Blue Jays could benefit from Alex Bregman's stagnant free agent market

The Toronto Blue Jays' offseason hasn't been as eventful thus far as many fans had likely hoped, but the top remaining names in free agency are within the Jays' grasp if they play their cards right. Besides the signing of All-Star reliever Jeff Hoffman last week, Toronto's been pretty quiet and hesitant this offseason.

According to MLB insider Bob Nightengale of USA Today, Bregman's agent Scott Boras revealed intensive talks existing between his camp and the Blue Jays, Detroit Tigers and Boston Red Sox. The Jays always seem to find themselves as a finalist for top free agents, but it's about time they finish at the top. Boras also noted that "[t]here’s substantial interest (in long-term) deals" with the teams listed.

Recently, Blue Jays Insider Ben Nicholson-Smith doused potential rumours of Bregman potentially signing in Toronto, saying that he doesn't "see them splashing out for Alex Bregman." While in recent years Toronto has fallen short of the mark several times with impactful free agents, Bregman's fit on this team is perfect in so many ways.

In a market for Bregman that isn't as hot as some of the other ones where the Jays have been beaten out, the doors are more open than ever for Ross Atkins to swoop in and make Bregman an offer above all others. It's not just a matter of money, though, as Toronto was apparently among the highest bidders in recent seasons for players like Shohei Ohtani and Juan Soto - players whose contracts broke records.

Blue Jays need highest Alex Bregman bid to make a splash, at the very least

Bregman slashed .260/.315/.453 in 2024 with 29 home runs and 75 RBI, which fell below his career averages but nonetheless stands as a good offensive season. According to FanGraphs, Toronto's season-long accumulated production at third base resulted in a slashline of just .253/.290/.683 with a below-average 94 wRC+. Not only would Bregman's bat fill a glaring hole in Toronto's lineup, but his glove would certainly be beneficial to the Blue Jays' infield defense.

His 6 OAA at third base in 2024 ranked him in Baseball Savant's 91st percentile league-wide, also putting up a Fielding Run Value (FRV) of +5. For essentially his entire career thus far, Alex Bregman has been known as one of the most consistent producers on both sides of the baseball with an incredible ability to control the strike zone. He struck out in just 13.6% of at-bats in 2024, more than twice as effective at avoiding Ks as some of Toronto's stars in recent seasons.

While it might be optimistic to include the Blue Jays in the final stages of talks with Alex Bregman, they need a big free agent signing more than anything. Following an offseason in which they lost out on Ohtani and proceeded to sign nearly nobody, Toronto cannot afford to sit on their hands any longer.

Especially with contract talks with Vladimir Guerrero Jr. not resulting in an agreement yet, there is little to be hopeful about in the Jays' near future if Vlad skips town and Toronto has no other star talent to replace him.