Blue Jays All-In for 2021 and Beyond

The re-build chatter can ultimately be put to rest in Toronto. The Blue Jays have been one of the busiest teams in Major League Baseball this off-season, one in which many organizations are being overly cautious and timid about in regards to large signings with the uncertainty of what the season may look like. You would think, more so than any other MLB club, Toronto would be wary of attracting big name talent considering they don't even know where they will be playing their home games to begin the season. Low and behold the Blue Jays front office, often criticized for their frugal spending in comparison to the heavy spenders like the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox of the AL East, are showing they're all-in and ultimately might not be finished with their recent spending spree.

To nobody's surprise, with the coronavirus ruling the world and ultimately eating away at the potential revenues for MLB clubs, the off-season started extremely slow and Toronto being no exception to the rule. With fans beginning to get restless and on the eve of the Toronto Maple Leafs home opener, the Blue Jays made their first signing, albeit being the extension of President/CEO Mark Shapiro. Many people were thrown off by not only the timing of the signing but the justification of the extension knowing the he had not won the trust of the fans in recent years by the organizations lack of spending. That image was fundamentally put to rest a week later when Shapiro and the Blue Jays began their spending spree.

The first signing the Blue Jays made was a mere seven days after the extension to Shapiro was completed when the team brought in free agent right-handed pitcher Kirby Yates. The one-year deal worth $5.5 million could be a steal if Yates finds his form from 2019 where he led all major-leaguers with 41 saves for the San Diego Padres and a minuscule 1.19 earned-run average. Right elbow inflammation forced him out after just 4 1/3 frames last season but Yates confirmed that his arm feels good now and that his rehabilitation process ended a few weeks ago. With the Jays former closer, Ken Giles, out until likely 2022 while recovering from Tommy John surgery, the closer role is Yates' to lose in Toronto.

One day after the Yates signing, the Blue Jays were at it again by adding another secondary piece to their pitching staff in right-hander Tyler Chatwood. Signing as a free agent for one-year $3 million, Chatwood is hoping a new home will rejuvenate his career as he too has dealt with elbow issues in the past but has been a reliable starter/reliever in his nine big-league seasons for the Los Angeles Angels, Colorado Rockies, and most recently with the Chicago Cubs.

January 23rd is when Toronto Blue Jays fans began to get excited when the team announced they had signed coveted free agent outfielder, George Springer. The deal is for six years, $150 million making it the richest contract in Blue Jays history, second to the deal the team made for Vernon Wells back in 2006. The 31-year-old was considered one of the premier players available after declining his qualifying offer from the Houston Astros, the team he has spent his entire seven-year career with. The centre fielder is a three-time All Star, owns two Silver Slugger Awards and was the World Series MVP in 2017 when Houston beat the L.A. Dodgers in seven games for a championship. Springer brings Toronto plenty of playoff experience after reaching the American League Championship Series four seasons in a row, falling just one win shy in 2020 from reaching the World Series for the third time in four campaigns. He has 174 home runs and 458 RBIs, with a .270/.361/.491 slash line in his career, including career bests of a .292 average with 39 homers and 96 RBIs in 2019.

“I think with some guidance, I think guys like Bichette, Biggio, Nate Pearson, and Vladdy will shine. I think this team is built to win and I think they’re built to win for a long time,”Springer added.

The addition of Springer gives the Blue Jays a solidified center-fielder adding a boost both definitively and offensively in comparison to Randal Grichuk who has patrolled center for the past couple seasons in Toronto. The Connecticut native will likely have Teoscar Hernandez and Lourdes Gurriel Jr. on either side of him to round out the outfield with the aforementioned Grichuk likely being used as a fourth outfielder and designated hitter candidate.

