National Post

Blue Jays ponder best of the rest

PICKED- OVER FREE-AGENT POOL OFFERS CLUB MIDDLING OPTIONS

- smitchell@ postmedia. com Twitter. com/ ScottMitch­ellPM

The holidays are over, but leftovers are everywhere. The MLB free-agent market is no different. While most of the big names have put pen to paper on lucrative new deals over the past two months, the trend of players waiting longer into the off-season that has shown up over the past few winters — call it the Scott Boras effect — has continued. It’s definitely a picked- over crop at this point, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t players who can help clubs in 2017. Toronto Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins has taken an awfully quiet approach to tweaking his roster so far, but something has to give soon as there are far too many holes to think the Jays are anything close to a final product. Corner outfielder­s, bullpen help, a backup catcher, potentiall­y first base, and like everyone else around baseball, extra starting pitching depth are still on the shopping list. With that in mind, here are 10 names (plus a bunch of extras) that could interest the Jays. Scott Mitchell reports from Toronto:

10 DESMOND JENNINGS, OF

Let’s start off with some outfield options that don’t exactly elicit visions of a World Series parade, but are typical of bargain- hunting season. Currently, both of the Blue Jays’ corner outfield spots are unsettled. Figuring one out with a proven option is likely, which will leave some sort of spring training battle between the leftovers — Ezequiel Carrera, Dalton Pompey, Melvin Upton Jr., and Steve Pearce, who will factor in at first base, too — in the other corner. Thanks to injuries, Jennings’ oncepromis­ing career has gone off the rails, but the player once regularly compared to Carl Crawford — the good, early- career Crawford, not the Red Sox and Dodgers version — is still only 30, and if you squint in a snow squall, looks something like Dexter Fowler without the resume. He has the highest upside and costs the least of a group of proven veteran outfielder­s that includes former Jays Colby Rasmus and Rajai Davis, as well as Angel Pagan.

9 CHRIS IANNETTA, C

Backup catcher isn’t sexy, but it’s definitely a need, especially after Russell Martin wilted down the stretch with a .161 average in September/ October and then followed that up with just three post- season hits in 36 plate appearance­s. A case of a 33-year-old catcher with too much mileage on the odometer or simply a veteran that needs more rest? The Jays are hoping it’s the latter, and a defensivel­y- capable option who won’t completely embarrass himself with the bat like Iannetta — a plus defender who hit seven home runs in 338 plate appearance­s with the Seattle Mariners last year — would help in a big way. Other options include Ryan Hanigan, Nick Hundley and Kurt Suzuki.

8 DOUG FISTER, RHP

Just three years ago, Fister was coming off a 3.67 ERA and a 4.2 WAR season with the Detroit Tigers. Since then, he’s bounced to the Washington Nationals and then to the Houston Astros last season, running up a 12-13 record and a 4.64 ERA. One of the potential game plans for Atkins to replace Edwin Encarnacio­n’s production is to deal from their deep starting rotation and, in turn, try to add depth in order to find a competent fifth starter. In that scenario, Fister could be an option, as could former Chicago Cubs right-hander Jason Hammel. Another reclamatio­n project name to watch is former Los Angeles Dodgers lefty Brett Anderson.

7 BRANDON MOSS, OF/ 1B

There’s a glut of Moss-type bats available still — power, lots of strikeouts, not much defence — but they start to become more and more attractive as prices drop. The Jays have already been connected to Moss, a 33-year-old lefty swinger who popped 28 home runs for the St. Louis Cardinals last season in 40 starts at first and 61 more in the outfield last season. Another player with a similar resume is right-handed slugger Chris Carter, who was non- tendered by the Milwaukee Brewers after crushing 41 homers last season. The Blue Jays wanted to add more versatilit­y and speed this winter, but there’s not much of that left.

6 RUBBY DE LA ROSA, RHP

When you’re shopping in January, you’re living in the bargain bins, searching for the undervalue­d and the overlooked. The Arizona Diamondbac­ks surprising­ly non- tendered De La Rosa, likely due to the uncertaint­y surroundin­g the balky elbow that f orced the D- Backs to shut him down and put him through a stem- cell injection, hoping to avoid his second Tommy John surgery. While three separate organizati­on have now tried and failed to make his fastball/slider combo work in the rotation, maybe it’s time to move the 27-year-old right- hander to the bullpen where you could envision his stuff eventually working in a high-leverage role if he’s healthy. Arms with his upside are worth the gamble.

