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

With the Toronto Blue Jays having their eyes firmly set on free agency to fill some blanks on next year's roster, wouldn’t this be the perfect time for potential reunions with some former players? Just think back to the late Tony Fernández in 1993 if you need proof that reunions can work. His second go-around with the ballclub helped stabilized their infield defence and led the Blue Jays to their second consecutive World Series title in the process.

With a plethora of former Blue Jays currently available in the free agent market, which ones would we love to see return to help the team get back to their winning ways? Here, we take a look at five candidates that could be difference makers in their second stints with the club.

Marcus Stroman

With Hyun Jin Ryu entering free agency and the uncertainty surrounding Alek Manoah heading into the 2024 season, there will be a gaping hole to fill in the starting rotation. Strong starting pitching candidates in free agency include the likes of Shohei Ohtani, Blake Snell, Aaron Nola and others for the Jays to choose from. But with those pitchers most likely entering a bidding war amongst teams, how about bringing back from the past the proven difference maker for the ballclub in Marcus Stroman? He has recently opted out of his deal with the Chicago Cubs to officially enter the free agent market.

Stroman has pitched in many crucial games for the Jays in the past, whether during the regular season or in the postseason. As a proven big-game pitcher, he would be the ideal candidate to help fill the void in the starting rotation for 2024, while bringing back his breadth of veteran experience to the ballclub. For his career, Stroman has compiled a 77-76 lifetime winning record with a 3.65 ERA, 116 ERA+, 1.25 WHIP, 1091 strikeouts in 1303.2 innings pitched in 231 games played.

With many of the Jays’ faithful feeling that the Jays’ team in 2023 often lacked some character, heart, and determination at times, the injection of the outspoken Stroman back into the Jays’ clubhouse could potentially provide that much-needed spark for the ballclub to get back into that winning mentality.

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.

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.