The Winter Meetings are upon us. It's go time.
This Blue Jays offseason has consisted of nothing but rumors, innuendos and tire kicking that rarely develop into anything significant, and frankly Blue Jays fans are tired of it. Myself included.
Now that the Winter Meetings are here it's go time in Dallas Texas.
This clubs needs without a doubt and the Blue Jays biggest weakness last season was the bullpen.
If this problem is not addressed, they are going nowhere in 2025.
Especially when you consider that Ross Atkins decided to non-tender Jordan Romano.
This team needs not only a legitimate closer, but two or three relievers as well.
No dumpster diving waiver-wire fliers, but established big league relievers who will cost big bucks.�
On top of that Toronto needs to make one significant addition in the form of a big bat to protect Vladimir Guerrero Jr in the lineup.
Bo Bichette needs to return to form and possibly have a career year in order for this offense to be as potent as it once was.
A strong bullpen will go a long way to preserve leads in the late innings.
There appears to be a log jam as far as infielders go and the Blue Jays have some decent trade bait.
The Blue Jays infield depth consists of Spencer Horwitz, Ernie Clement, Will Wagner, Addison Barger, Orelvis Martinez and Leo Jimenez.
This is the Blue Jays' «excess,» which is the easiest place to start from, and it helps that all of these players are MLB ready and capable of stepping into the lineup of a team that might be selling off an expensive reliever.�
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Spencer Horwitz could be the most valuable of the group, while Barger with his big bat and strong arm could be appealing to the right club. Jiménez, with his defensive ability to play shortstop, has been asked about by other clubs regularly over the years, and that is likely to continue.�
MLB ready prospects like Jake Bloss a 23 year old righty that can be a legitimate piece to any club that simplifies their pitching needs going forward.
Although the Blue Jays have needed this type of prospect for some time. Not since Alek Manoah made his debut in 2021.
Blue Jays number two prospect Orelvis Martinez who is coming off an 80 game PED suspension last season which hurt his value still has exciting offensive upside. So I suspect he will be staying within the organization till he reestablishes himself.
With the rule 5 draft coming up on Wednesday December 11th, the Blue Jays have a handful of notable prospects exposed, but none you'll find ranked near the top of the system.
Infielder Damiano Palmegiani, utility man Adrian Pinto, outfielder Dasan Brown and catcher Phil Clarke.
RHP prospect Lazaro Estrada may be the most attractive prospect exposed in the draft.
Estrada is coming off an excellent showing in the Arizona Fall League and has Double-A experience at age 25.
It would be very surprising to see the Blue Jays make a selection of their own in the MLB portion, though, given that they're trying to compete in 2025.
If anything, they'd target an upside reliever in the bullpen.�
The big question in my mind as well as other Blue Jays fans on the planet is, will Vladimir Guerrero Jr be in Toronto beyond 2025?
The baseball side of this is obvious, with Guerrero's abilities on both sides of the ball and establishing himself as one of the game's biggest young stars. Vlad Jr has been the face of this franchise since 2019 when he made his debut.
Along with Vlad Jr and Bo Bichette, both entering their final years of control, the Blue Jays have some big names coming off the books in 2025 and 2026.
A Guerrero Jr extension would be a strong signal to the fans that the Blue Jays plan to compete well into the future and beyond.
Next is the big elephant in the room. Juan Soto.
Soto has been dominating the headlines until he decides where he wants to play and who will pay him in upwards of $750 Million.
I suspect that three quarters of a billion dollars will be spread out over around 15 years or so. much of it will be differed in order for any club to put anything worthy on the field around the 26 year old phenom.
The Blue Jays are one of the big-market teams still in the sweepstakes.
A far likelier outcome, though, would see the Blue Jays spreading a more limited amount of payroll across multiple needs like the bullpen and a big bat, as they try to rebound from a miserable 2024 season.�
Notable key dates to remember are the MLB Draft Lottery on Tuesday December 10th and the Rule 5 Draft on Wednesday December 11th.
| POLL | ||
DECEMBRE 8 | 226 ANSWERS The Winter Meetings are upon us. It's go time. Will the Blue Jays make a big splash in the 2024 Winter Meetings? | ||
| Yes | 43 | 19 % |
| No | 144 | 63.7 % |
| Too early to tell | 39 | 17.3 % |
| List of polls | ||
