MLB insider proposes complete drastic facelift with Blue Jays’ offseason spending

The Major League Baseball offseason is still young. Very few free agents have signed, especially those of significance. Trades haven't started happening with frequency yet. The slow start can be frustrating for fans who want to see action. That includes Toronto Blue Jays fans.

The nice thing about the early days of the MLB offseason is that the possibilities are endless, and it still feels like anything can happen. The Blue Jays front office still has a chance to redeem itself in the eyes of the fanbase after a disastrous 2024 campaign. Whether Ross Atkins and company will actually make amends with a big offseason is another matter.

MLB insider proposes complete drastic facelift with Blue Jays’ offseason spending

One MLB insider and former general manager, Steve Phillips, recently laid out a plan for a big Blue Jays offseason on MLB Network Radio. His proposed facelift includes three moves that would reshape the lineup with two of the biggest free agents on the market and a trade with a division rival.

His proposal sees Atkins signing two-time All-Star Alex Bregman at third base and 2024 All-Star Anthony Santander to play right field. Plus, he'd want the Blue Jays to make a deal with the Tampa Bay Rays to trade for second baseman Brandon Lowe.

"They're in a pretty decent spot and with some money to spend," Phillips said. "Here's my moves for them. Bregman at third, Santander in right and then you trade for Brandon Lowe from Tampa Bay ... get his left-handed power bat in the mix."

Phillips doesn't offer any type of plan for how the Blue Jays front office would accomplish this facelift. Presumably he intends George Springer to shift to left field with Santander's 30-plus home runs in right. One of the top free agent outfielders not named Juan Soto, Santander is a risky signing coming off a career season at 30 years old and is a prime candidate for regression. MLB Trade Rumors predicts the switch-hitting slugger to fetch a four-year, $80M deal this winter.

The two infield moves would signal a huge departure from the team's piecemeal approach with all of the various unproven and moving parts this past season.

Bregman, 30, would be a massive get for the Jays, as unlikely as it may seem. MLB Trade Rumors predicts a seven-year, $182M contract for the former Silver Slugger. The career Houston Astro is a two-time World Series champion and just won the AL Gold Glove Award at the hot corner.

Lowe, 30, has shown tantalizing power for second base after bopping 39 home runs in 2021. He has put up two consecutive seasons of 21 home runs despite battling various injuries over the past three seasons. The Rays picked up his $10.5M option for 2025, and he has an $11.5M club option for 2026.

Assuming that Bo Bichette will be healthy and back to his normal self next season — and not traded this winter — the proposed moves would see the infield more or less set for 2025. There wouldn't be a reliance on the stable of young, unproven players that manager John Schneider was forced to mix and match over the final two months of the 2024 season.

Bringing in those three players would also signal to the fans that the organization is serious about being competitive again next year. However, it's hard to imagine all of these moves actually happening.

But it's nice to dream.