Toronto Blue Jays

The Toronto Blue Jays have reportedly opened their checkbook for one of the league's top available free agents.

According to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, the Blue Jays offered former Houston Astros star George Springer a five-year deal worth more than $100 million. 

The Blue Jays join the New York Mets as the two teams who have "drawn the most significant interest" in the 31-year-old, who is entering his eighth year in the league, according to MLB.com's Jon Paul Morosi.  

A three-time All-Star and two-time Silver Slugger winner, Springer had a career year in 2019, when he hit .292 with 39 home runs and 96 RBI. In a pandemic-shortened season, he dipped slightly, with a .265 average, 14 home runs and 32 RBI through 51 outings.

He can perform in the postseason, as demonstrated by his 2017 World Series MVP nod that awarded his .379 average, five home runs and seven RBI en route to the title, but he's also consistently an offensive powerhouse. He has scored 100 runs and tacked on at least 80 RBI in three different seasons.

The Mets have already done some work during the offseason, adding shortstop Francisco Lindor and pitcher Carlos Carrasco in a trade with Cleveland and signing catcher James McCann, but New York could have the edge in the Springer sweepstakes. A Connecticut native, Springer reportedly is interested in returning back home, per Morosi.

A youthful Blue Jays team would benefit from Springer's veteran leadership, in addition to his bat, and it's apparent that they've already imagined how he could fit into their system by offering him a three-digit deal. 

But any team that is looking to land Springer this offseason should reportedly expect to lay out all the financial stops for him, with ESPN's Jeff Passan reporting that the star could sign a "bonanza deal." 

The Toronto Blue Jays have yet to make a big splash in free agency, but they are reportedly keeping a close eye on the top three players still available. 

Per MLB.com's Jon Morosi, the Blue Jays are still in contact with the representatives for Trevor Bauer, J.T. Realmuto and George Springer. 

Toronto has been linked to a number of players, both free agents and trade candidates, this offseason.

MLB.com's Anthony Castrovince noted Toronto finished second in the Francisco Lindor trade sweepstakes. The four-time All-Star was dealt to the New York Mets last week. 

MLB Network's Jon Heyman reported the Blue Jays made a four-year, $78 million offer to DJ LeMahieu before the All-Star second baseman re-signed with the New York Yankees. 

Bauer is the top pitcher on the free-agent market after winning the 2020 National League Cy Young Award with the Cincinnati Reds. He led the NL with a 1.73 ERA and had 100 strikeouts in 73.1 innings over 11 starts. 

Springer and Realmuto are the best position players still available after LeMahieu chose to stay with the Yankees. Springer, 31, is a three-time All-Star who owns a .270/.361/.491 career slash line in seven seasons with the Houston Astros. 

Realmuto spent the past two seasons with the Philadelphia Phillies. He made back-to-back All-Star teams in 2018 and 2019 as well as won the Gold Glove and Silver Slugger Awards in 2019. 

Last season, the 29-year-old posted a career-high .840 OPS in 47 games.

The Blue Jays' postseason window opened in 2020 with the development of young players like Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Cavan Biggio, Bo Bichette, Lourdes Gurriel Jr., Teoscar Hernandez and Rowdy Tellez. 

Adding a prolific veteran to that core would help Toronto close the gap on the Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays in the AL East. 

The Toronto Blue Jays reportedly attempted to sign George Springer to a contract that was "well under" the $150 million the free-agent outfielder is looking for this offseason.

Jim Duquette of SNY reported the news Monday, noting Toronto's offer was still "aggressive" and in the five-year range.

The same report noted SNY's Andy Martino previously reported the New York Mets and Springer weren't particularly close on a deal with the outfielder looking for more than $150 million.

Springer is 31 years old and figures to remain in his prime for the immediate future.

He is a three-time All-Star and two-time Silver Slugger who won the 2017 World Series MVP with the Houston Astros, the only major league team he has ever played for during his career. He was at his best in 2019, the last full season, when he slashed .292/.383/.591 with 39 home runs and 96 RBI.

Those are the types of numbers that would work in any lineup, so it is not particularly surprising multiple teams are interested in Springer at this point.

