Are the Blue Jays done making moves this off-season?
2 years ago
I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but the Blue Jays moves this off-season seems to be finished.
According to TSN’s Scott Mitchell, Atkins said that while there are still good players available (likely through trade) resources have been drained and the team’s flexibility has diminished.
While there were rumours that the Jays were pursuing Jose Ramirez to play second base, it appears that a trade like that will happen toward the trade deadline.
Shortly after the lockout ended, I identified three needs that the Blue Jays had coming into the 2022 season. Their most pressing need was a third baseman, who they acquired after shipping prospects for Matt Chapman.
They also needed a fifth starter, but signed Yusei Kikuchi as one of the first major signings after the lockout. Sticking with pitchers, a lesser need was in the bullpen.
They signed Andrew Vasquez and Yimi Garcia pre-lockout, but it seems that they will look from within the minor leagues for bullpen help if the problem arises. This is for good reason, as the Jays have several prospects, such as Adrian Hernadnez, Kyle Johnston, Hagen Danner, and Brandon Eisert who could get the call up if need be.
Lastly, the right-handed heavy Blue Jays needed to diversify their bats and acquire a left handed hitter, preferably in the outfield. The front office did this by acquiring Raimel Tapia and a prospect for Randal Grichuk.
With all these transactions, it’s hard to say what the team needs. As I mentioned, they were looking into Jose Ramirez, but do they realistically need to replace Santiago Espinal and Cavan Biggio? Probably not, especially for what Cleveland was asking for.
It’s possible that the team will make minor upgrades, such as signing Greg Bird to a minor league deal, but for now, it’s unlikely they will make a huge splash. Yes, that means that they won’t trade for Jose Ramirez or Ketel Marte and they likely won’t sign Michael Conforto.
With that being said, they are still the best team in the American League and probably the second best team, except for maybe the Los Angeles Dodgers. Either way, buckle up for an exciting season, as this will be the norm for a decade.
As always, you can follow me on Twitter @Brennan_L_D. I have a few more ideas in the works, including something on Kirk, Espinal, McGuire and about the pitching staff. Not just that, but there are six more prospect articles that will be coming out in the near future, so stay tuned!
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