4 positions the Blue Jays need to invest in during free agency

4. Designated hitter

Finally, the outlook of Brandon Belt’s future is somewhat up in the air, as in addition to the uncertainty of whether or not he may re-sign with the Jays, he actually may even consider retirement altogether. He has already had an illustrious MLB career, capturing two World Series titles with the San Francisco Giants and having played over 1400 games across 13 seasons in the majors. If he does indeed choose to leave the Jays or the game entirely, the Jays would need to find a suitable replacement for Belt.

As of right now, the prime candidate to fill such a role is none other than the consistent bat of Spencer Horwitz. Not only does he play the similar positions that Belt occupies (first base), he also hits left-handed and perhaps can even produce a better batting average than Belt if he can carry over his success in the minors into the majors. However, Horwitz is still a rookie, having seen limited game action in the big leagues up until now. If the Jays wanted to go with a sure thing to start the 2024 season, instead of going with a wait-and-see approach, they may need to invest in getting the appropriate designated hitter for the ballclub during the offseason.

The best candidate in the free agent market once again is Ohtani. Being the two-way superstar that he is, the Jays can literally kill two birds with one stone by addressing two areas of need with one player. However, as mentioned before, his current injury issue along with the massive contract he will demand should make the Jays think twice before deciding on whether to go ahead with such a move. As a result, the resources may be better allocated by going after someone like a J.D. Martinez or Justin Turner (if he opts out of his contract) on a short-term deal. With their proven success based on their track record despite getting up there in age, it could be a gamble that the Jays can easily win, as they will have their internal option fallback plan if it ends up failing.