Ranking each of the players named in The Athletic's top 13 Blue Jays free agent fits

Which current players in the free agent market would be a good fit for the Toronto Blue Jays heading into the 2024 season?

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#6 OF Jung-Hoo Lee

Jung-Hoo Lee is a Korean star outfielder that played for the Kiwoom Heroes in the KBO this past year. Lee is looking to bring his talents to MLB this upcoming season, following the likes of Hyun Jin Ryu, Ha-Seong Kim and others previously in their transition over to North America. He is known to be a solid contact hitter that rarely strikes out. However, he has displayed very little power as outside of his outlier performance of 23 home runs in 2022, he has averaged only seven home runs per season in six of his seven years of professional baseball.

It may be difficult to predict how Lee’s game will translate in the major leagues. But he may just be worth the risk. The Jays are looking to add offence while not necessarily subtracting on defence, so someone like Lee could fit that bill in a big way.

#5 1B/3B Jeimer Candelario

Just to give an idea of what the current market is for third baseman, Jeimer Candelario represents the next best option behind Matt Chapman for the 2023-24 class. Candelario has been a solid offensive contributor in each of the past three seasons. He can be relied upon for close to 20 home runs and 60 RBI of production per season, while maintaining a batting average around .240. This past season, he set career highs in both home runs (22) and RBI (70).

His offensive production may mirror that of Chapman’s in his past two seasons with the Jays, but his defensive play will certainly pale in comparison to the four-time Gold Glover. If the Jays intend to use Candelario as a stop-gap solution until one of Orelvis Martinez or Addison Barger is ready to take over full-time duties at third base, then a short-term deal makes the most sense. But if Candelario is seen more as a long-term project at the hot corner, the Jays should stay away from him due to his low average, high strikeout rate, and passable defence.

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