Blue Jays: The impact on signing a free agent attached to a qualifying offer

Is losing the second round pick a big deal?

Depending on who you ask will ultimately give you a different answer.

In the late season farm system rankings, Jim Callis, Jonathan Mayo, and Sam Dykstra at MLB.com had the Jays system ranked at #20 while Kiley McDaniel at ESPN had them at #19 following the 2022 trade deadline.

The Jays have a strong group at the top with C Gabriel Moreno, LHP Ricky Tiedemann, and SS Orelvis Martinez but many questioned the remaining players and their ability to contribute at the big league level. The 2022 draft added a lot of talent in the form of Toman, Doughty, LHP Brandon Barreira, and SS Josh Kasevich and they should all take strides next season, so the Jays front office may be motivated to add a high-impact MLB player through free agency and be alright with losing their second-highest pick next year.

Adding a player of Nimmo's calibre or a starting pitcher like Bassitt could be the final puzzle piece needed to take the Jays to the deep end of the playoff picture, especially with a club poised to contend over the next few years given their current core. Losing the pick and improving the roster for a shot at the World Series is a trade-off I believe many Jays fans would likely accept but we shall have to wait and see if the Jays pull off a big move this winter, similar to how the Jays have added Ryu, George Springer, and Kevin Gausman over the past three consecutive offseasons.

The Jays' front office could also value the pick and instead trade for improvements, with the club likely to deal one of their catchers this offseason. This could also be the route should Ross Atkins and co. strike out on adding who they want in free agency although the past three free agent periods and the press conference by Atkins following the Hernández deal signals they are looking at lots of options on both the trade and free agent fronts.