Although bigger-named free agents are still searching for their next home, a name that has been buried among the rest of the unsigned players is third baseman Yoán Moncada.

The former White Sox infielder became a free agent this winter after the club declined his $25 million option for the 2025 campaign. Now, Moncada is looking for a career resurgence with a change of scenery, given he doesn’t make his way back to the White Sox on a different deal.

The Cienfuegos, Cuba native was signed by the Boston Red Sox in 2015, but he was traded to the White Sox along with Michael Kopech and another pair of prospects in exchange for Chris Sale in December of 2016. After two subpar seasons with Chicago, including leading the majors in strikeouts in 2018, Moncada had his breakout season in 2019. He slashed a career-best .315/.367/.548 with a .915 OPS, 34 doubles, 25 home runs, and 79 RBIs. Seen as a key cog in Chicago’s continuing rebuild, the team inked him to the aforementioned contract extension of five years and $70 million with the club option.

Since then, however, Moncada has struggled to find that level of play again, with injuries becoming a recurring theme. Moncada has played in only 104 games between the last two seasons, including only twelve contests last year due to a left adductor strain that he suffered in April. When healthy, Moncada was solid in those 104 games, posting a slash line of .262/.311/.422 with 11 home runs, 40 RBIs, and an OPS+ of 101.

At least the Blue Jays, Cubs, and Mariners have reported interest in Moncada’s services. In Toronto’s case, what kind of sense does he make for them?

Moncada likely won’t be sniffing a $14 million AAV again anytime soon, so he wouldn’t be a burden on Toronto’s payroll. Per Spotrac, Moncada’s market value is currently projected at $1.5 million, and if he’s looking for a “prove it” deal, teams may be looking to offer only a one-year contract to see if he can be healthy for the entire campaign before committing more. He’s the classic sports cliché “bounce-back candidate”, so the Blue Jays could look like geniuses if Moncada were to exceed his projections while at a team-friendly price. On top of that, if the Blue Jays are sellers once again this August, Moncada could be cashed in at the trade deadline for a prospect or two. Although obvious, those may be the only ways Moncada fits on the 2025 Blue Jays.

Moncada would need to be a complimentary piece to Toronto’s puzzle, and he can’t be the only other addition that the Blue Jays make to their batting order. Being a bounce-back candidate is only a glass-half-full approach; there’s still room for a letdown. Sure, the Blue Jays have had good luck with one-year “prove it” deals in Marcus Semien and Robbie Ray, but those two are becoming tired examples, and asking Moncada to rise to those standards would be a lofty ask. Furthermore, if the Blue Jays are looking to contend in 2025, they would be taking a gamble on a player who has made six IL stints over the past three seasons.

Another complicated angle for Moncada being on the Blue Jays is the infield depth that the organization possesses, an area of the team that got even stronger after trading for Andrés Giménez in December. If no one is traded, Addison Barger, Will Wagner, Leo Jiménez, Orelvis Martinez, and Ernie Clement are all currently slated to compete for infield playing time, and adding Moncada would certainly block at least one of them completely, and/or all but confirm that one of those players will be traded. The Blue Jays would need to ask themselves which option is better: Moncada, whose availability and production are question marks, or the aforementioned five players already in the organization.

This isn’t meant to paint Moncada in a negative light. He was a top prospect for a reason, and he has been impactful at the major league level in years past. There’s a good player in there somewhere. Relative to expectations and hype, however, he has been underwhelming.

As team president/CEO Mark Shapiro and GM Ross Atkins enter their final year(s) under contract, they are trying to take one final swing at getting this era of Blue Jays deep into October. With that being said, Moncada wouldn’t be a sure thing, and the front office can’t afford to make too many gambles with this season carrying a lot of weight.

Ultimately, Moncada carries some value for the right price, but he doesn’t make the most sense for the Blue Jays in my viewpoint.

The Cubs and Mariners are legitimate contenders here; the Cubs have a hole at third base after dealing Isaac Paredes to the Astros, and the Mariners struggled to get much offensive production out of Josh Rojas and Dylan Moore last season. As far as this market is concerned, he may have a clearer idea of who is interested after fellow free agent third baseman Alex Bregman signs. The third baseman market during next year’s free agency is thin (unless you’re high on Isiah Kiner-Falefa), so Moncada getting back on track this year could earn him a longer and wealthier deal next winter, whether that is with the Blue Jays or somewhere else.