Toronto Blue Jays Top Five Offseason Priorities
By Tim Haberin
Build the Bridge to Osuna
The Toronto Blue Jays will have some questions to answer about their bullpen as well. There’s been some chatter about possibly stretching Roberto Osuna out to try him again as a starter, but that’s likely just idle speculation. The 21-year-old has developed into one of the game’s better closers, notching 36 saves this season to the tune of a 2.68 ERA, 0.93 WHIP and 5.86 K/BB.
With a rotation that suddenly appears quite robust, the Jays will need to address the middle part of their bullpen connecting their starters to Osuna in the ninth inning. They traded for Jason Grilli from the Braves at the end of May, and the veteran righty did a fairly good job, managing a 3.64 ERA and 1.12 WHIP over 42 innings. Atkins recently described picking up his $3 million option for next year as a “no-brainer,” and it’s hard not to agree. Though he turns 40 next month, he has averaged 12.2 K/9 over the last five years and has enough closing experience that he could easily fill in if Osuna gets hurt.
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Joaquin Benoit, another midseason trade acquisition, will be a free agent. He was brilliant for Toronto, allowing only one run in 23.2 frames. However, a torn calf muscle prevented him from pitching in the postseason. Like Grilli, he’s getting up there in years, too, at age 39. In spite of how good he was after the trade, it’s probably a good idea for the Jays to go in a younger direction. It’s also worth keeping in mind that struggled in Seattle for the first part of the season, posting a 5.18 ERA over 24.1 innings.
Brett Cecil is eligible for free agency as well. The 30-year-old took a step back this year, putting up a 3.93 ERA in 36.2 frames after averaging a 2.67 mark over the previous three campaigns. He also spent some time on the DL with a strained left triceps. Nevertheless, he’s a lefty and has consistently posted a 10.0+ K/9, so it makes sense for the Jays to explore bringing Cecil back on a cheap, short-term deal.
The free agent market has some high-end closers, which the Jays obviously won’t be shopping for, but there are some other options worth considering. Brad Ziegler did well for the Red Sox this year in a seventh and eighth inning role. Neftali Feliz and Sergio Romo also have experience both closing and setting up. Or they could court a reclamation project like Greg Holland.
Next: Blue Jays 2016 Season Review
The Blue Jays have some internal choices as well. If they get another starter, Francisco Liriano could slide into the pen. Ryan Tepera, Danny Barnes and Bo Schultz could also be given more opportunities.