The signings did not stop at Springer as the Blue Jays acquired two other pieces to the puzzle the following week by adding left-handed pitcher Steven Matz to a one-year deal via trade from the New York Mets and signing free agent infielder Marcus Semien to a one-year $18 million dollar deal. Drafted by the Mets as an 18-year-old high schooler in 2009, Matz debuted with the team in 2015. He has a 31-41 mark and 4.35 ERA over six seasons, all with New York, and will be fighting for a spot on the back end of the Blue Jays rotation but may find himself in the bullpen depending on how things shape up. Semien is an interesting piece for the Blue Jays to add as he has primarily played shortstop for his career, a position the team already has a firm handle on with the likes of Bo Bichette. With the uncertainty of who will play third base and the versatility of second baseman Cavan Biggio, you may see Semien take over at third base or tag team the middle of the field with Bichette by taking the reins at second base while seeing Biggio move over to the hot corner. I think this move almost solidifies the idea of letting Vladimir Guerrero Jr. settle in and become the every day first baseman for the Jays. That foursome – Guerrero, Semien, Bichette, and Biggio – has the potential to form one of the most fearsome infield groups in the game – especially if their homegrown trio continues to grow into their vast potential.

A prospective batting order looks like this:

1. George Springer, CF

2. Cavan Biggio, 3B/2B/OF

3. Bo Bichette, SS

4. Teoscar Hernandez, RF

5. Vladimir Guerrero Jr., 1B/3B

6. Lourdes Gurriel Jr., LF

7. Marcus Semien, 2B/3B

8. Randal Grichuk/Rowdy Tellez, DH

9. Danny Jansen, C

This lineup, one through nine, are going to be tough outs game in and game out, bringing fear to opposing pitching staffs.

In terms of shoring up their own pitching staff, the Jays have done well in terms of bringing in veteran pieces to add to a relatively young core group, but they're going to need to add another potent arm or two to their starting rotation to slot in behind ace Hyun Jin Ryu to compete with the likes of the New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays. Bringing back Taijuan Walker looks like a no-brainer to me, but someone like James Paxton or Jake Odorizzi would be where the Jays should be looking to make one more big splash before the season begins. With Nate Pearson likely on an innings limit in his second big league season, adding one or two additional starters to go along with Ryu, Robbie Ray, Ross Stripling, Matz, and Tanner Roark would be beneficial.

The bullpen has been bolstered with the signings of Tyler Chatwood and Kirby Yates. Yates will be relied upon at the back of the bullpen along with Jordan Romano and Rafael Dolis, all of which will likely get a shot at some save opportunities early in the season. Otherwise, A.J. Cole, Ryan Borucki and Shun Yamaguchi look to fill some of the spots. Trevor Rosenthal, Alex Colome, Shane Greene or Joakim Soria could also be attractive bullpen arms for the Blue Jays if they want to add more relievers.

The Blue Jays have flexibility to add to the payroll, but for the time being, the heavy lifting is done. Springer was the icing on the cake, but to really make this team a World Series contender to begin the season, I would like to see them strongly pursue right-handed reliever Trevor Rosenthal and starting pitcher Jake Odorizzi. They over paid slightly for the services of Springer and Semien but its crucial to bring in those veterans to compliment the youngsters to formulate a winning ball-club. Given team president Mark Shapiro’s insistence that the Jays always planned to spend when the time was right, then the developments of this off-season suggest the time might never be better than it is right now.

"Where I feel incredibly fortunate for us as an organization and for our fans is that we’ve got

an ownership group that regardless of the circumstances now – which we’re all dealing with those challenges – they empower us and encourage us to stay the course and continue to stay on plan and to move in that direction,” Shapiro said.

“I think the Toronto’s market is a behemoth and we’re going to continue to get better and continue to add the players and keep the players that we have necessary to be a championship team year in, year out,” Shapiro concluded.

The time is now for the young Jays to finally start to climb up the AL East ladder as there seems to be a small window where their direct competition is seemingly not spending like they usually do. The Red Sox are in turmoil with injuries and trading away Mookie Betts to try and stay under the luxury tax. The Rays just traded away one of the best pitchers in the league in Blake Snell and the Yankees are shedding payroll for what seems like the first time ever. With catchers and pitchers reporting in just a few short weeks, the Jays front office still has some work ahead of them but Toronto has a window in front of them right now, might as well jump on through.