The Toronto Blue Jays head into the 2024/2025 offseason needing to patch quite a few holes on their active roster if they want to field a competitive team next season. While the younger players and the prospects got a chance to shine after the recent trade deadline sell-off, the Jays will need to bring in some veteran talent &#8211; hopefully in the form of more power &#8211; to shore up these areas. Ideally, another outfielder, catcher, and bat-first infielder/outfielder type would do a world of good for this Blue Jays squad, as well as multiple arms in the bullpen to prevent the disaster that was the 2024 campaign from repeating itself next year.
This winter, the prime free agent target is outfielder Juan Soto, who will likely command around or above $500 million when all is said and done (depending on term length). The Jays in theory will have the payroll capability to sign a player like Soto if current projections reflect last season&#8217;s values, but it will be a sizeable chunk of change for a squad that needs to fill multiple holes.
Should the Jays swing and miss on Soto, here are three position players the Jays should consider this offseason.
Anthony Santander &#8211; OF
A familiar face for Blue Jays fans, outfielder <a href="https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/s/santaan02.shtml">Anthony Santander</a> is eligible for free agency for the first time in his career and is looking to cash in. A switch-hitter, the Baltimore Orioles corner outfielder has been a thorn in the Blue Jays side over the years and it&#8217;s easy to see why.
Through parts of eight seasons in the big leagues, Santander owns a .246/.307/.469 slash line with 155 home runs and 435 RBIs. He has amassed a .776 OPS with a 114 OPS+ and the right fielder has collected 25+ home runs and 85+ RBIs over the past three seasons. More importantly, he knows the ins and outs of the AL East through his time in Baltimore and owns solid numbers at the opposing ballparks. Ironically, the Rogers Centre is his weakest stadium within the division with a .673 OPS+ through 108 at-bats.
The caveat with signing Santander is his defensive positioning, as he is a career right fielder and the Jays have one George Springer already in the spot. On top of that, Santander&#8217;s defensive metrics have softened over the years and last season, he posted a -7 DRS and a -2 OAA, which would be a step out of the comfort zone for Atkins and co. and their &#8216;defensive first mentality&#8217; as of late. Something would have to give for Santander and Springer unless they platooned between the outfield and the DH spot.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
All my homies love Anthony Santander. <a href="https://t.co/UyyhHiOkzd">pic.twitter.com/UyyhHiOkzd</a>
&mdash; Baltimore Orioles (@Orioles) <a href="https://twitter.com/Orioles/status/1827173244366897322?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 24, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
At 29 years old, Santander is at a prime age for a three to five-year deal and won&#8217;t break the bank compared to Soto (for obvious reasons) or some other outfield options. Santander likely comes with draft pick compensation if the Orioles give him a qualifying offer &#8211; something to keep in the back of your mind. With signing Santander, the Jays wouldn&#8217;t have to face him anymore either, a strong plus for a player who finds ways to launch baseballs against the Blue Jays pitching staff.
Alex Bregman &#8211; 3B
With Matt Chapman signing an extension with the San Francisco Giants during the season, <a href="https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/b/bregmal01.shtml">Alex Bregman</a> stands alone as the top third base option this winter.
Bregman burst onto the scene in 2017, where he became the Astros&#8217; go-to third base option, and put up MVP-like numbers in 2019 &#8211; authoring a .296/.423/.592 slash line with 41 home runs and a 1.015 OPS. While he hasn&#8217;t hit the 30-home run mark since that season, Bregman continues to be a dependable option at the plate &#8211; having posted an OPS+ over 110 in each season he has played with Houston near the top of the batting order.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
Jose Altuve emotionally advocated for Alex Bregman to be brought back to the Astros <a href="https://t.co/YVaS02NmtN">https://t.co/YVaS02NmtN</a>
&mdash; Sports Illustrated (@SInow) <a href="https://twitter.com/SInow/status/1841893503040713115?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 3, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Defensively, Bregman won&#8217;t put up Gold Glove calibre numbers but he gets the job done at the hot corner &#8211; owning a collective +27 DRS over the past nine seasons with a .968 fielding percentage. If the Jays are looking for stability on the left side of the diamond compared to an internal option like Addison Barger, Orelvis Martinez, or Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Bregman makes a whole lot of sense.
It will cost a pretty penny to pry Bregman away from Houston, as the two sides have kicked the tires on an extension over the year. He too will be tied to draft pick compensation as a qualifying offer is likely heading his way but there are a lot of positives from the Astros third baseman that could make the draft pick a moot point at the end of the day, especially if you are looking for a player with postseason experience.
Teoscar Hernández &#8211; OF
Sometimes familiarity can be a comfortable move and if the Blue Jays front office wants to gain some positive PR this winter while bringing in a power bat, signing Teoscar Hernández ticks both boxes.
Hernández spent parts of six seasons with the Toronto Blue Jays after being acquired from the Houston Astros at the 2017 trade deadline. Over that time, he became a fan favourite amongst the Blue Jays faithful and established himself as a power bat to watch out for &#8211; amassing a .263/.320/.503 with 129 home runs, 369 RBIs, and a .823 OPS. He&#8217;s put up 20+ home runs in every season since 2018 (excluding the 2020 shortened campaign) and boasts a lifetime 121 OPS+, including his time with the Seattle Mariners and the Los Angeles Dodgers, where he has recently found his groove after signing a one-year deal with the NL West squad.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
Teoscar Hernández puts the Dodgers on top with a 2-run single! 🤩 <a href="https://t.co/a2iVrc8rGh">pic.twitter.com/a2iVrc8rGh</a>
&mdash; Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) <a href="https://twitter.com/Sportsnet/status/1842755313356742909?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 6, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The biggest knock on Hernández&#8217;s track record is the strikeout numbers, as he boasts a lifetime 29.6% strikeout rate. It comes with the territory of being a power bat but is something worth noting as he crossed the 200+ strikeout mark in 2023.
Defensively, Hernández isn&#8217;t going to win any fielding awards but the Dominican product can hold his own in the corner spots but has a better track record in right field (which already has Springer, as noted earlier). A platoon here could be used as well or the Jays may use Hernández as their primary DH in this scenario but the benefit is he can play in the outfield if needed.
Hernández will cost a pretty penny after a strong season in Los Angeles and it wouldn&#8217;t be surprising if he stay on the West Coast at the end of the day. He can still be issued a qualifying offer because the Mariners decided to let him walk without one and if Hernández does head to the open market, the Dodgers will easily offer him one.

