JAYS ARE SERIOUS ABOUT LANDING TOP FREE AGENTS
Slugger Springer of particular interest to club suddenly prepared to spend big money
In the spirit of Cyber Monday, it has been that kind of off-season for Toronto Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins and the team's baseball operations department.
Every bit of important business is being done remotely, with lengthy video calls helping to circumvent the communication limitations caused by COVID-19. Even next week's annual winter meetings, a time when baseball business generally heats up considerably, won't be held in a Texas convention centre as planned, but virtually.
For what it's worth, the Jays have been among the most aggressive shoppers during the off-season.
Rare is the available free agent or attractive trade commodity that the Jays have not been “in” on, which certainly has been well noted among the serious players in the game, be it agents or Atkins' rival general managers.
It's easy to dismiss the talk as just that, but in this case, the noise is legit.
In no particular order, and by no means is this a complete list, Atkins and company have been linked to and in contact with: Dodgers third baseman Justin Turner, pitcher Corey Kluber (most recently of the Texas Rangers), Houston Astros centre-fielder George Springer, St. Louis Cardinals second baseman Kolten Wong and Red Sox centre-fielder Jackie Bradley Jr.
And those are just the free agents. The odds of the Jays having success in acquiring each of those players can vary dramatically. In many cases, it might simply come down to what happens in New York, both with the always-spending Yankees and the suddenly flush Mets expected to be active in the coming days and weeks.
But whatever his team's chances might be, it hasn't caused Atkins and crew to flinch, part of the reason the Jays are the subject of so much speculation as the free agency campaign is about to get serious. And as long as they can be heard at the top of the market, the Jays intend to continue to shop there.
Which brings us to the courtship of Springer, which according to sources familiar with the pursuit, has been very real. The Jays see the 31-year-old, who was such an integral part of the Astros' controversial World Series championship team, as a potentially game-changing acquisition on both sides of the field.
A clear and stated priority of Atkins is to improve defensively and that includes centre field, where the advanced metrics on Randal Grichuk have been underwhelming. At the plate, Springer would also bring a proven veteran bat to complement the young potential.
Would Springer be interested in shipping north, or wherever the 2021 Jays call home?
Reports have suggested that the Connecticut native favours moving east, which of course could bring New York into play. That said, we're told that the Jays' pursuit of Springer has been strong enough that contact with the former first-round pick and three-time American League all-star has gone beyond just kicking tires through his agent.
Given the interest around the league, Springer will be in no rush to make a decision and barring a blockbuster offer beforehand, will let the market emerge and heat up before he collects what promises to be a lucrative, multi-year deal.
It's certainly important to note that if Springer and Trevor Bauer, the top free agent starting pitcher available, don't land in Toronto, that won't be the end of the pursuit for the Jays. The volume and range of players they have reached out to is as extensive as it is impressive.
One downside, as you might expect, is that invariably the first question asked of Atkins is one that he can't answer: Where will the team be playing in 2021? Money and term can calm those worries, especially if the player buys into the light at the end of the tunnel regarding the pandemic. Still, it's a handicap the Jays face in every conversation/ negotiation they will have.
Ultimately, the Jays may have to shop below the top-shelf free agents, but the impression from Atkins is that there is Rogers money to spend, which can't be said for every MLB ownership group.
The other source of optimism for the Jays is that Atkins has emphasized that the team is willing to use its solid prospect base as currency to trade for an upgrade, be it defensively or to bolster the rotation with the front-end arm it needs.
Below the top tier of free agents, the Jays will have options as well.
One example is Taijuan Walker, who the team acquired this past summer. They were generally impressed with him and he is a starter of interest once the big guns are gone.
In a slow-developing off-season — at least in part due to the economic repercussions associated with the disastrous 2020 season — the Jays aren't necessarily close to making a deal or a signing. But given the groundwork that has been laid over the past couple of months, they're poised to strike if and when an opportunity presents itself.