With higher aims (and stakes), winter meetings are full of intrigue for Blue Jays

SAN DIEGO – Remember Tanner Roark? It was on the winter conferences three years in the past that the Toronto Blue Jays started re-establishing themselves as low season gamers by signing the self-described “diesel engine” for $24 million over two years.

A few weeks later, basic supervisor Ross Atkins constructed upon that deal by taking the $80-million, four-year plunge for star lefty Hyun Jin Ryu, credibility constructing steps which led to massive contracts for George Springer ($150 million, six years) and Marcus Semien ($18 million, one yr) the next winter and Jose Berrios (an extension for $131 million over seven years), Kevin Gausman ($110 million, 5 years) and Yusei Kikuchi ($36 million, three years) final low season.

Now, as soon as once more at San Diego’s Manchester Grand Hyatt for baseball’s first in-person swap-fest since that fateful 2019 gathering, the Blue Jays are in a a lot completely different spot.

Back then, they had been a crew on the make attempting to promote reluctant free brokers on the legitimacy of each their ambitions and their roster. This time round, they’re a largely set wild-card membership in search of to refine a gaggle that’s posted back-to-back 90-win seasons, a shift that in some methods makes their work much more sophisticated, even when they’re now a much more enticing enterprise.

At the Letters

Ben Nicholson-Smith is Sportsnet’s baseball editor. Arden Zwelling is a senior author. Together, they create you essentially the most in-depth Blue Jays podcast within the league, protecting off all the newest news with opinion and evaluation, in addition to interviews with different insiders and crew members.

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Their wants at this level are apparent – one beginning pitcher for certain, however doubtless two, or a minimum of one different arm who also can begin; plus a left-handed hitting outfielder, ideally one who performs centre discipline – as they’ve been for the reason that commerce of Teoscar Hernandez to Seattle final month.

How they deal with them remains to be unclear, and though Atkins, talking on the Toronto chapter of the BBWAA’s annual assembly Wednesday, stated the membership is “probably” leaning a bit extra to free company than commerce proper now, what occurs within the catching market might very nicely be the set off for his or her subsequent steps.

While the Blue Jays might actually maintain on to all three of Danny Jansen, Alejandro Kirk and Gabriel Moreno – and there’s a case to be made for that – reallocating a few of that depth to fill different areas of wants presents a monetary effectivity plugging holes in free company alone is not going to.

Converting one in all their backstops into an outfielder from, say, the St. Louis Cardinals (Dylan Carlson and Lars Nootbar are the very best matches for them), Pittsburgh Pirates (Bryan Reynolds has requested a commerce), Arizona Diamondbacks (Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reported final month they’re open to a deal) or Minnesota Twins (Max Kepler) would enable them to handle their want for a starter on the upper finish of the open market (they’ve lengthy appreciated Kodai Senga) and maybe go away some cash over for a reliever.

Conversely, changing a catcher right into a rotation piece from, as an illustration, the Miami Marlins (they’re believed to have mentioned Pablo Lopez on the commerce deadline after they acquired Anthony Bass and Zach Pop, as did the New York Yankees) or Cleveland Guardians (Zach Pleasac or Aaron Civale), would level them to free-agent outfield market, the place Brandon Nimmo on the upper finish and Cody Bellinger, in a Semien-esque pillow-deal, make whole sense.

Whichever choice they take locks them into a particular course, which is why their work appears to hinge on how the catching scenario develops.

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Given that nothing has occurred but means that the Blue Jays are nonetheless taking part in out their most popular path, whereas golf equipment in search of catching assistance will need to see the place prices without cost brokers like Willson Contreras or Christian Vazquez land earlier than surrendering belongings.

As a consequence, a number of groups and some key free brokers are all ready for a worth in commerce or contract to hit their realm, or for another person’s transfer to begin dropping the dominoes.

It’s not dissimilar to how Aaron Judge’s free company would be the jumping-off level for place gamers on the open market, as his anticipated landscape-altering deal ought to assist elevate values and go away spurned suitors desperate to spend elsewhere.

One factor the Blue Jays might want to monitor is the way in which the beginning pitching market strikes after the Texas Rangers signed Jacob deGrom to a surprising $185 million, five-year deal Friday. That contract bodes nicely for aces Carlos Rodon and Justin Verlander, the latter of which the Blue Jays pursued aggressively final winter and stay engaged with this one, though a deal for him might very nicely reduce them off from different vital strikes.

All of which makes this a winter conferences stuffed with potential and intrigue for the Blue Jays.

Speaking basically phrases final week, Atkins famous that “we are definitely at the point where we understand where there are levers that can be pulled. But it also isn’t 100 per cent dependent upon us, as you know. There are often times where either a player, his representation aren’t quite ready for offers to come in. There are often times when teams would like a little bit more time to understand a different aspect of the market before they’re ready to fully engage with us. We don’t have the full picture painted on exactly how to do A, B and C to make our team better. But we do have a very clear understanding of where we could take our next strategic step.”

That’s an entire lot completely different than the final time the Blue Jays had been in San Diego, after they fluttered their eyes at an detached Gerrit Cole, who bought $324 million over 9 years from the Yankees, and made unsuccessful runs at Gausman, Rick Porcello and Didi Gregorious, amongst others, earlier than pushing past their consolation zone to land Roark and lay groundwork with Ryu.

Their goals are increased now, with the stakes round what they do to match.

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