Opinion | The Blue Jays can pay higher prices for free agents and business purposes. More competition is the problem

CARLSBAD, CALIF. – The Blue Jays are expected to be one of the most aggressive teams in the majors for the second straight offseason season, but climate general manager Ross Atkins is operating this winter will be very different than it was in a year. behind.

After the 2020 season, the Blue Jays and the New York Mets were two of the only teams with a lot of money to spend on players who weren’t their own free agents. Both clubs were tied to just about everyone, while many of the typical big spenders chose not to get involved.

That, perhaps more than any other reason, was the reason the Blue Jays managed to come up with the best offers for George Springer, Marcus Semien and, to a lesser extent, Robbie Ray and Kirby Yates. After league teams suffered a financial hit during the pandemic, the Blue Jays were one of the outliers willing to spend big.

The scene is out of season is not comparable.

There was no shortage of potential bidders gathering here Tuesday for general managers meetings, even though the free agent process will drag on for several months with a potential lockout looming when the current collective bargaining agreement expires on Dec. 1.

“All we can do is what you guys can do, in terms of understanding how aggressive the teams are going to be, and that’s for speculation,” Atkins said on the first day at the Omni La Costa Resort. “But I feel like the game is in a great place. There are a lot of really competitive teams and a lot of opportunities for teams to improve.

“It looks like it’s going to be very competitive this offseason.”

The American League East has been the toughest division in baseball for years, and that doesn’t look like it’s going to change anytime soon. The New York Yankees will be in the mix of one of the best free agent shortstops: Semien, Carlos Correa, Corey Seager or Trevor Story, while the Red Sox will make another round of investments after recently securing the second wild card. Elsewhere, however, the Orioles and Rays are not expected to be factors in free agency as usual.

The difference this year can be found in the rest of the divisions.

In the AL West, the Seattle Mariners, the Los Angeles Angels and the Texas Rangers have a lot of money on hand. In the Central, the Detroit Tigers seem poised to reactivate their rebuilding at great expense of their own. Top contenders like the Chicago White Sox and the Houston Astros will also remain active.

Two National League teams to watch out for are the St. Louis Cardinals and the San Francisco Giants, who have just $ 72.7 million (US) on the books after spending nearly $ 100 million more in 2021. The Dodgers remain the richest team in baseball, while other buyers include the Philadelphia Phillies, Atlanta Braves, San Diego Padres and possibly even the Miami Marlins.

There are many teams looking to buy. In comparison, the list of sellers is small. The Oakland Athletics are on the brink of a sell-off, and reports surfaced this week that they are trying to secure a payroll of less than $ 50 million, which would inevitably lead to the departure of arbitrage-eligible players such as Matt Olson, Matt Chapman, Sean Manaea and Frankie Montas.

The Cincinnati Reds are in a similar situation with ace Luis Castillo and right-hander Sonny Gray among those available. Other teams to monitor include the Cleveland Indians, the Minnesota Twins, the Kansas City Royals and the Arizona Diamondbacks, but with more teams buying than selling, the costs should be quite high in trades and free agency.

“I have a little bit of freedom,” said Brian Cashman of the Yankees, referencing the payroll and echoing many of the other general managers who attended the meetings. “Do I have a fixed budget? No. But do I have an address? Yes, and it was clearly mission accomplished last year by being under the competitive balance tax. “

The Blue Jays, despite their young core, have a lot of holes to fill. It takes at least one infielder, two starting pitchers, and multiple arms for the bullpen. Ideally, the club would also diversify its heavy right-hander lineup, which could involve moving an outfielder like Lourdes Gurriel Jr. to free up a spot for another southpaw.

Atkins has the benefit of flexibility. You could choose to add a second or third baseman, but you don’t necessarily need both, with Cavan Biggio and Santiago Espinal offering alternatives. Despite a crowded field, there is also room to add one more player at the fourth outfielder / designated hitter that Corey Dickerson fulfilled in the second half.

In the rotation, the Blue Jays must re-sign Ray and Steven Matz or find comparable replacements. They will launch a wide net in the search for candidates, as evidenced by this week’s in-person scouting trip to see Justin Verlander in rehab. Other options include Kevin Gausman, Eduardo Rodríguez, Carlos Rodón, Alex Wood, James Paxton, Michael Pineda and Dylan Bundy.

Atkins is still in the information gathering portion of his offseason. As interesting as the reports may seem about the Blue Jays “checking in” with free agents or receiving calls from other teams, they can be safely ignored for now because it amounts to little more than due diligence, something that every team is doing at this time. time of the year. .

“You start with an ideal (result) and take steps toward that,” Atkins said of his offseason planning. “At least for me, it has never gone the ideal way from the first step. You always have to adjust based on interest, based on seeing values ​​differently. That’s a lot of the time here. I think everyone is ready to have genuine and authentic exchanges and then they can adapt as they see fit. “

The Blue Jays have a lot going for them this offseason. Unfortunately for the main office, many other teams can claim the same.

This is not the low season for bargains. It’s shaping up to be an offseason in which teams, including the Blue Jays, will be forced to pay a premium for improvements they want.