5 players the Blue Jays need to sign ASAP now that Cody Bellinger is off the market

Who must the Jays actively pursue in the free agent market before it’s too late?
Toronto Blue Jays v Baltimore Orioles
Toronto Blue Jays v Baltimore Orioles / Jess Rapfogel/GettyImages
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Tommy Pham

Similar to Grossman, Tommy Pham would also be a great platoon partner with Varsho in the outfield, as he sported better stats against LHP as well. Compared to Grossman, Pham may be in a slightly higher tier given his ability to provide the valuable combination of solid defense, speed and hitting throughout his 10 years in the big leagues. To further demonstrate his value, he was actually one of the hottest commodities at the trade deadline last season, along with being named by The Athletic as one of the top 13 Blue Jays free agent fits this offseason as well.

On average, Pham has the capability of racking up 90 runs scored, 20 home runs, 70 RBI, 20 stolen bases while hitting close to .260 in a typical season, which is solid all-around production no matter how you put it. Despite celebrating his 35th birthday in 2023, he still managed to put together a strong season by hitting .256 with a .774 OPS, 111 OPS+, 55 runs scored, 27 doubles, 16 home runs, 68 RBI and 22 stolen bases in just 129 games split between the Mets and Diamondbacks.

More significantly, Pham helped the Diamondbacks reach the World Series by batting .279 with 10 runs scored, 3 doubles, 3 home runs, 4 RBI and 2 stolen bases in 16 playoff games. As a result, his postseason experience could rub off well with the Jays since he has been through it all. In addition, his ability to add more of the speed game to the Jays’ offensive attack could be a potential game-changer, especially in close ballgames.