The first major trade of the off-season happened on Friday evening.
Unlike the other major North American sports, Major League Baseball’s off-season takes forever to get going. Nearly three weeks into free agency, we finally had our first major trade, as the Kansas City Royals sent Brady Singer to the Cincinnati Reds for Joey Wiemer and Jonathan India.
Singer is coming off a solid season for the Royals, throwing 179.2 innings pitched, with a 3.71 ERA and a 3.93 FIP, along with a 22.3 K% and a 7.1 BB%. His best season was in 2022 when he had a 3.23 ERA and a 3.58 FIP in 153.1 innings pitched. Funnily enough, the Toronto Blue Jays selected Singer out of high school, but he elected to attend college instead.
India has been in trade rumours for the past few off-seasons, so it’s not all too surprising he’s been moved. Last season with the Reds, he slashed .248/.357/.392 with 15 home runs in 637 plate appearances for a 108 wRC+ and a 2.8 fWAR. This was his best season since his rookie year in 2021.
The Royals also received an exciting young player in Jeremy Wiemer. With the Milwaukee Brewers in 2023, he slashed .204/.283/.362 with 13 home runs in 410 plate appearances for a 75 wRC+ and a 1.1 fWAR. At the 2024 trade deadline, the Brewers sent him to the Reds and he only had 28 plate appearances in the big league this past season.

Former Blue Jays non-tendered

On top of relievers Jordan Romano and Dillon Tate, there were also a handful of other former Blue Jays who were non-tender on Friday.
The most notable of them was Adam Kloffenstein. The Jays sent the 24-year-old righty to the St. Louis Cardinals, along with Sem Robberse, for Jordan Hicks before the 2023 trade deadline. After a solid 2023 season with the Cardinals and Blue Jays farm teams, Kloffenstein had a 4.74 ERA and a 5.51 FIP in 89.1 innings pitched in Triple-A this past season. He earned a shot with the big league team, throwing a scoreless inning.
Tim Mayza is the other notable former Blue Jay who was non-tendered. After a terrific 2023 season with the Jays, Mayza struggled with Toronto and was eventually designated for assignment. He was picked up by the New York Yankees and went to the World Series, where he didn’t allow an earned run in two and one-third innings pitched.
Other former Blue Jays that were non-tendered are Mason McCoy, Zach Logue, and Jon Berti.

Could the Jays be interested in a high-end reliever

The Blue Jays had the worst bullpen in 2024, and it only got worse with Jordan Romano being non-tendered. Well, they could be big game hunting according to Sportsnet’s Ben Nicholson-Smith in his recent article.
In that article, he notes that the Blue Jays are looking for a starting pitcher, as it would bump Yariel Rodríguez to the bullpen. Interestingly, Nicholson-Smith reported that people in the industry believe the Jays could sign Jeff Hoffman or Tanner Scott to a four-year deal.
Those two relievers are arguably the best on the market. Last season for the Miami Marlins and the San Diego Padres, Tanner Scott posted a 1.75 ERA and a 2.92 FIP in 72 innings pitched, with a 28.6 K% and a 12.2 BB%. In 2023 with the Marlins, he had a 2.31 ERA and a 2.17 FIP in 78 innings pitched with a 33.9 K% and a 7.8 BB%.
Hoffman was selected by the Blue Jays in 2014 and was involved in the Troy Tulowitzki deal before the 2015 trade deadline. The ninth overall pick finally broke out in 2023, as he had a 2.41 ERA and a 2.57 FIP in 52.1 innings pitched with the Philadelphia Phillies. Last season he was even better, as the 31-year-old had a 2.17 ERA and a 2.52 FIP in 66.1 innings pitched, with a career-best 33.6 K% and a 6 BB%.
Both relievers come with a heavy price tag though. The Athletic’s Jim Bowden predicts Scott will receive a four-year, $60 million deal, while Hoffman will earn a three-year, $27 million deal. It’s worth noting that Chad Green’s two-year, $21 million deal is the most Mark Shapiro and Ross Atkins have shelled out since taking over after the 2015 season.
As always, you can follow me on Bluesky @ryleydelaney.bsky.social.