7 veterans the Blue Jays could sign this offseason to grant Kevin Gausman his wish

Seven veterans the Blue Jays should target this offseason

The Blue Jays have quite a few items on their offseason to-do list, starting with their pitching staff. They don't really need another starting pitcher, but they got caught with their pants down a few times this year when they didn't have any backups to fill in in their starting rotation. Remember, at one point Bowden Francis was struggling and got optioned, Yariel Rodriguez wasn't up in the big leagues yet and Alek Manoah was still trying to find his way and then got hurt.

Matthew Boyd

That brings us to our first player here, which is a veteran starting pitcher that's not far removed from a Tommy John surgery. Boyd, 33, landed a mid-season contract with the Cleveland Guardians and looked sharp in a small eight-start sample size.

The 10-year veteran is a familiar face here, as he broke into the big leagues with the Blue Jays all the way back in 2015. He made two uninspiring starts for the club before he was flipped to the Tigers for David Price. Boyd had a long and (mostly) successful eight-year run in Detroit before hitting free agency this past offseason.

Over the years, Boyd has mostly been a starting pitcher but he's also got 14 relief appearances under his belt. He could give the Blue Jays a sixth starter that they give frequent starts to while also filling an important multi-inning role that they don't currently have addressed for next season.

Boyd's never been an All-Star, he's never received Cy Young votes and he hasn't put up more wins than losses in a season since 2016. However, he's a well-respected veteran who can eat innings and provide the Blue Jays with a reliable, low-cost option. What's not to like?