Still, more than $150 million is quite the ask given some of the financial uncertainty teams say they are facing amid the COVID-19 pandemic. He may need to accept a lower figure at some point, although he could at least chase another World Series ring in Toronto.

Toronto made the playoffs last season and has promising sluggers in place with Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette, and adding someone like Springer would make the lineup all the more formidable.

He could also be a veteran leader with postseason experience for a team looking to challenge the New York Yankees in the American League East.

Reigning National League Cy Young winner Trevor Bauer confirmed he's had talks with the Toronto Blue Jays. 

Bauer said on Twitter he had a call with the team to "talk to their pitching coach and high-performance coach and see what they have to offer. So that's moving forward."

The Blue Jays are rumored to be looking at several marquee free agents this offseason as they try to build off last season's playoff appearance. 

Andy Martino of SNY.tv reported Wednesday that Toronto and the New York Mets are "seriously interested" in George Springer and remain "engaged with his representatives."

MLB Network's Jon Heyman reported the 29-year-old Bauer wants a deal of five or six years worth between $36 million and $40 million annually, though he refuted that on Twitter. 

"Jon thank god for you. I'm learning so much about my free agency from your tweets! Keep em coming! Also @AgentRachelLuba is her twitter tag in case you want to tag her next time," he wrote.

Starting pitching is a need for the Blue Jays. Their rotation finished last season ranked 17th in ERA (4.55) and 23rd in FanGraphs wins above replacement (2.6). 

Despite those holes in the pitching staff, Toronto finished third in the AL East with a 32-28 record. It made the postseason for the first time since 2016 but was swept in the Wild Card Round by the Tampa Bay Rays. 

Bauer won the 2020 NL Cy Young Award with the Cincinnati Reds. The right-hander led the NL with a 1.73 ERA and finished second with 100 strikeouts in 73 innings. 

Toronto Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins confirmed the organization's interest in free-agent outfielder George Springer on Thursday.

According to Arash Madani of Sportsnet, Atkins said he has connected with Springer's representation on a weekly basis.

Springer, arguably the best player on the market, is a three-time All-Star, two-time Silver Slugger, World Series winner and World Series MVP.

MLB Network's Jon Morosi reported the Jays also have interest in outfielder Marcell Ozuna, who played for the Atlanta Braves last season, but Toronto appears to have Springer higher on its list.

The 31-year-old Springer enjoyed a dominant four-year stretch from 2016-19 that yielded three All-Star nods and three seasons with at least 29 home runs. During that stint, he averaged a .274 batting average, 31 home runs, 84 RBI and 107 runs scored per season.

He got off to a slow start to the shortened 2020 season, but he ended up with some solid numbers, hitting .265 with 14 homers, 32 RBI and 37 runs scored in 51 games.

One thing that makes Springer's production so impressive is that the Astros have used him in the leadoff spot in recent years. He isn't a prototypical leadoff hitter, but he made it work and still put up great power numbers.

Springer is perhaps best known for coming through when the games matter most, evidenced by his 19 home runs, 38 RBI and 43 runs scored in 63 career postseason games. His best performance came in the 2017 World Series when he hit .379 with five homers and seven RBI en route to being named World Series MVP.

He was also great during Houston's surprising run to the American League Championship Series last season with four home runs and nine RBI between the ALDS and ALCS.

The Jays reached the playoffs for the first time since 2016 last season. Although they were swept by the Tampa Bay Rays in the American League Wild Card Series, they have some momentum entering 2021.

Toronto already has a nice collection of young offensive talent, including Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Bo Bichette and Cavan Biggio, but Springer would give the Jays some much-needed experience and a player who knows how to produce and win in the postseason.

The Toronto Blue Jays are reportedly among the teams expected to pursue catcher J.T. Realmuto in free agency this winter.

Craig Mish of SportsGrid reported the Blue Jays will be "involved throughout the process" for the game's best catcher.

Realmuto hit .266/.349/.491 with 11 home runs and 47 runs batted in last season, finishing second behind Salvador Perez for the highest wins above replacement among catchers, per FanGraphs. Yasmani Grandal is the only catcher to outperform Realmuto by FanGraphs' WAR formula over the last five seasons.

