Blue Jays news: Outfield pursuit, MLB news, more

Has everybody recovered from the madness that was the Winter Meetings?

The hot stove has yet to fully cool off, as free agents continue to come off the board, including one the Jays were able to get their hands on in Kevin Kiermaier.

On the trade front? Sean Murphy of the Oakland A's continues to dominate the headlines as a deal gets closer and closer while the Blue Jays still have three attractive catching trade chips on their 40-man roster.

While the Jays catching situation continues to be fluid, reports are beginning to surface that the club recently engaged with the Cardinals on a potential deal surrounding catcher Danny Jansen and Cardinals relief ace in the making Ryan Helsley.

The second tweet is especially of importance, as it sounds like the Jays were aiming to further improve their outfield but the Cardinals balked at the asking price and offered Helsley instead.

Sure, the fit for Jansen on the Cardinals is a bit odd on paper since the team just signed Willson Contreras, but it's worth mentioning that multiple clubs viewed Contreras a first baseman/left fielder/designated hitter who would occasionally catch as well. A Jansen acquisition would give the club a full-time catcher and allow Contreras to bounce around the diamond.

My guess? The Jays approached the Cardinals about a Dylan Carlson for Danny Jansen swap and the Cardinals wouldn't go for it. Regardless, it's always interesting to analyze deals like this and wonder what could've been. For now, there appears to be no deal on the horizon.

More Blue Jays news:

Over the weekend, the club dipped into free agency and signed defensive wizard Kevin Kiermaier to a deal that has yet to be formally announced. As is the case with all free agent deals, Kiermaier will have to pass a physical for the contract to go through.

Rumor has it that the Jays narrowly beat out the Dodgers for Kiermaier's services, with the NL West juggernauts reportedly "in the running all the way down to the end".

In a move that was missed at the time of it going through, the Jays re-signed utilityman Vinny Capra to a minor league contract with an invite to Spring Training for 2023. Capra, 26, made his big league debut last season, going 1-for-5 in eight games, scoring two runs and lining up at second base and left field along the way.

News around the league:

Free agent lefty Sean Manaea signed with the San Francisco Giants Sunday night, joining the club on a two-year, $25M contract.

Sticking with the Giants, the club has been one of the top rumored destinations for free agent starter Chris Bassitt. Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reported Sunday night that he is not on the club's radar. With one of Bassitt's top suitors off the board, the Jays should swoop in.

Japanese star Kodai Senga signed a five-year, $75M contract with the New York Mets that contains a no-trade clause as well as opt-out clauses, per Ken Rosenthal.

The Washington Nationals brought aboard swingman Trevor Williams on a two-year, $13M contract on Friday night.