BLUE JAYS GOING ALL OUT TO SIGN TOP FREE AGENTS
Money no restriction for GM Atkins as he seeks stars to enhance young roster
The groundwork has been laid, there's money to be spent (though no specific indication of just how much), and now we're about to see just how serious the Toronto Blue Jays can be in the self-improvement market.
As much as it can be before a significant transaction has been made, the off-season already has been a productive one for the Jays. They have been bold in their intent, aggressive in their pursuit and poised to act, be it through free agency or trade.
“We've learned a great deal where teams stand,” Jays general manager Ross Atkins said on Zoom during the Toronto chapter of the Baseball Writers' Association of America's annual meeting. “We've learned a great deal from free agents. We feel as though they have learned where we are on certain opportunities.
“It doesn't take much at this point for a deal to happen.”
Who, when and how much it will cost remain the prime questions, but the not-so-quiet sense around the baseball world is that the Jays are determined to make significant moves. And at the very least, as it relates to other teams, they have been at the forefront in their pursuit.
In a recent Zoom presentation to Houston Astros outfielder George Springer (and likely others), for example, the Jays tapped into the marketing and scouting department to help sell themselves. As is customary, current Jays players are recruited as necessary to articulate what is going on in the clubhouse. In the case of Springer, specifically Cavan Biggio, who lives in Houston during the off-season, has been a vocal recruiter.
To the talk-is-cheap crowd, none of this may seem like much, and ultimately it may not matter. But to dismiss the efforts would be to underestimate the traction the Jays have made on the field and off. The progress is recognized by agents and the players they represent, especially in what thus far has been a slow moving off-season.
“Our professional scouting department along with our marketing department has done an incredible job of marketing this city and this country and this organization with a video,” Atkins said. “It depends on the individual and trying to shape it for the individual, but (the presentation is aimed at) what would be important to them and how we can best represent the Toronto Blue Jays.”
Such is the reality of free agent courtship in the COVID-19 world. No longer can a potential recruit be whisked into town, especially with the Canada-u. S. border closed. Similarly, the Jays aren't in a position to send a delegation to the doorstep of a target. But under those restrictions, the Jays have tried to manipulate an upside by getting more staff involved in the presentation.
And in a remotely connected world, that means contact can be tailored specifically to the player in question.
Presumably the pitch goes far deeper than images of Rogers Centre and Queen's Quay. But speaking to players around the league — including new additions to the Jays over the past year — the momentum around the team is resonating.
Money and perhaps term ultimately may speak loudest, but the Jays are doing their best to sell more than that, and Atkins speaks of an enthusiastic response.
“Toronto has always been extremely marketable to a certain population of players and there's so much that this city and country has to offer,” Atkins said. “The excitement around the '15 and '16 teams, and then seeing that rejuvenated, has been talked about from free agents that we're courting. It's palpable, the excitement we feel on the other end.”
Just what type of additions the Jays will be able to make remains to be seen, especially those with multiple high-end suitors.
There are concerns about where the team will be playing in 2021, though Atkins remains “super optimistic” games will be played in Toronto at some point. Though not getting into specifics on the amount Rogers Communications overlords will allow the team to spend, Atkins and team president Mark Shapiro have steadfastly maintained the money is there.
As for term, the Jays don't seem overly interested in a one-year wonder to facilitate a temporary push forward.
Rather, they're looking for players who will fit in and enhance the strong and growing dynamic with the young and ambitious group.
“This is just one step in the process, as the last trade deadline was and the last off-season was,” Atkins said.
“This is another point in time where we have an opportunity to add talent, and what we're thinking about is not only positional fits, but also how it will impact our environment for some time to come.
“That's something we're talking to free agents and targeting free agents for — how they will influence Cavan Biggio and Bo Bichette and Vladdy and Ryan Borucki and Jordan Romano and others.”
From a money perspective, there will be limitations, given the economics of baseball, but Atkins doesn't expect crippling restrictions.
“We feel like everyone (at Rogers) understands our plan and everyone understands our opportunities,” Atkins said.
“And we feel well positioned to proceed on executing them.”
Now it's just a matter of the market beginning to play out.
“I don't know if it's days or a week or two before things will start to pick up for the Toronto Blue Jays,” Atkins said. “But we are prepared.”