The Toronto Blue Jays head into the 2024/2025 offseason needing to patch quite a few holes on their active roster if they want to field a competitive team next season. While the younger players and the prospects got a chance to shine after the recent trade deadline sell-off, the Jays will need to bring in some veteran talent - hopefully in the form of more power - to shore up these areas. Ideally, another outfielder, catcher, and bat-first infielder/outfielder type would do a world of good for this Blue Jays squad, as well as multiple arms in the bullpen to prevent the disaster that was the 2024 campaign from repeating itself next year.

This winter, the prime free agent target is outfielder Juan Soto, who will likely command around or above $500 million when all is said and done (depending on term length). The Jays in theory will have the payroll capability to sign a player like Soto if current projections reflect last season's values, but it will be a sizeable chunk of change for a squad that needs to fill multiple holes.

Should the Jays swing and miss on Soto, here are three position players the Jays should consider this offseason.

Anthony Santander - OF

A familiar face for Blue Jays fans, outfielder <a href="https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/s/santaan02.shtml">Anthony Santander</a> is eligible for free agency for the first time in his career and is looking to cash in. A switch-hitter, the Baltimore Orioles corner outfielder has been a thorn in the Blue Jays side over the years and it's easy to see why.

Through parts of eight seasons in the big leagues, Santander owns a .246/.307/.469 slash line with 155 home runs and 435 RBIs. He has amassed a .776 OPS with a 114 OPS+ and the right fielder has collected 25+ home runs and 85+ RBIs over the past three seasons. More importantly, he knows the ins and outs of the AL East through his time in Baltimore and owns solid numbers at the opposing ballparks. Ironically, the Rogers Centre is his weakest stadium within the division with a .673 OPS+ through 108 at-bats.

