<p>The 2024/2025 offseason has been interesting, to say the least.</p>
<p>You had the Juan Soto megadeal leading the charge when it comes to headline-grabbing momentum swings and some trades mixed in between, but one of the key driving storylines has been veteran free agents having trouble finding a new home this winter. Players like Mark Canha, Brendan Rodgers, and Nick Madrigal (amongst many others) are being limited to MiLB deals with big league invites, which is a bit shocking considering each player produced over a 1.5 WAR last season. They aren&#8217;t show-stopping names by any means like Pete Alonso or Alex Bregman but still, there are some solid players available in free agency with Spring Training underway.</p>
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<p>Let&#8217;s see who is left from the group and whether they fit with the Blue Jays.</p>
<p><em>*all WAR stats are provided by FanGraphs for the 2024 season*</em></p>
<h2>Jose Iglesias (2.5) &#8211; SS</h2>
<p>A shortstop by trade, the New York Mets had Jose Iglesias all over the infield last year once they called him up from triple-A in late May.</p>
<p>A glove-first infielder for most of his career, Iglesias authored a stellar campaign for New York last season, posting a .337/.381/.448 slash line through 270 at-bats. He also added three RBIs and 10 hits in their postseason run to the NLCS as well while splitting time between third base and second base for most of the season. The 3.1 bWAR mark is the highest single-season total of his career and he did it in just 85 games.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Jose Iglesias in 2024: </p>
<p>.337 BA <br />4 HR <br />91 H <br />.830 OPS </p>
<p>Petition to sign him ✍️ <br /> <a href="https://t.co/aDmJxkQic2">pic.twitter.com/aDmJxkQic2</a></p>
<p>&mdash; NYM News (@NYM_News) <a href="https://twitter.com/NYM_News/status/1894452139151307257?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 25, 2025</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Should the Blue Jays sign him:</span></strong> No</p>
<p>After the Gimenez deal, there really isn&#8217;t a need for another infielder as the club has enough. Besides, it&#8217;s surprising enough that he hasn&#8217;t returned to the Mets yet anyway.</p>
<h2>David Robertson (1.9) &#8211; RP</h2>
<p>A familiar name in free agency, right-handed reliever David Robertson continues to put up solid numbers even in the twilight stages of his career.</p>
<p>In what will be his 17th season in the big leagues, Robertson authored a 3.00 ERA and a 2.65 FIP with the Texas Rangers last year through 72 innings. His cutter was elite in the AL West, posting a +19 run value that generated a .209 SLG and had a 30.8% whiff rate, and his 12.4 K/9 still shows he can hang in the big leagues.</p>
<p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Should the Blue Jays sign him:</span></strong> Absolutely</p>
<p>The Blue Jays are in &#8216;win-now&#8217; mode and adding Robertson would make the team better on paper.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">It&#39;s kind of nuts that David Robertson and J.D. Martinez are still out there. Robertson especially. He may be 40, but was incredible last year and the two years prior.</p>
<p>&mdash; Joshua (@JoshuaHowsam) <a href="https://twitter.com/JoshuaHowsam/status/1894770815633080403?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 26, 2025</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<p>That likely means the club has to run without Ryan Yarbrough or find a way to convince Yariel Rodriguez to start the year in triple-A, but Robertson still shoves at a strong level and would add another reliable reliever for manager John Schneider to call upon.</p>
<h2>Kyle Gibson (1.5) &#8211; SP</h2>
<p>A familiar name to the Blue Jays front office, as Ross Atkins tried to sign Kyle Gibson a couple of years back before he took a deal with the Baltimore Orioles. Gibson spent last season with the St. Louis Cardinals and through 30 starts, he produced a 4.24 ERA and punched out 151 batters across 169 2/3 innings.</p>
<p>A 12-year veteran, Gibson enters the 2025 campaign in the twilight of his career but even after posting a 4.42 FIP and a 1.5 WAR, he still hasn&#8217;t found a team willing to sign him.</p>
<p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Should the Blue Jays sign him:</span> </strong>No*</p>
<p>I put an asterisk here because as of right now, Gibson doesn&#8217;t make sense for the current squad. There&#8217;s no spot in the rotation for him and a couple of depth arms can squeeze in like Bowden Francis or Yariel Rodriguez.</p>
<p>That being said &#8211; if injuries pop up in short order this spring, Gibson would be the first pitcher likely to get a call unless you want a left-hander in Jose Quintana. Until that happens, it&#8217;s a no for the Blue Jays.</p>
<h2>Yasmani Grandal (1.4) &#8211; C</h2>
<p>Amongst the current catching options, Cuban product Yasmani Grandal remains the last reliable backstop on the market.</p>
<p>A 14-year veteran, Grandal spent last season with the Pittsburgh Pirates and worked mostly in tandem with Joey Bart behind the plate. He missed the start of the season with a foot injury but still found himself in 71 games. The offensive numbers leave something to be desired &#8211; he owns a .633 OPS through the past three seasons &#8211; but Grandal&#8217;s calling card has mainly been his defensive abilities behind the plate. He struggled in 2023 to a -11 DRS but bounced back last year, sitting at zero, but also saw a decline in his throwing rate with just 8.3% of base stealers caught last year.</p>
<p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Should the Blue Jays sign him:</span></strong> On a MiLB deal</p>
<p>Adding Grandal into the backup catcher competition doesn&#8217;t hurt if the Jays can sign him on a MiLB deal. He could offer a legitimate upgrade over Tyler Heineman and Christian Bethancourt but at the end of the day, the Jays could use some experience to work when Alejandro Kirk needs a day off and Grandal checks a lot of boxes, even in this stage of his career.</p>
<h2>J.D. Martinez (0.6) &#8211; DH</h2>
<p>J.D. Martinez had a funky 2024 season. Signed late in Spring Training, he didn&#8217;t debut with the New York Mets until late April after getting some reps under his belt in the minor leagues.</p>
<p>He started the year on a high note but fell off as the season wore on, slotting into fewer and fewer games &#8211; especially when September came around. Still, the veteran slugger mustered 16 home runs, 69 RBIs, a respectable .725 OPS, and a 106 OPS+.</p>
<p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Should the Blue Jays sign him:</span></strong> Toss-up</p>
<p>This one is a bit of a toss-up honestly, mostly because there are pros and cons for each argument.</p>
<p>Martinez does have that veteran experience and a track record to hit the long ball, mustering 33 round-trippers just two seasons ago. He also has a solid track record in the AL East from his five years in Boston and when healthy, the stats are there. However, Martinez likely still needs some serious cash to sign with a team &#8211; not likely into the tens of millions &#8211; but probably somewhere around the $5 million mark to make it worth his while this late in his career. As well, Martinez is a pure DH at this point in his career so positionally, he is limited to one role.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">6/24/24: SD @ NYM: J.D. Martinez (7th of season, 322nd of career) off Jhony Brito <a href="https://t.co/84SZE60qtZ">pic.twitter.com/84SZE60qtZ</a></p>
<p>&mdash; Mets Home Run a Day (@MetsHRADay) <a href="https://twitter.com/MetsHRADay/status/1894799337470968224?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 26, 2025</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<p>The Blue Jays have a Martinez of their own that could make a splash this season, as the Dominican prospect has been hitting the ball well early this Spring and could be in consideration for the DH spot as well to start the year. Signing the elder batsman likely sees Orelvis start the season in triple-A to work on his defense.</p>
<p>I put this as a toss-up for now because there is a chance that the 37-year-old just doesn&#8217;t have it in the tank anymore to produce at the plate. To be my own devil&#8217;s advocate, I also could be writing an article in four months about how the Jays wasted an opportunity to add him as a DH this past winter given how he can hit the ball when things are going right. We shall see.</p>
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The 2024/2025 offseason has been interesting, to say the least.