The free-agency process for Realmuto will likely be interesting, given the increased platooning of the catcher position around baseball. The 29-year-old has been a relative ironman in that regard, missing no more than 37 games in a season.

Analytics overwhelmingly caution against giving catchers long-term contracts that take them deep into their 30s. The San Francisco Giants (Buster Posey) and Minnesota Twins (Joe Mauer) serve as recent cautionary tales in that regard. Despite both remaining solid players, their production as they aged did not justify the length and scale of their deals.

Aside from Posey, no catcher in baseball has a contract worth more than $73 million in total. Grandal and Posey are the only catchers who currently have deals with average annual values of more than $10 million per season. 

Coming off a surprise playoff appearance in 2020, the Toronto Blue Jays could be looking to make a big splash in free agency.

Per Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, the Blue Jays are pursuing free agents at a "breakneck pace," with DJ LeMahieu, Justin Turner, George Springer and Michael Brantley among the players they have interest in.

The Blue Jays are in a prime position to sign at least one marquee free agent, as their core is built around young players coming off mostly strong seasons and under team control for multiple years.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Cavan Biggio, Bo Bichette, Lourdes Gurriel Jr., Rowdy Tellez and Teoscar Hernandez are all going to be 28 or younger at the start of next season and posted an OPS+ of at least 115 in 2020.

It's not surprising to see Toronto's front office looking at third basemen, as the Blue Jays only got a .210/.281/.347 slash line from the hot corner.

LeMahieu is the best hitter from that group of free agents, as he led MLB with a .364 batting average and had an AL-high .421 on-base percentage for the New York Yankees. It could be difficult for the Blue Jays to lure him away, though, as Ken Davidoff of the New York Post noted the 32-year-old "prefers to remain in the New York area."

Turner could come with a lower price tag than LeMahieu or Springer as a 36-year-old free agent, and he posted an excellent .307/.400/.460 line in 42 games for the Los Angeles Dodgers last season.

Springer is arguably the best free agent available, as he's a capable defensive center fielder who has hit .270/.361/.491 with an average of 25 homers per season since 2014. 

Brantley continues to quietly put up great numbers no matter where he plays, as the four-time All-Star hit .300/.364/.476 in 46 games for the Houston Astros last season.

The Blue Jays made the playoffs in 2020 with a 32-28 record but finished behind the Tampa Bay Rays and New York Yankees in the AL East. Since both teams figure to remain contenders next season, Toronto knows it can't coast in the offseason.

Fresh off reaching the postseason for the first time since 2016, the Toronto Blue Jays are apparently looking to continue strengthening their roster in free agency.

MLB Network's Jon Heyman reported on the Big Time Baseball podcast (h/t Radio.com's Tim Kelly) that the Blue Jays have shown interest in veteran center fielders George Springer and Jackie Bradley Jr.

Randal Grichuk projects to be Toronto's starting center fielder in 2021. The Toronto Star's Gregor Chisholm wrote last month the team would benefit from upgrading at the position, citing Grichuk's defensive metrics:

"According to Baseball Savant, Grichuk tied for 32nd among 39 qualified centre-fielders this season with minus-one outs above average. Last year, he was marginally better, tied for 23rd with two OAA across 62 games. Defensive runs saved paints a similar picture, with Grichuk posting minus-eight in 2020 vs. plus-two a year ago.

"Grichuk's lack of range in centre would be less noticeable if he were surrounded by plus defenders, but this is an outfield where no one can hide. Teoscar Hernandez remains a liability in right, and after a breakout season at the plate he's staying put. In left, Lourdes Gurriel Jr. has displayed promise with the glove—named a finalist for a Gold Glove, in fact, on Thursday—but is prone to gaffes and requires someone regularly backing him up."

Grichuk isn't such a great hitter that his offense offsets whatever value you sacrifice with him in the field. He finished 2020 with a .334 wOBA and 112 wRC+, per FanGraphs.

Springer and Bradley have contrasting profiles.

Springer is a two-time Silver Slugger with a .270/.361/.491 career slash line. He would not only be a defensive improvement over Grichuk but also provide far more production at the plate.

The 31-year-old is one of the best position players on the market, so the Blue Jays are almost certainly not the only team tracking him.

Should a pursuit of Springer fall short, Bradley would be the next-best alternative. 