The caveat with signing Santander is his defensive positioning, as he is a career right fielder and the Jays have one George Springer already in the spot. On top of that, Santander's defensive metrics have softened over the years and last season, he posted a -7 DRS and a -2 OAA, which would be a step out of the comfort zone for Atkins and co. and their 'defensive first mentality' as of late. Something would have to give for Santander and Springer unless they platooned between the outfield and the DH spot.

https://twitter.com/Orioles/status/1827173244366897322

At 29 years old, Santander is at a prime age for a three to five-year deal and won't break the bank compared to Soto (for obvious reasons) or some other outfield options. Santander likely comes with draft pick compensation if the Orioles give him a qualifying offer - something to keep in the back of your mind. With signing Santander, the Jays wouldn't have to face him anymore either, a strong plus for a player who finds ways to launch baseballs against the Blue Jays pitching staff.

Alex Bregman - 3B

With Matt Chapman signing an extension with the San Francisco Giants during the season, <a href="https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/b/bregmal01.shtml">Alex Bregman</a> stands alone as the top third base option this winter.

Bregman burst onto the scene in 2017, where he became the Astros' go-to third base option, and put up MVP-like numbers in 2019 - authoring a .296/.423/.592 slash line with 41 home runs and a 1.015 OPS. While he hasn't hit the 30-home run mark since that season, Bregman continues to be a dependable option at the plate - having posted an OPS+ over 110 in each season he has played with Houston near the top of the batting order.

https://twitter.com/SInow/status/1841893503040713115

Defensively, Bregman won't put up Gold Glove calibre numbers but he gets the job done at the hot corner - owning a collective +27 DRS over the past nine seasons with a .968 fielding percentage. If the Jays are looking for stability on the left side of the diamond compared to an internal option like Addison Barger, Orelvis Martinez, or Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Bregman makes a whole lot of sense.

It will cost a pretty penny to pry Bregman away from Houston, as the two sides have kicked the tires on an extension over the year. He too will be tied to draft pick compensation as a qualifying offer is likely heading his way but there are a lot of positives from the Astros third baseman that could make the draft pick a moot point at the end of the day, especially if you are looking for a player with postseason experience.

Teoscar Hernández - OF

Sometimes familiarity can be a comfortable move and if the Blue Jays front office wants to gain some positive PR this winter while bringing in a power bat, signing Teoscar Hernández ticks both boxes.

Hernández spent parts of six seasons with the Toronto Blue Jays after being acquired from the Houston Astros at the 2017 trade deadline. Over that time, he became a fan favourite amongst the Blue Jays faithful and established himself as a power bat to watch out for - amassing a .263/.320/.503 with 129 home runs, 369 RBIs, and a .823 OPS. He's put up 20+ home runs in every season since 2018 (excluding the 2020 shortened campaign) and boasts a lifetime 121 OPS+, including his time with the Seattle Mariners and the Los Angeles Dodgers, where he has recently found his groove after signing a one-year deal with the NL West squad.

https://twitter.com/Sportsnet/status/1842755313356742909

The biggest knock on Hernández's track record is the strikeout numbers, as he boasts a lifetime 29.6% strikeout rate. It comes with the territory of being a power bat but is something worth noting as he crossed the 200+ strikeout mark in 2023.

Defensively, Hernández isn't going to win any fielding awards but the Dominican product can hold his own in the corner spots but has a better track record in right field (which already has Springer, as noted earlier). A platoon here could be used as well or the Jays may use Hernández as their primary DH in this scenario but the benefit is he can play in the outfield if needed.

Hernández will cost a pretty penny after a strong season in Los Angeles and it wouldn't be surprising if he stay on the West Coast at the end of the day. He can still be issued a qualifying offer because the Mariners decided to let him walk without one and if Hernández does head to the open market, the Dodgers will easily offer him one.

Three free agent position players the Blue Jays should pursue this offseason not named Juan Soto

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