With the holidays approaching, it is a good time to take a look at some players who could be on the Blue Jays’ wish list this offseason. After winning 91 games last season, the Jays are on the verge of becoming a postseason team and will look to supplement their young core. There are a couple of players that played huge roles in the team’s success this year, and while the Jays will try to bring them back, they will have to fill those voids should those players leave for greener pastures. That being said, I will highlight some players that the Jays could look to acquire, or reacquire, this offseason via trade or free agency.
Marcus Semien – coming off the best year of his career, Semien will be one of the most sought-after free agents this offseason. In a year where there are multiple All-Star shortstops on the free agent market, Semien could be one of the most valuable. Even though he is a few years older than the others, Semien provides durability and positional versatility. He played above-average defence at second, despite never playing there in his career, and in the last two full seasons, he played in all 162 games. Let’s not forget, he also drove in 102 runs and broke the major league record for homeruns by a second baseman with 45. The Jays would be inclined to keep Semien for not just his performance on the field, but off the field as well. He is a leader in the clubhouse, especially to some of the younger players, more specifically, his double-play partner Bo Bichette. Semien will have a lot of suitors out there, and we will see how far the Jays are willing to go to keep their All-Star second baseman.
Robbie Ray – another player that was instrumental to the Jays’ success in 2021 who is now a free agent is Robbie Ray. The Cy Young award winner is entering the free agent market at age 31 and is in line for a big payday. With the help of pitching coach Pete Walker, and some adjustments to his delivery, Ray seems to have turned his career around and is positioned as one of the top pitchers on the market. The Jays signed José Berríos to a 7-year $131 million extension earlier this offseason, which makes people wonder if it takes them out of the Ray sweepstakes. It’s being reported that the Jays are still looking to retain Ray, but it will remain to be seen what his price tag will be, and if the Jays want to have two $100+ million players in their rotation.
Kevin Gausman – a pitcher who the Jays could look to sign that likely won’t cost them over $100 million is former Giants pitcher Kevin Gausman. It was reported that the Jays offered Gausman a multi-year deal last offseason, but he opted to take the qualifying offer from the Giants instead to help rebuild his value. The 30-year-old starter had a career year with the Giants as he went 14-6 with a 2.81 ERA. He was an All-Star for the first time in his career and finished 6th in Cy Young Award voting. He was a big part of the Giants’ success this year, and he should have a strong market this offseason and receive a nice contract.
Kyle Schwarber – this isn’t someone that you would immediately think of as being a fit for the Jays, however, Schwarber would be a valuable asset to most teams, the Blue Jays included. He would provide some much-needed left-handed power in the middle of the Jays’ heavily right-handed lineup. Combined between his time with the Nationals and Red Sox, he hit .266/.374/.554 with 32 homeruns in 2021. He also hits the ball extremely hard and crushes fastballs. He slugged .651 against fastballs which was ninth in the majors – the only Blue Jay with a better slugging percentage against fastballs was Vlad, who was fifth in the majors slugging .667. Schwarber isn’t a great defender by any means, but he also isn’t a liability out there either. He can play decent left field and with more practice can place a serviceable first base too. He would likely get most of his at-bats as the DH, but he could play more left field should the Jays decide to move their left fielder in any potential blockbuster trade.
José Ramírez – speaking of trades, the All-Star third baseman for the Cleveland Guardians is likely Blue Jays fans’ top choice when asked, “who should the Jays trade for this offseason?” Ramírez checks all the right boxes for the Jays: he’s a switch hitter, gets on-base frequently, and plays above-average defence at third. It still isn’t clear whether or not the Guardians are even willing to trade Ramírez this offseason. Unlike last offseason when it was a certainty that the then-Indians were trading All-Star shortstop Francisco Lindor, the same cannot be said with Ramírez at this time. The biggest difference is that Lindor was entering the final season before free agency and Cleveland was not going to be able to re-sign him. Whereas Ramírez is on a team-friendly contract and won’t become a free agent until after the 2023 season. The Jays finished second in the Lindor sweepstakes last offseason, so it will be interesting to see if Atkins calls his old team again this offseason looking to acquire the All-Star third baseman. The player capital required to acquire Ramírez will be substantial, but could be worth it to bring in another MVP calibre player.
Matt Chapman – sticking with the topic of trading for All-Star third basemen, the Jays, who have yet to find their long-term solution at third base, could take advantage of the fact the Oakland Athletics appear to be rebuilding. The A’s basically gave the Padres their manager Bob Melvin, and are reportedly open to trade some of their key players. The Jays had Biggio and Espinal spend the most time this year at the hot corner, and while they did a decent job, they are not the permanent solution. As a former Platinum Glove Award winner, Chapman is one of the best defensive third basemen in the sport and would greatly improve the defence on the left side of the infield. The Jays had seven different players play third base last season and in their combined 1405.1 innings, they committed 20 errors. Chapman played 1314.2 innings at third last season and committed only six errors. He struggled offensively in 2021 and his strikeout rate increased drastically, but unlike in Oakland, where he was looked at one of the linchpins to the team’s offence, he wouldn’t face that same pressure in Toronto surrounded by Bo, Teoscar, and Vlad. Also, keep in mind that the last time the Jays traded for the A’s third baseman, it worked out quite well for the Jays, so there is potential for history to repeat itself.
Sean Manaea – continuing with the A’s and their clearance sale, Manaea is another top-tier player that is likely to be moved. He is only under control for one more season and is expected to earn about $10.2 million in arbitration. In 179.1 innings pitched last season, he had an ERA of 3.91, a strikeout percentage of 25.7% and a 5.4% walk rate. The Jays need to acquire starting pitching, and with Steven Matz signing with the Cardinals, Manaea would be a viable replacement.
Pablo López – the 25-year-old righty is one of many young talented arms that the Miami Marlins have. 2021 was his best season to date, as he pitched to the tone of a 3.07 ERA, 1.12 WHIP, and had 115 strikeouts in 102.2 innings pitched. As the Marlins continue to rebuild, they could look to trade one of their young starters, like López, to improve their lineup. What makes the Jays a strong trade partner is that one specific area that the Marlins are looking to improve upon is their catching. The Jays have numerous catchers in their system, and their top prospect is Gabriel Moreno, who is, you guessed it, a catcher. While they won’t trade him away, his improved development in the minors could incline the Jays to move catcher Alejandro Kirk. Given that López is just entering arbitration, he won’t be a free agent until after the 2025 season, so the cost to acquire him would be substantial. A a cause for concern, though, is his history of injuries. In the 2021 season, he made 19 starts before getting sidelined with a strained rotator cuff which kept him out for over two months, and he only managed to return to make one final start on the last day of the season. However, provided he remains in good health, López is projected to be an above-average starter and could be a real asset to the Jays.
There are lots of highly talented players available this offseason in both the free agent and trade markets. After finishing one game out of a playoff spot last season, the Jays are expected to be aggressive this offseason and make moves that will improve the team. The front office has shown in the last two offseasons that they are willing to go for that extra year on a contract for a free agent, as they did with Ryu and Springer. They have also shown that they will trade top prospects for star players like they did at this year’s trade deadline to acquire Berríos. There is no reason to think that they won’t be involved in a majority of the top free agents this year as well. The offseason is just beginning, and there are lots of moves to be made. When it’s all said and done, it will be interesting to see who is wearing a Blue Jays jersey come Spring Training.