One impact arm and one impact position player.
That’s how Toronto Blue Jays GM Ross Atkins described the top of his shopping list a little over a month ago when a disappointing 76-86 season came to a close.
But that’s just the start.
There’s also a need to improve depth in the middle infield as insurance for aging shortstop Troy Tulowitzki, who’s coming off a season-ending ankle injury, and brittle second baseman Devon Travis, a terrific, young talent who simply can’t stay on the field.
A solid backup catcher to take some of the burden off soon-to-be 35-year-old Russell Martin, bullpen depth and likely another rotation option or two are also needed.
There may not be enough room in the shopping cart – a.k.a the budget – for all of the items Atkins needs, meaning they might have to get creative.
This free-agent class – similar to last year’s when they added Kendrys Morales, Steve Pearce and not much else of consequence – isn’t a great one, but there are some interesting options at various price points.
Here are 10 potential targets:
SP Hideaki Wakui
Age: 31
2017 salary: $2.2 million
Stats: 5-11, 25 starts, 158 IP, 6.6 K/9, 3.0 BB/9, 3.99 ERA
Wins Above Replacement: N/A
Wakui travelled to the World Series, and, according to the Japan Times, his “heart overflowed with all kinds of emotion,” and reaffirmed the right-hander’s desire to pitch in the majors.
He’s not the high-profile Japanese player out there - that’s Shohei Ohtani - but he could represent an interesting back-end-of-the-rotation option at a decent price.
The Jays have scouted Japan extensively over the past few years.
SP Michael Pineda, New York Yankees
Age: 29
2017 salary: $7.4 million
Stats: 8-4, 17 starts, 96.1 IP, 8.6 K/9, 2.0 BB/9, 4.39 ERA
Wins Above Replacement: 1.1
This would be a move with an eye towards 2019.
Pineda was well on his way to finding a lucrative deal this winter, until his UCL gave out mid-summer, requiring Tommy John surgery in July.
With Pineda likely sidelined for all of 2018 — a TJ surgery comes with a 12-14 month timeline — a two-year deal would give any team signing him a legit mid-rotation option for 2019, something that may interest the Jays with Marco Estrada and J.A. Happ both currently set for free agency.
Pineda has a 3.35 career ERA at Rogers Centre in seven starts.
C Alex Avila, Chicago Cubs
Age: 31
2017 salary: $2 million
Stats: .264/.387/.447 with 14 HR, 0 SB in 376 plate appearances
Wins Above Replacement: 2.5
There aren’t a whole lot of highly interesting options on the backup catcher market, but Avila is coming off an excellent season offensively – aided by a .382 BABIP – and has always been capable defensively.
He also bats left-handed and is one of the younger options available heading into his age-31 season.
Avila will have a number of suitors, however, and will likely be able to find more playing time than he’d get behind Russell Martin.
Either way, the Jays need to do better than last year when they waited out the market and ended up with Jarrod Saltalamacchia, who was released a month into the season, starting a revolving door behind Martin.
OF Jay Bruce, Cleveland Indians
Age: 30
2017 salary: $13 million
Stats: .254/.324/.508 with 36 HR, 1 SB in 617 plate appearances
Wins Above Replacement: 2.7
Rumoured for a couple of years to be a Blue Jays’ trade target, Bruce is now a free agent and reports have him seeking a deal in the range of $80-$90 million.
That type of commitment might be a stretch, but about half that seems like a more realistic ballpark.
Bruce doesn’t offer much defensively or on the basepaths, and he seems like exactly the type of player the Jays need to stay away from, but he would provide a left-handed power bat from a corner outfield spot.
SP Tyler Chatwood, Colorado Rockies
Age: 28
2017 salary: $4.4 million
Stats: 8-15, 25 starts, 147.2 IP, 7.3 K/9, 4.7 BB/9, 4.69 ERA
Wins Above Replacement: 1.1
The Blue Jays have shown an interest in pitchers with extreme groundball rates, and Chatwood is just that, inducing worm-burners 58.1 per cent of the time to sit sixth in all of baseball among starters with at least 100 innings.
Getting out of Coors would obviously benefit Chatwood, as his ERA at home last season was 6.01 compared to 3.49 on the road.
SP Alex Cobb, Tampa Bay Rays
Age: 30
2017 salary: $4.2 million
Stats: 12-10, 29 starts, 179.1 IP, 6.4 K/9, 2.2 BB/9, 3.66 ERA
Wins Above Replacement: 2.4
Cobb would qualify as an impact starter since he’s going to command a significant investment and will have just about every deep-pocketed contender in the mix.
He’s also attached to draft pick compensation thanks to the qualifying offer the Rays issued the right-hander.
After missing most of 2015 and 2016 due to Tommy John, Cobb was solid in his first full season back, and will lead the second tier of free-agent arms behind Yu Darvish and Jake Arrieta.
Andrew Cashner is another name to keep an eye on.
RP Mike Minor, Kansas City Royals
Age: 30
2017 salary: $4 million
Stats: 6-6, 6 saves, 77.2 IP, 10.2 K/9, 2.6 BB/9, 2.55 ERA
Wins Above Replacement: 2.1
The bullpen isn’t Atkins’ biggest need and he’s likely to trawl the scrap heap like he did last year with Joe Smith, but Minor represents an elite lefty who could pair with Roberto Osuna to form a shutdown duo at the back end of the bullpen.
Another successful reclamation project by the Royals, Minor was closing by the end of the season with his fastball/slider combo.
Jake McGee and Tony Watson are other left-handed possibilities.
INF Eduardo Nunez, Boston Red Sox
Age: 30
2017 salary: $4.2 million
Stats: .313/.341/.460 with 12 HR, 24 SB in 491 plate appearances
Wins Above Replacement: 2.2
The super-utility player has become a necessity, evidenced by the Chicago Cubs’ use of Ben Zobrist on their way to a World Series last year and the Houston Astros having Marwin Gonzalez this year.
Not only would Nunez provide some much-needed versatility for John Gibbons, he’d be able to step in and start if injuries strike at short (270 career games), third (248 games), second (25 starts last year), and even play some outfield if needed.
OF Carlos Gonzalez, Colorado Rockies
Age: 32
2017 salary: $20 million
Stats: .262/.339/.423 with 14 HR, 3 SB in 534 plate appearances
Wins Above Replacement: -0.2
His numbers have slipped three years in a row — from a 116 wRC+ in 2015 to 110 to 84 this past season — but Gonzalez represents an interesting buy-low option.
A move to the American League would allow CarGo to slip into the DH role occasionally, and get him away from the expansive Coors Field grass.
If he’s willing to take a one-year deal in order to attempt to rebuild his value, Gonzalez could end up being a huge bargain.
Teams may be scared off by his decline and the Coors effect, but Rogers Centre is a pretty good place to hit, too, and he should be less expensive than the $18 million the Blue Jays gave Jose Bautista last year to be one of the least productive outfielders in baseball.
OF Lorenzo Cain, Kansas City Royals
Age: 31
2017 salary: $11 million
Stats: .300/.363/.440 with 15 HR, 26 SB in 645 plate appearances
Wins Above Replacement: 4.1
Sure, he’s attached to draft pick compensation thanks to the qualifying offer, but the Jays were willing to surrender a draft pick for Dexter Fowler last year, and Cain is a similar player.
There aren’t many opportunities to add a speed/power combo like this in free agency, and since the Jays pushed hard for Fowler, only to come up short, Cain makes sense a year later since the team needs are the same.
He’d immediately upgrade the top of the lineup and his defence would look good anywhere in the Rogers Centre outfield.