The lockout came and many teams were waiting to sign the players they have been bidding for in free agency. Although it is written that during the lockout process, no team can contact or do business. Who can control that this does not happen?
The fact in question brings us to one of the teams that play in the Eastern Division of the American League of Major League Baseball-MLB. His name, Toronto Blue Jays
Although the 2021 season for the Blue Jays was well highlighted collectively, and many of their players were even leading the headlines of everything that was published about baseball, they could not reach the postseason, in a Division where three teams could access she.
With the closing of 2021, important players did not remain part of the main nucleus that led them to have an excellent season. Players like Marcus semien and the current Cy Young Robbie ray, are no longer part of the ensemble that has your home in Canada.
Marcus Semien hits his 45th homer
Marcus and Robbie were important pieces, to the point of contributing 45 home runs, 112 runs scored, 102 RBIs, and 13 wins with 193.1 innings pitched, with 248 strikeouts respectively.
Robbie Ray and his incredible second half of the season
Given the possibility of recovering that performance for the 2022 campaign, where they will try to find the ticket to the play-offs lost in the last games of last season. A recent report by Sportsnet’s Ben Nicholson-Smith gives Toronto fans something to look forward to after the MLB lockout comes to an end. In addition to having business discussions before the league suspends transactions, the Blue Jays have money to spend on additional free agents and will go for those two important performance spots, such as an infielder (2B), and a starting pitcher of over 10. victories.
The Blue Jays were already expected to increase their payroll after a very encouraging 2021 season, but the offseason to date has offered a different reality on how high the payroll can stretch. Despite handing out a big-money deal to Kevin Gausman, and another to Yimi Garcia), the organization has already seen its top three free agents sign rich contracts elsewhere.
The Jays finished the 2021 season with $ 154 million in payroll obligations, according to the Cot Contracts. Including arbitrage projections, for luxury tax purposes, at $ 161 million. However, the Nicholson-Smith report indicates that the $ 161 million mark may continue to shine further.
With all this fuss about the lockout, the Toronto Blue Jays will have a difficult time replacing their pieces, and they will be able to exploit their needs through changes or take out the portfolio without a hint of care if they want to get players who help or contribute to the goal.
Fortunately for the team that posted 91 wins, the free agent market still has options.
Kris bryant It could be one of his solutions, since he can play in the infielder as in the outfield, in addition to being a bat well above the average with a season of 25 home runs, 83 runs scored and 73 RBIs, which made him compile to .265 AVE / .353 OBP / .481 SLG / .835 OPS /, and 124 OPS +. It could be a good option for the group, but being the agency that represents Boras Corporation, they could have to drop the portfolio because of who was MVP in 2016, and has 29 years, projected by Baseball-Reference for 2022 with a bWAR above of 3.0.
Another viable option could be Trevor story at the right price to cover third base. If Toronto is targeting more modest spending, they can also target the southpaw Kyle seager or meet with the ambidextrous Jonathan Villar to congratulate Santiago Espinal in the hot corner. These last two options would serve as insurance in case Espinal cannot build on his strong performance in 2021 or Cavan Biggio does not recover.
The pitching market is less crowded, and if we count that they are trying to replace Robbie Ray, there won’t be many pitchers who can meet to cover such space left by the current Cy Young.
Carlos Rodon and Kenley jansen they represent two players who, for a bonus, can help anchor a rotation and a bullpen, respectively. Looking at Danny Duffy or old friend Ryan Tepera would serve a similar function for less cost, in case the Blue Jays prefer to distribute their funds more evenly.
Of course, Toronto expressed interest in left-hander Yusei Kikuchi (courtesy of MLB Network’s Jon Heyman). As a reference on how much the southpaw can cost, MLBTR predicted a $ 20 million, two-year contract for the starting pitcher. However, the report showed a competitive market for lefties, with multiple three-year offers that could change the projected amount it could take to sign Kikuchi.
Although they have options, the Toronto Blue Jays do not have them, neither cheap nor easy, especially a market paralyzed by the declared lockout. We’ll see what time holds for the Blue Jays and if they can have a very competitive ninth like the 2021 season. I always end by saying that unstoppable time will dictate what can happen.
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WALLET WILL BE OPENED: Report Indicated Toronto Blue Jays Will SPEND BIG