Latest on the Blue Jays off season needs.
The Blue Jays made a splash during the Winter Meetings this past week with the Spencer Horwitz for Andres Gimenez / Nick Sandlin trade.
The Blue Jays also the signed former reliever Yimi Garcia to a two year $15 million dollar deal to bolster the bullpen.
Now that they've made those additions Ben Nicholson-Smith wrote about the Blue Jays needs going forward.
It's no surprise that the club is looking to upgrade their offense given the players they've been connected to this winter.
In Ross Atkins failed pursuit of Juan Soto, Toronto has been linked to corner outfielders such as Teoscar Hernandez and Anthony Santander.
With that said, Nicholson-Smith also was floating two other names worth mentioning:
Mississauga Ontario native and Gaurdians first baseman Josh Naylor as I indicated in a previous article that I wrote a week ago. As well as free agent DH Joc Pederson.
It's the first time that Toronto has been directly connected to Pederson this off season.
The soon to be 33-year-old put up a strong season in Arizona in 2024, slashing .275/.393/.515 with a 151 wRC+ in 449 trips to the plate.
While Pederson's massive platoon splits make him a somewhat lackluster option against opposing southpaws, the club's deep group of young hitters like Joey Loperfido and Davis Schneider could be a good fit against tough lefties.
Nicholdson Smith added that the club is «believed to have shown some interest» in Naylor during their negotiations with Cleveland surrounding the Gimenez trade.
The aforementioned Naylor, meanwhile, is more of a true everyday player who sports a less significant platoon split and more defensive value but a less potent bat overall.
The 27-year-old has some experience in the outfield corners but has primarily been a first baseman for the Guardians in recent year.
2024 saw Naylor slash a solid .243/.320/.456 (118 wRC+) that was mostly in line with previous years, as he's a 121 wRC+ hitter overall since becoming a full-time player in 2022.
It's unclear if the Jays have interest in Naylor even after completing the Gimenez deal, but he certainly makes sense as a trade candidate for the Guardians given the $12 Million salary for the slugger in his final trip through arbitration before he reaches free agency next winter.�
| POLL | ||
DECEMBRE 14 | 220 ANSWERS Latest on the Blue Jays off season needs. Who would be the best fit in Toronto? | ||
| Teoscar Hernandez | 124 | 56.4 % |
| Josh Naylor | 15 | 6.8 % |
| Anthony Santander | 73 | 33.2 % |
| Joc Pederson | 8 | 3.6 % |
| List of polls | ||
