The Toronto Blue Jays have been very busy this offseason as general manager Alex Anthopoulos continues to tinker with the team’s roster in order to be competitive next season.
Some of Toronto’s biggest moves this winter have included signing free-agent catcher Russell Martin to a five-year, $82 million deal and trading away third baseman Brett Lawrie with a package of prospects to the Oakland Athletics for all-star third baseman Josh Donaldson.
With the 2014 MLB winter meetings quickly approaching, Anthopoulos will get a chance to do some more offseason shopping and address the remaining areas of weakness on the team.
Let’s take a look at three moves that the Blue Jays could make during the winter meetings.
The Blue Jays Attempt To Re-sign Melky Cabrera
Despite all the offseason moves Anthopoulos has made up to this point, Toronto’s outfield depth still appears to be very shallow.
Besides Jose Bautista in right field, the other two outfield spots are still question marks. If the 2015 season started tomorrow, rookie Dalton Pompey would be in the centre field and Kevin Pillar would be in left field. That would be less than optimal for a team looking to compete.
Toronto can solve this problem and strengthen its outfield by re-signing free-agent Melky Cabrera.
Cabrera was terrific during the 2014 season, hitting .301/.351/.458 with 16 home runs, 73 RBI and 81 runs scored. The 30-year-old is easily one of the best free-agent outfielders in the market right now.
While the Blue Jays and Cabrera have both expressed an interest in an extension and maintained dialogue, Anthopoulos has previously said that the two sides aren’t on the same page as far as a contract is concerned, per Prime Time Sports (via Sportsnet.ca).
While this makes it sound like a reunion between Cabrera and the Blue Jays is unlikely, the winter meetings could allow both parties to change their perspectives. Cabrera might not get the contract he’s looking for from another team and the Blue Jays could again become the favorites to land him.
The Blue Jays Trade Dioner Navarro
With Toronto’s acquisition of Martin, catcher Dioner Navarro has now become expendable. Look for the Blue Jays to shop him aggressively during the winter meetings.
The 30-year-old Navarro was solid as the starting catcher for the Blue Jays during the 2014 season, hitting .274/.317/.395 with 12 home runs, 69 RBI and 40 runs scored in 139 games.
But, with Martin being an upgrade both offensively and defensively, there’s very little chance of Navarro getting to catch many games next season. It’s also worth noting that as long as knuckleballer R.A. Dickey is on the team, Josh Thole will likely be catching every fifth day.
Navarro will be a free agent after the 2015 season, so he likely won’t bring much value in a trade. On the flip side, certain teams could be attracted by the fact that he’ll only be making $5 million next season.
It’s worth noting though that Toronto isn’t desperate to trade Navarro at any cost and won’t just be giving him away for nothing. With the trade of designated hitter Adam Lind, it’s possible that Navarro could stay with Toronto as the DH if the team is unable to trade him for a suitable return.
The Blue Jays Look to Acquire Cost-Effective Relievers
Aside from the outfield, Toronto’s bullpen is arguably the weakest part of the team up to this point in the offseason
The Blue Jays ranked 25th in bullpen ERA in 2014 and lost several relievers such as Dustin McGowan and Casey Janssen at the end of the season. Toronto will be looking to add at least two to three impact relievers this offseason.
Don’t expect Anthopoulos to pursue expensive relievers like Andrew Miller or David Robertson to strengthen his relief corps though. According to Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca (via Twitter), Toronto’s GM doesn’t see his team offering large, long-term contracts to relief pitchers.
If that’s indeed the case, the Blue Jays will likely go after older relievers that are coming off good seasons and are only looking short-term deals.
Toronto could also pursue free-agent pitchers who have put up good numbers in the past, but are looking to rebuild their value because they were either injured or underperformed last year. Names such as Luke Hochevar and Jason Motte come to mind here.
Unlike other free agents, mid-tier relievers often don’t sign with teams until later in the offseason. So, Anthopoulos could opt to address other areas of the roster first before focusing on the bullpen. But, look for the GM to at least kick the tires on a couple of relievers during the winter meetings.
All stats are from Baseball-Reference.com
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