He's hitting only .239 over his career, and his career-best .283 average this season was propped up by his .343 BABIP, according to FanGraphs. Still, his defense—Bradley was a 2018 Gold Glove glove winner—would provide something the Blue Jays don't have in center at the moment.

Veteran pitcher Robbie Ray has reportedly agreed to a free-agent deal to return to the Toronto Blue Jays next season.

According to ESPN's Jeff Passan, Ray and the Jays came to terms on a one-year, $8 million contract, marking the first free-agent signing for any team this offseason.

The Blue Jays acquired Ray from the Arizona Diamondbacks in August, and he went on to make five appearances (four starts) for Toronto during the regular season.

After struggling mightily to the tune of a 7.84 ERA in seven starts for the D-Backs last season, Ray was much better in Toronto. Over 20.2 innings, he went 1-1 with a 4.79 ERA and 25 strikeouts.

Ray also made one appearance during the Blue Jays' American League Wild Card Series against the Tampa Bay Rays, going 0-1 with a 3.00 ERA.

It wasn't long ago that Ray seemed to be among the fastest-rising stars in Major League Baseball. In 2017, he broke out by going 15-5 with a 2.89 ERA and 218 strikeouts in 162 innings. Ray was named an All-Star for the first time and finished seventh in the NL Cy Young award voting.

Ray dropped off in subsequent years, but he was still solid in 2018 and 2019. Ray went 6-2 with a 3.93 ERA in 2018 and 12-8 with a 4.34 ERA in 2019. He also continued to strike out batters at a high rate.

The 29-year-old lefty's best attribute is undoubtedly his swing-and-miss stuff. He owns a career strikeout rate of 11.1 per nine innings, and if he can harness that better in Toronto next season, he could be one of the top bounce-back candidates in baseball.

The signing of Ray may be the first of many moves for Toronto, as Bob Nightengale of USA Today reported Saturday that rival executives believe the Jays will be "as aggressive this winter in free agency as any team in MLB."

Toronto benefited last season from the expansion of the playoff field. As a result, the Jays reached the postseason for the first time since 2016 despite finishing seventh in the league. 

Signing Ray is a solid move for rotation depth, as Ray will remain part of a staff anchored by 2020 American League Cy Young finalist Hyun-Jin Ryu.

The Blue Jays also have several young, talented hitters—including Bo Bichette, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Cavan Biggio—making them a trendy pick to take a big step forward in 2021 and beyond.

For the first time since 2016, the Toronto Blue Jays are heading to the postseason. 

Toronto (30-27) locked up a wild-card berth with Thursday's 4-1 victory over the New York Yankees. Vladimir Guerrero Jr.'s solo home run and Bo Bichette's and Alejandro Kirk's RBI doubles paced Toronto's offense, and Hyun-Jin Ryu threw seven shutout innings for the win.

Earning a playoff berth in the shortened 60-game season was no small task for the Blue Jays, even with the expanded field, considering they had to battle the Tampa Bay Rays (37-20) and New York Yankees (32-25) in the strong American League East. 

The Rays clinched the AL East. The Blue Jays, who are two games behind the Yankees for second, can still jump New York in the standings with three games left. Regardless of where the two teams finish in the division, though, both will move on.

Along with the three AL East teams, the Chicago White Sox, Oakland Athletics, Minnesota Twins and Cleveland have also qualified for the postseason. The Houston Astros are in the driver's seat for the eighth and final AL playoff spot.

Toronto will likely go as far as its offense can take it, particularly with an outfield of Teoscar Hernandez, Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and Randal Grichuk all having big seasons. Add in Guerrero and Cavan Biggio and the Blue Jays are a threat to opposing rotations. 

It's the team's rotation that could really smother its title hopes. While Ryu has been solid and Taijuan Walker hasn't been bad since he was acquired, the rest of the rotation has bordered on hopeless for Toronto. 

If the starters can hand the bullpen a lead in the later innings, Toronto is in business as the relievers have performed well this year, led by Jordan Romano, Rafael Dolis, Anthony Bass and A.J. Cole. 

But if the Blue Jays aren't slugging, it's tough to win given the poor starting pitching. That limits Toronto's upside, but the team is capable of making a run.