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Breaking down the Jays' free agent position player targets

Michael Brantley Michael Conforto Jurickson Profar Michael Brantley Michael Conforto Jurickson Profar - The Canadian Press
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TORONTO — It’s hard to look at the Blue Jays position player group and find obvious areas to improve.

That means addition this winter is also likely to include subtraction.

On the surface, with rumour season about to start cranking up, catcher, first base, shortstop, third base and all three outfield spots seem set with established and under-contract veterans, leaving room for some minor tinkering and the long sought-after lineup balance with a left-handed bat or two.

But the Jays front office simply running back the exact same group, even after finishing fourth in baseball in runs scored, wouldn’t be smart and there may be some creative changes in the offing.

The aforementioned lefty bat is atop the shopping list, and the most obvious spot is a corner outfielder, which would lead to a trade of either Teoscar Hernandez or Lourdes Gurriel Jr., both of whom are free agents next winter.

It’s about changing dynamics this off-season and finding a better mix.

More contact, more speed, better defence and trying to put together a more consistent, less one-dimensional lineup. That’s the goal.

There are many ways to go about that, but creativity will be key, and both the free-agent market and trades will be in play.

Here are my nine favourite free-agent fits for the Jays’ needs:

 

OF Brandon Nimmo, Mets, age 30

Brandon Nimmo New York Mets

He’s going to cost a lot, there’s going to be tons of competition for his services, and he’s got a qualifying offer attached, but Nimmo is everything the Jays could use. In addition to the ability to play centre field, Nimmo’s 13.8 per cent career walk rate would easily lead the Jays most years, as the top two regulars last year were Alejandro Kirk (11.6) and Matt Chapman (11.0). How about a top three of Nimmo-Vladdy-Springer in that order?

 

OF Andrew Benintendi, Yankees, age 28

Andrew Benintendi New York Yankees

Sitting just behind Nimmo at No. 13 on our top 50 free agents list, Benintendi is a similar profile, hitting from the left side and bringing some speed and on-base ability. He doesn’t play centre like Nimmo, which will change his market, but it’s easy to envision Benintendi in left and Gurriel on the move to balance the lineup a bit more.

 

OF Michael Conforto, Mets, age 30

Michael Conforto New York Mets

Attached to a qualifying offer last year, the Jays took a hard look at Conforto, who ultimately ended up undergoing shoulder surgery in April after his market cratered. Now a bit of a forgotten man heading into his age-30 season, Conforto will be three years removed from a four-year run of averaging a 133 wRC+ and generally looking like a middle-of-the-order threat from the left side. The medicals will have to be investigated but the shoulder problem could’ve played a role Conforto’s 2021 down year where he slugged just .384.

 

OF Michael Brantley, Astros, age 36

Michael Brantley Houston Astros

Coming off a shoulder surgery of his own, Brantley has already said he’ll be good to go next spring. When healthy, the aging veteran is always productive, slashing .288/.370/.416 for a 127 wRC+ across 64 games before his season ended. Brantley doesn’t come without obvious warts. At this point, he needs some DH time and probably can’t be counted on for more than 140 games or so. But he gets on base and would add some sorely needed contact skills from — guess what? — the left side.

 

2B/OF Joey Wendle, Marlins, age 33

Joey Wendle Miami Marlins

The fifth straight left-handed hitter on this list, we’re now getting into depth player territory. A versatile player with just an 18.2 per cent K-rate over his career, Wendle can capably play second base, third base, shortstop, and the corner outfield spots, which would provide some extreme day-to-day roster flexibility. He’s already got seasons of 3.9 fWAR and 2.9 fWAR on his resume.

 

OF Joc Pederson, Giants, age 31

Joc Pederson San Francisco Giants

Another lefty bat, Pederson is strictly a platoon player for a revamped left field situation. This year, with the San Francisco Giants maximizing platoons all over the field, Pederson quietly posted a career-best .274 average and a 144 wRC+. He could easily play a suped-up Raimel Tapia role with way more offensive impact.

 

OF Jurickson Profar, Padres, age 30

San Diego Padres

On the opposite end of the all-pop Pederson spectrum is Profar, a switch-hitter with a more contact-oriented approach and a bit more left field defensive value. Coming off a career-best 110 wRC+ across 152 games, part of me thinks there’s a BABIP-driven career year still in the tank for the former top prospect at some point in the next couple of years as he’s just now reaching 30 years of age.

 

OF Joey Gallo, Dodgers, age 29

Joey Gallo Los Angeles Dodgers

What? Why? Yes, I’m aware Gallo batted .160 this season, his third-straight sub-Mendoza line season in a row. Yes, I’m also aware his career strikeout rate is a whopping 37.3 per cent and he’s a lineup black hole when he’s not going well. But I also know limitations on the shift are going to change things for left-handed hitters and if it takes a couple million bucks and a roster spot to get him into spring training to see if he can turn things around, that’s a small risk I’d be eagerly willing to take. Don’t forget, Gallo has a 4.2 fWAR season on his resume as recently as 2021 and three separate campaigns of 38-plus dongs.

 

2B/OF Adam Frazier, Mariners, age 31

Adam Frazier Seattle Mariners

The same vein as Wendle, Frazier is a versatile lefty bat who can dabble at second base and the corner outfield spots off the bench. Santiago Espinal has hit .301 with three homers against left-handed pitching over the course of his short career, compared to four homers and .256 against righties in a much larger sample size. The potential second base mix of Espinal, Whit Merrifield and Cavan Biggio has an interesting combination of skills, but very little certainty.