SECOND THOUGHTS
The Blue Jays’ infield depth could leave Devon Travis looking for a new home after tonight’s deadline for offers to arbitration-eligible players — and he isn’t alone.
Another off-season baseball deadline looms, one that will likely see the Blue Jays open up at least one spot on their 40man roster.
Clubs have until 8 p.m. tonight to tender a 2019 contract to each arbitration-eligible player.
If they don’t, the player becomes a free agent without compensation. The Jays had 10 decisions to make and most of them were straightforward.
Barring off-season trades, Marcus Stroman and Aaron Sanchez will lead the rotation next year, while Ken Giles and Ryan Tepera will anchor the bullpen.
Brandon Drury looks poised to handle third base until No. 1 prospect Vlad Guerrero Jr. is promoted.
And after one season as a Jay, Randal Grichuk has cemented himself as a key piece in the outfield, in right or centre.
General manager Ross Atkins said Wednesday that he didn’t expect any of the calls to go down to the wire.
Opening up a spot or two now creates flexibility to make other off-season moves, with the winter meetings starting Dec. 9 in Las Vegas.
The Jays were right at the 40man limit on Thursday. Here’s a closer look at their trickiest deadline decisions:
DEVON TRAVIS
The second baseman is coming off his healthiest big-league season, but slashed a career-worst .232/.275/.381 at age 27. He’d be in line for only a modest raise after making $1.45 million (all dollars U.S.) in 2017, but the Jays might not see a need for Travis with Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and possibly Drury in line for work at second next year, plus Bo Bichette rising rapidly through the system.
JOE BIAGINI
It was a season to forget for the reliever turned starter turned reliever, who finished 2018 with a 6.00 ERA. He was a shadow of the excellent long reliever he was in 2016, after the Jays claimed him in the Rule 5 draft. The Jays need arms in the ’pen — and Biagini’s salary, after making $545,000 in 2017, would be manageable — but the club might be less than keen to pay with the 28-year-old righthander no lock for a roster spot next season.
KEVIN PILLAR
The longest-tenured Jay is now, at 29, the old guy in the outfield. With Grichuk, Teoscar Her- nandez and Billy McKinney big-league ready and Anthony Alford and Dwight Smith Jr. waiting in the wings, the Jays will have to decide if Pillar is worth more than $5 million. The centre fielder slashed .252/ .282/.426 with 15 home runs and a career-high 59 RBIs last season, but the 0.3 defensive WAR was his worst since 2014.
YANGERVIS SOLARTE
The third baseman isn’t expected to be a Jay on Saturday morning. The club declined Solarte’s $5.5-million option last month, and he’s projected to make $5.9 million if he goes to salary arbitration. The 31-yearold, in his final year of arbitration eligibility, finished with career lows in batting average (.226) and OPS (.655) in his first season as a Jay. With the franchise deep in young talent at the hot corner, keeping Solarte makes little sense.