5 former Blue Jays we would love to see return in free agency

Gio Urshela

With Matt Chapman currently a free agent, there's a huge void at the hot corner for the Jays entering the 2024 season. With regards to potential options available, they could go with someone internal such as Santiago Espinal, or even dip into uncharted territory with prospects Addison Barger and Orelvis Martinez. But if the Jays want to play it safe and go with a proven commodity, they could give Gio Urshela a shot at the vacated spot at third base.

For those that recall, Urshela briefly played for the Jays in 2018 before he was traded to the New York Yankees. After joining the division rival Yankees, Urshela was able to find his untapped offensive stride and has been a solid offensive contributor ever since. In 2023, he had a solid campaign going with the Los Angeles Angels in which he had been hitting close to .300 when he suffered a season-ending fractured pelvis injury in June.

Urshela may not come close to Chapman-type numbers, but a solid contact hitter with a batting average close to .290 with 15-20 home runs and 60-80 RBI each year is reasonable to expect from him. In addition, he won’t be providing Gold Glove-level defence, but his 6 DRS in just 28 games started at third base with the Angels this season shows he can also hold his own. At the age of 32, Urshela should have some strong years remaining in him, so the Jays should consider bringing him back to see what he can do for them the second time around.

Teoscar Hernández

For much of the 2023 season, the Jays’ offence often struggled to score runs, especially when runners were in scoring position. There was far too many times when we witnessed’ rallies coming up short as the Jays failed to produce in the clutch, leaving many stranded runners on base in frustration. Ultimately, that became their downfall during the AL Wild Card Series against the Twins that ended in a two-game sweep.

However, that was certainly less prominent during the years when Teoscar Hernández was around. Usually batting behind Bo Bichette and Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Hernández often came through in clutch situations. Not only that, but his overall offensive output that he gave the team year in and year out made quite the difference in terms of their success. Many Jays fans fondly remember his huge breakout season in 2021 when he hit 32 home runs and drove in 116 runs while hitting close to .300 in the process.

Even during this past season with the Seattle Mariners, he has come up clutch in hitting .300 with 67 RBI in 170 at-bats with RISP. It was this type of hitting the Jays sorely missed throughout the 2023 season that could have been a game-changer for the ballclub.

There’s no doubt that his defence still leaves a lot to be desired, but if Hernández can be back in the capacity of a designated hitter with the occasional spot start in the outfield, the Jays would certainly be more than happy with that scenario. So perhaps having one of his buddies back again would be enough also to jumpstart Guerrero and his prolific offence once again. After seeing some of Guerrero’s struggles this season, we have learned never to underestimate the value of Hernández in providing the right protection for him in the lineup.

Lourdes Gurriel Jr.

After seeing the significant contributions that Lourdes Gurriel Jr. made in helping the Arizona Diamondbacks reach the World Series, wouldn’t it be even better if the Jays manage to recruit him back for a second go-around? After all, Gurriel had a career year with the Diamondbacks while becoming a first-time All-Star in the process. For 2023, he hit .261 with a .772 OPS, 65 runs scored, a career-high 24 home runs and 82 RBI in 145 games played.

More importantly, Gurriel has made some significant progress in his defensive play this season, which was often his Achilles’ heel in the past. He actually led the Diamondbacks’ outfield with 14 DRS, along with 8 outfield assists and not a single error committed all season in 95 starts in left field. His growth both in his offensive and defensive game is exactly what the Jays need. With the Jays likely to be moving Daulton Varsho to center field for 2024, Gurriel would be the perfect solution to cover left field as he now is more competent there than back when he left town.

With a lack of a Qualifying Offer, it's already clear that Gurriel is not likely to return to Arizona next year. As a result, the Jays should consider bringing him back as he enjoyed his time during his first tenure and became a beloved figure by the fans. Now that he has also added some postseason experience under his belt, he could share that winning focus with the team as they work towards their playoff aspirations once again for 2024.

Liam Hendriks

Finally, the Jays should consider having a reunion with reliever Liam Hendriks. After all, he had been one of the league’s most dominant relievers in the past four seasons prior to 2023. He had maintained an exceptional strikeout rate of greater than 13 batters per nine innings, along with an ERA under three during that stretch, including an ERA under two in the 2019 and 2020 MLB seasons. Not only that, he had also become one of the best closers in the game in the process.

Hendriks actually had two previous stints with the Jays already, back in 2014 and 2015. It was in 2015 where he played a more prominent role for the ballclub, sporting a perfect 5-0 record with a 2.92 ERA and 1.08 WHIP. So he has previously shown he could get the job done for the ballclub when called upon.

Hendriks had a tough 2023 as he began the year battling Stage 4 non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma before finally becoming cancer-free in April. He made his official comeback in late May with the Chicago White Sox, but managed to only get into five games of action before eventually being sidelined for the rest of the season with an elbow injury.

This could be an out-of-the-ballpark move, similar to the one when the Jays inked Chad Green this past offseason, because Hendriks will likely be out for most, if not all, of 2024 as he underwent Tommy John surgery on his elbow in August of this year. However, the Jays may be able to get Hendriks at a good value deal since many teams won’t risk giving him a huge deal as a result of his surgery and the amount of time he will be missing. So far it has worked extremely well with Green, as the Jays recently exercised his two-year option. So perhaps they can get something done similarly with Hendriks as well and stash him for the future with hopes he can make key contributions to the ballclub once again down the road.