You had the Juan Soto megadeal leading the charge when it comes to headline-grabbing momentum swings and some trades mixed in between, but one of the key driving storylines has been veteran free agents having trouble finding a new home this winter. Players like Mark Canha, Brendan Rodgers, and Nick Madrigal (amongst many others) are being limited to MiLB deals with big league invites, which is a bit shocking considering each player produced over a 1.5 WAR last season. They aren't show-stopping names by any means like Pete Alonso or Alex Bregman but still, there are some solid players available in free agency with Spring Training underway.
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Let's see who is left from the group and whether they fit with the Blue Jays.

<em>*all WAR stats are provided by FanGraphs for the 2024 season*</em>
<h2>Jose Iglesias (2.5) - SS</h2>
A shortstop by trade, the New York Mets had Jose Iglesias all over the infield last year once they called him up from triple-A in late May.

A glove-first infielder for most of his career, Iglesias authored a stellar campaign for New York last season, posting a .337/.381/.448 slash line through 270 at-bats. He also added three RBIs and 10 hits in their postseason run to the NLCS as well while splitting time between third base and second base for most of the season. The 3.1 bWAR mark is the highest single-season total of his career and he did it in just 85 games.

https://twitter.com/NYM_News/status/1894452139151307257

<strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Should the Blue Jays sign him:</span></strong> No

After the Gimenez deal, there really isn't a need for another infielder as the club has enough. Besides, it's surprising enough that he hasn't returned to the Mets yet anyway.
<h2>David Robertson (1.9) - RP</h2>
A familiar name in free agency, right-handed reliever David Robertson continues to put up solid numbers even in the twilight stages of his career.

