After initial steps at Winter Meetings, Blue Jays hope to add more
Keegan Matheson
@KeeganMathesonDALLAS -- As long as there¡¯s more to come, the Blue Jays took some fine first steps at the MLB Winter Meetings in Dallas.
Their big-splash addition of Andr¨¦s Gim¨¦nez gives them another truly elite defender, while Nick Sandlin, who also came over from the Guardians, and a two-year agreement with Yimi Garc¨ªa begin the club¡¯s bullpen rebuild.
These moves need some company, however, and the American League East isn¡¯t getting any easier with the Yankees signing Max Fried and the Red Sox acquiring Garrett Crochet. Here¡¯s where the Blue Jays stand leaving Dallas:
BIGGEST REMAINING NEEDS
1. One big (offensive) upgrade to the lineup
The Blue Jays have interest in both Anthony Santander and Teoscar Hern¨¢ndez, the top two free-agent outfielders remaining, but they are expected to prioritize Santander, who can be a left-handed bat (he¡¯s a switch-hitter), who strikes out less and makes more consistent contact to pair with his power.
The Blue Jays have spoken broadly about what they¡¯d like in a hitter, but Monday in Dallas, manager John Schneider was more direct.
¡°Someone that can do damage,¡± Schneider said. ¡°Having a threat, you want that around [Vladimir Guerrero Jr.]. I think we make a lot of contact, but we want a guy making a lot of quality contact, too. That would stand out to me. Someone who¡¯s going to run the bases well, too. That¡¯s going to be a big area of focus going into the year.¡±
Gim¨¦nez checks the baserunning box and is a brilliant defender, but between left field and the DH spot, the Blue Jays need a serious offensive addition.
2. A starter to extend this rotation¡¯s window
Corbin Burnes is everything the Blue Jays love in a pitcher -- and they¡¯re in on him -- but the bidding could push them financially. Adding a starter could keep this rotation a strength beyond 2025, though, especially with Chris Bassitt entering his final year and Kevin Gausman entering his final two.
The most interesting arm on the market remains Roki Sasaki, the young Japanese star recently posted for teams.
Sasaki¡¯s agent, Joel Wolfe, spoke Tuesday in Dallas and suggested a small- or mid-market team could be more comfortable for Sasaki, who has been affected by some of the negative media coverage he¡¯s gotten in Japan for his decision to move to Major League Baseball. The Blue Jays plan to be aggressive in their pursuit of Sasaki and presentation to him, but given their lack of recent postseason success and track record of pitching development, this looks like an uphill climb.
3. More bullpen help
It feels like the Blue Jays have five of their eight relievers in Garc¨ªa, Sandlin, Chad Green, Erik Swanson and Brendon Little. Surely, a camp competition could take care of one more spot, but two more legitimate additions to this group would round it out nicely.
Speaking Tuesday, general manager Ross Atkins sounded comfortable with Green closing games again for the Blue Jays, and Garcia has some experience there, too, but this entire group would look much stronger if an established closer was added to it.
RULE 5 DRAFT
The Blue Jays selected 22-year-old right-hander Angel Bastardo from the Red Sox, an interesting case as he underwent Tommy John surgery last June and will miss much of this season.
Blue Jays assistant GM Michael Murov was high on Bastardo, pointing to a fastball that went up to 96 mph before his surgery and a changeup they think can be a legitimate second pitch. If Toronto is competitive in 2025, it could be a difficult decision if Bastardo is healthy and ready to be added to the roster late in the year. If he spends the entire year on the injured list and rehabbing or if the Blue Jays are out of the race, this could be a nice way for them to add -- and keep -- a talented young pitcher for little cost.
GM¡¯S BOTTOM LINE
It¡¯s clear what the Blue Jays need. There¡¯s not much mystery left on that front, but just how much they have to spend is the most important factor in all of this. After the high-priced pursuit of Juan Soto, can Toronto spend that freely elsewhere or is the club's ¡°real¡± budget more limited?
¡°It¡¯s not A or B where there¡¯s one box or another box,¡± Atkins said. ¡°Every player, every acquisition is unique. I would say that those two are incredibly unique. Could there be other avenues where opportunities to be a bit more nimble or agile with our payroll could present themselves? Yes.¡±