4 free agents the Blue Jays should not bother getting into a bidding war over

When it comes to MLB free agency, it gives a ballclub the distinct opportunity to make key additions to their roster without having to give up any assets, other than of course the money that goes with it. With multiple positions to address this offseason, the Toronto Blue Jays will certainly be active participants in this year’s free agent market. But at the same time, to be successful and be able to get the best value in their deals, they should make sure they don’t get into a bidding war with other teams that could essentially lead to an overpay on their player of interest. Otherwise, resources could dry up quickly, leaving them in a bind to address other needs.

Here, we take a look at four free agents that are on the Blue Jays’ radar that they shouldn’t be blowing the bank on if they intend to compete with other teams for their services.

Shohei Ohtani 

Perhaps the most coveted player this offseason, Shohei Ohtani represents the grand prize of this year’s free agency. The addition of Ohtani to any ballclub can instantly put the team into contention status, due to his ability to provide valuable contributions both as a hitter and a pitcher. In effect, it feels like one is getting a 2-for-1 combo for one great price.

With the Jays in need of starting pitching help along with a replacement for Brandon Belt in the designated hitter spot, Ohtani would provide a significant upgrade to both positions as a result. Even though the pitching version of Ohtani probably won’t be available until 2025 when he fully recovers from his surgery, he is worth the wait.

However, with many teams in the hunt for Ohtani, there is a high possibility that whoever ends up signing him, it will be beyond the projected $500M that he's regularly predicted to get. If he maintains the type of production he has been putting up the past few years, he would be worth it. But the problem is he has now undergone two major elbow surgeries on his pitching arm in a span of five years. If health indeed becomes an issue for Ohtani, any big investment in him could potentially put a team in jeopardy, as a fair chunk of a team’s budget would be tied into his contract. As a result, the Jays can try for Ohtani, but shouldn’t go overboard into luring him to Toronto.