In what will be his 17th season in the big leagues, Robertson authored a 3.00 ERA and a 2.65 FIP with the Texas Rangers last year through 72 innings. His cutter was elite in the AL West, posting a +19 run value that generated a .209 SLG and had a 30.8% whiff rate, and his 12.4 K/9 still shows he can hang in the big leagues.

<strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Should the Blue Jays sign him:</span></strong> Absolutely

The Blue Jays are in 'win-now' mode and adding Robertson would make the team better on paper.

https://twitter.com/JoshuaHowsam/status/1894770815633080403

That likely means the club has to run without Ryan Yarbrough or find a way to convince Yariel Rodriguez to start the year in triple-A, but Robertson still shoves at a strong level and would add another reliable reliever for manager John Schneider to call upon.
<h2>Kyle Gibson (1.5) - SP</h2>
A familiar name to the Blue Jays front office, as Ross Atkins tried to sign Kyle Gibson a couple of years back before he took a deal with the Baltimore Orioles. Gibson spent last season with the St. Louis Cardinals and through 30 starts, he produced a 4.24 ERA and punched out 151 batters across 169 2/3 innings.

A 12-year veteran, Gibson enters the 2025 campaign in the twilight of his career but even after posting a 4.42 FIP and a 1.5 WAR, he still hasn't found a team willing to sign him.

<strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Should the Blue Jays sign him:</span> </strong>No*

I put an asterisk here because as of right now, Gibson doesn't make sense for the current squad. There's no spot in the rotation for him and a couple of depth arms can squeeze in like Bowden Francis or Yariel Rodriguez.

That being said - if injuries pop up in short order this spring, Gibson would be the first pitcher likely to get a call unless you want a left-hander in Jose Quintana. Until that happens, it's a no for the Blue Jays.
<h2>Yasmani Grandal (1.4) - C</h2>
Amongst the current catching options, Cuban product Yasmani Grandal remains the last reliable backstop on the market.

A 14-year veteran, Grandal spent last season with the Pittsburgh Pirates and worked mostly in tandem with Joey Bart behind the plate. He missed the start of the season with a foot injury but still found himself in 71 games. The offensive numbers leave something to be desired - he owns a .633 OPS through the past three seasons - but Grandal's calling card has mainly been his defensive abilities behind the plate. He struggled in 2023 to a -11 DRS but bounced back last year, sitting at zero, but also saw a decline in his throwing rate with just 8.3% of base stealers caught last year.

<strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Should the Blue Jays sign him:</span></strong> On a MiLB deal

Adding Grandal into the backup catcher competition doesn't hurt if the Jays can sign him on a MiLB deal. He could offer a legitimate upgrade over Tyler Heineman and Christian Bethancourt but at the end of the day, the Jays could use some experience to work when Alejandro Kirk needs a day off and Grandal checks a lot of boxes, even in this stage of his career.
<h2>J.D. Martinez (0.6) - DH</h2>
J.D. Martinez had a funky 2024 season. Signed late in Spring Training, he didn't debut with the New York Mets until late April after getting some reps under his belt in the minor leagues.

He started the year on a high note but fell off as the season wore on, slotting into fewer and fewer games - especially when September came around. Still, the veteran slugger mustered 16 home runs, 69 RBIs, a respectable .725 OPS, and a 106 OPS+.

<strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Should the Blue Jays sign him:</span></strong> Toss-up

This one is a bit of a toss-up honestly, mostly because there are pros and cons for each argument.

Martinez does have that veteran experience and a track record to hit the long ball, mustering 33 round-trippers just two seasons ago. He also has a solid track record in the AL East from his five years in Boston and when healthy, the stats are there. However, Martinez likely still needs some serious cash to sign with a team - not likely into the tens of millions - but probably somewhere around the $5 million mark to make it worth his while this late in his career. As well, Martinez is a pure DH at this point in his career so positionally, he is limited to one role.

https://twitter.com/MetsHRADay/status/1894799337470968224

The Blue Jays have a Martinez of their own that could make a splash this season, as the Dominican prospect has been hitting the ball well early this Spring and could be in consideration for the DH spot as well to start the year. Signing the elder batsman likely sees Orelvis start the season in triple-A to work on his defense.

I put this as a toss-up for now because there is a chance that the 37-year-old just doesn't have it in the tank anymore to produce at the plate. To be my own devil's advocate, I also could be writing an article in four months about how the Jays wasted an opportunity to add him as a DH this past winter given how he can hit the ball when things are going right. We shall see.

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