Blue Jays mailbag: Fenway fantasies won’t fly with so many holes to fill

A dream scenario would be the Jays trading for Mookie Betts (impossible for a lot of reasons, I know). What would it take to get him, and get him signed long term? — Steve

It’s not going to happen and it’s not worth spending time thinking about. A year from now, the Red Sox right fielder is going to ask for more money than Bryce Harper ($330 million) and Manny Machado ($300 million) received last off-season and there’s a good chance he’ll get it. Rogers Communications can afford the bill, but I think we can all agree they’re never going to that level of commitment.

The Red Sox are looking to cut payroll. Betts, J.D. Martinez and Jackie Bradley don’t seem to make sense for the Jays as they would only be locked in for one season. What about old friend David Price? — Terry

With $96 million owed over the next three seasons? No thanks. If there was a scenario where the Red Sox were willing to pay half that amount without requiring much of an asset in return, sure. Otherwise, the Blue Jays should stick to free agency. There’s a scenario where Toronto could get a pair of mid-tier options for the same $32 million it would cost to pay Price in 2020. I am very perplexed by the Ryan Tepera move. He has been one of the most reliable arms in the Jays bullpen. For a team that needs pitching depth he seems like an easy arm to keep around, even after the injuryplagued season and the likelihood he would receive a modest raise. Do you have any insight I am missing? — Mark

The move came as a surprise to me, too. Tepera was not one of the pitchers I expected to be a non-tender candidate with a projected salary of $1.6 million for 2020 as per MLB Trade Rumors. That seemed low enough that the Jays would be willing to take a flyer on a guy who had a decent run as a setup man as recently as 2018. The deeper concern must be Tepera’s elbow. Do you think that we are going to see substantial signings to fill the needs on the Blue Jays? It’s very hard as Ross Atkins is very cryptic and vague in all his responses so it really doesn’t provide the fan base with either clarity or confidence. — Clinton

This week’s trade for Chase Anderson is the biggest indicator yet that the Jays intend to spend some money. Toronto has not attempted to oversell this acquisition. Anderson is viewed back-end piece and if the Jays are prepared to spend $8.5 million on a fourth or fifth starter, there should be ample resources to add a pair of prominent arms in the secondary market. Do you think the Jays should trade Randal Grichuk or Teoscar Hernandez? Preferably both? Too many Ks, low batting average and the defence is gross. — Sean

Good luck trading Grichuk with four years and $44 million U.S. remaining on his deal. No, it’s not an albatross, but it’s going to take a bounce-back season before that contract can be considered much of an asset. It’s safe to assume he will be one of the three starting outfielders next spring. Hernandez doesn’t have the same level of security. I’ve been saying for a while that one of the Jays’ top priorities should be acquiring a legitimate starting centre fielder. That would push Hernandez out of the outfield entirely, and that’s a good thing, but I wouldn’t necessarily give up on the bat quite yet.