olson is due what appears to be a very team-friendly 168 million over the next eight years, or roughly 21 million per year on average. Olson will turn 28 at the end of the month, while Freeman is already 32. I’m sure it’s not at all how the Braves intended it, but it was kinda like rubbing salt in Freeman’s wound after showing him the door.

It wouldn’t surprise me if this whole thing has complicated the negotiations for Freeman, at least in closing a deal. Whether that’s over the AAV or possibly a sixth year on his next contract, something is holding up Freeman’s decision. Maybe he needed a few days to process that he won’t be a Brave after all.

Eventually the former NL MVP domino is going to fall, and I suspect that the market for Kyle Schwarber will be red hot in the short window after Freeman signs. For the Blue Jays that likely means that the Red Sox put more emphasis on a possible reunion with Schwarber, and they’ll likely have to contend with others like the Phillies either way. If the Blue Jays landed Freeman then you’d have to think they’d be out on Schwarber, or vice versa. That’s likely the case for a few teams right now, as Schwarber and Freeman appear to be the two players that are the most tied together in free agency, but it could apply to others.

We’re still waiting for new contracts for other stars like Carlos Correa, Trevor Story, Nick Castellanos, Kenley Jansen, and more. These situations won’t all be directly related, but there will be losers in this whole thing. For example, let’s say that the Red Sox miss out on both Freeman and Schwarber. It’s entirely possible that means they have some money to spend, and maybe that leads them to the Castellanos, or even Jansen market. I’m just thinking out loud here, but we know how these things can go when GM’s have money to spend and haven’t been able to accomplish their goals.

It’s a bit maddening for us fans to hang tight until that first domino falls, but I have a feeling that it’s going to work out just fine for the Blue Jays, and ultimately be well worth the wait.