Toronto Blue Jays cannot afford to be too patient
The Toronto Blue Jays find themselves in a difficult spot this offseason. Both Marcus Semien and Robbie Ray, two bargains in 2021, are set to enter the free agent market. Unlike last year, they are likely to have robust markets, with plenty of teams after their services.
Meanwhile, the Blue Jays need to determine their 2022 roster. They finished just shy of the playoffs this year, with Ray and Semien both playing key roles in their success. Ideally, the Blue Jays would like to keep both players while supplementing the roster enough to make the postseason a reality.
Toronto Blue Jays in difficult spot
Naturally, the Blue Jays are not going to want to force Ray and Semien to make a decision before they are ready. Doing so could push them away from returning to Toronto, which certainly would not be the end result the Blue Jays want.
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But the Blue Jays cannot afford to be too patient. There are plenty of solid options for the rotation available, including several top of the rotation arms. Likewise, the Blue Jays have the depth to be able to trade for another top arm, especially if Ray’s market becomes more than they would feel comfortable with.
Second base may not be as easy a fix. However, it is possible that the Blue Jays could look to sign one of the better shortstops and slide them over. This is what they did with Semien last season, although he was coming off of a disappointing 2020 campaign at the time. Maybe they can do the same thing again?
The Blue Jays do not have much margin for error. The Yankees are seemingly determined to actually improve their roster this offseason. The Rays are always a difficult foe, and the Red Sox advanced to the ALCS. If they wait too long for Ray and Semien to make their decisions, the Blue Jays may miss their chance to improve their roster and improve their hopes of reaching the postseason in 2022.
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The Toronto Blue Jays are willing to wait for Robbie Ray and Marcus Semien. They just should not wait too long for those decisions.