The Toronto Blue Jays will enter the 2019 offseason with financial flexibility and areas that need to be improved, with 3 free agents who could be in play.
Coming into the 2019 offseason, the rebuilding Toronto Blue Jays have a few areas on their roster that could use an upgrade via free agency.
The starting rotation is particularly young and inexperienced on the MLB stage, with prospects battling for rotation spots this upcoming year in spring training. This is the area that needs the most improvement on the Blue Jays, in that 1-2 free agent pickups with some MLB experience could really improve the current squad.
The front office won’t go crazy and fill out every spot with free-agent pitchers, but an established starter to compliment the up and coming prospects in the rotation could be beneficial once the team hits the end of rebuild road.
Another area the Blue Jays may look to improve upon is in their outfield, primarily in center field. Teoscar Hernandez, the Toronto Blue Jays current center fielder, has not proven to be an everyday starter in the outfield, leading the team to look elsewhere for consistency elsewhere.
There is the potential that outfield prospects like Anthony Alford or Derek Fisher could see some time in this position, with a potential spring training competition determining who goes to the bench and who may be sent packing (whether AAA or other organizations due to lacking options).
First base could also use an improvement, with the possibility that veteran Justin Smoak leaves the organization via free agency this season. Rowdy Tellez is primed to overtake this position for the next few years, but the jury is still out on if he will be a consistent major league contributor. Whether the Toronto Blue Jays look to find options outside of the organization or maybe move a different prospect to first base, this area is probably the least of concern out of the previous two.
The free-agent market can be a rough and tumble time for many fans, and this offseason is going to be no different for Blue Jays fans.