5 MICHAEL SAUNDERS, OF

It’s not a pretty sight when he’s patrolling the outfield grass, but Saunders’ first half last year is proof there’s still untapped potential with the bat. The Jays declined to give him a qualifying offer, so there’s no draft pick compensati­on attached, but Saunders’ market has been non-existent this winter. He’s not as good as his first half ( 146 wRC+) and not as bad as his second half (69 wRC+) but he’s still just 30 years old.

4 CHRIS COGHLAN, OF

If you’re not interested in Saunders and his DH-worthy glove or Moss, maybe Coghlan’s diverse skill- set piques your interest. He’s not Ozzie Smith or anything, but he can capably play the outfield, add a bit of baserunnin­g acumen, as well as fill in at second, third and first. The 2009 NL Rookie of the Year is still just 31 years old and could provide sneaky value in the right scenario.

3 TRAVIS WOOD, LHP

The Jays were already southpaw- thin in the bullpen l ast season. Matters were made worse in November when undervalue­d lefty Brett Cecil signed a largerthan- expected f our- year, US$ 30.5- million deal with the St. Louis Cardinals. As of today, the Jays’ left- handed contingent consists of Aaron Loup, Matt Dermody and Brett Oberholtze­r, three pitchers with very little track recording of getting majorleagu­e hitters out. Wood pitched to a 2.95 ERA with the World Series- champion Chicago Cubs last year, and while his strikeout rate was down ( from 10.55 K/ 9 in 2015 to 6.93 last season), he’d represent a huge upgrade for the Blue Jays. He also reportedly is interested in another chance to start, which the Jays could afford him if they end up trading a starter for a bat. As strictly lefty specialist­s, Boone Logan, Jerry Blevins and J. P. Howell would also fit the bill at a fraction of Cecil’s price.

2 NEFTALI FELIZ, RHP

All of the top closers are off the market, and each of them came with hefty price tags. Feliz will not. The 28- year- old revived his career with the Pittsburgh Pirates last season, posting a decent 3.52 ERA, backed by even better peripheral­s that scream January bargain. Fly ball pitchers don’t usually mix well with Rogers Centre, but the former Texas Rangers closer has been able to deal with homerhappy environmen­ts before. Sign him as your seventhinn­ing guy and you might have much more if everything breaks right. Former Kansas City Royals closer Greg Holland also fits that mould.

1 JOSE BAUTISTA, OF

It seems odd that the best fit for the Blue Jays on the free- agent market is one of their own. But a lot of things have conspired to leave Bautista without a home to start 2017, the main reason being the draft pick compensati­on attached to signing him, thanks to the qualifying offer the 36- year- old rejected in November. These days, that one- year, US$ 17.2- million pact might not be looking so bad to Bautista, and considerin­g things have fallen this winter, it’s back in Atkins’ ballpark, too. The Jays would absolutely love to add some more draft capital — they got one compensati­on pick when their other fan favourite, Encarnacio­n, signed with Cleveland — which could complicate the negotiatio­n process reportedly underway last week.

 ?? ROB CARR / GETTY IMAGES FILES ?? The Toronto Blue Jays’ one-year, US$17.2-million qualifying offer Jose Bautista turned down in November is suddenly looking better and better.
ROB CARR / GETTY IMAGES FILES The Toronto Blue Jays’ one-year, US$17.2-million qualifying offer Jose Bautista turned down in November is suddenly looking better and better.
 ?? JOE SARGENT / GETTY IMAGES ?? His career had stalled largely due to arm problems after a strong showing in Texas, but the revived Neftali Feliz could be an attractive seventh-inning man for the Jays.
JOE SARGENT / GETTY IMAGES His career had stalled largely due to arm problems after a strong showing in Texas, but the revived Neftali Feliz could be an attractive seventh-inning man for the Jays.

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