With the GM Meetings taking place in San Antonio, Texas this week, industry pundits down in the Lone Star State are interviewing executives and speaking to agents with free agency currently at the forefront of everyone’s minds. Qualifying offers have been sent, the Rule 5 and non-tender deadlines are a few weeks away, and teams are already starting to make room on their respective rosters, with the Blue Jays outrighting reliever Genesis Cabrera to waivers with the southpaw electing free agency.

For the Blue Jays, the early rumblings down in Texas from the Sportsnet crew appear to have Atkins and co. focused on pitching out of the gate, with a host of available arms out there that could benefit the team next year. Surprisingly though, Ben Nicholson-Smith eluded that the Jays will show some interest in the starters market as well as the relievers, with the club exploring many avenues and likely casting a wide net as they look to improve multiple areas of the roster heading into the next year.

Being interested in starting pitching is one thing but looking at the current roster heading into the 2025 campaign, there is a fair argument to be made that it should not be at the forefront when it comes to analyzing importance and fulfilling areas of need for the Blue Jays next year on the free agent market.

At the top of the list is arguably the bullpen, which looks even more depleted after the recent Cabrera news. Reflecting on the Blue Jays 2024 Opening Day roster, only Chad Green, Jordan Romano (who started the year on the IL), and Erik Swanson (IL as well) remain from a stellar group that dominated in 2023.

Bowden Francis is also lingering around but he will likely get some runway for a rotation spot entering Spring Training as well as Yariel Rodríguez, who has the added wrinkle this season where he cannot be optioned to triple-A without his permission (almost like he is out of MiLB options). The Jays could throw Francis or Rodríguez into the bullpen to give the group some added depth and innings. However, the club still needs to find some arms to supplement the current core compared to running it back with the late-season acquisitions the front office picked up and trialled to round out the campaign. Letting Ryan Burr, Tommy Nance, Hagen Danner, Brendon Little, and the other arms added last year fight for a spot in Spring Training is all fine and dandy but the Jays need to pick up some veteran experience this offseason if they want to put forward a competitive bullpen group this year. Running it back with a similar crew that sported an AL-worst 4.82 ERA is not going to cut it.

We haven’t even talked about the position player aspect yet, with the Jays likely looking at multiple additions to help add some power to a group that desperately needed it last season.

A healthy Bo Bichette next season will hopefully help with that trend after a disappointing 2024 campaign but he, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Daulton Varsho, and George Springer need some support, especially since only Guerrero Jr. put 20+ homers for the Jays and that was after a slow start to the year. The front office could try and hope for a full season of Spencer Horwitz and the return of Orelvis Martinez from suspension to help bolster the home run totals but that is a sizeable gamble on a campaign where contention was mentioned heading into the winter and there is a vast amount of uncertainty following next season. Factor in that multiple power bats are available across different levels of payroll commitment and there is no reason why the Blue Jays shouldn’t add at least a bat or two and rely a little less on ‘running it back’ or ‘blips in the radar’ after floundering to the basement of the AL East last year.

Don’t get me wrong – adding another starter would be an absolute benefit for the Blue Jays if the right pitcher is available. The core group of José Berríos, Chris Bassitt, and Kevin Gausman isn’t getting any younger, and the two remaining spots to round out the rotation have some volatility when it comes to Francis, Rodríguez, and Jake Bloss fighting for time in the starters role. The depth in triple-A is thin given the injuries to Alek Manoah, Chad Dallas, and Ricky Tiedemann and the Jays have struggled to develop a bonafide starter internally for quite some time.

That being said, the going rate for starters in today’s free-agent market is high and if the Jays are letting Cabrera walk because it potentially saves the club $2.5 million (as well as potential replication factors next season), then throwing $10+ million at a starter might not be the best use of resources when multiple bats and relievers are needed next season at a minimum.

Should the right candidate come along or the salary commitment from ownership can fit in adding a starter amongst the other additions required then the move makes sense (maybe Atkins will get Kyle Gibson to sign on the dotted line this winter) but if the decision comes down to adding two to three relievers or a potential 20+ home run hitter versus another starter, I lean towards the bullpen or power bat this go around.

Regardless of where you lean as a fan, be prepared for the Blue Jays to kick the tires on a ton of free agents this winter.