The MLB low season is way from over, however it hasn’t been an important one for the Toronto Blue Jays but.
You possibly can quibble with that assertion if you’re extremely eager on the Andrés Giménez/Nick Sandlin deal and the Yimi Garcia signing, however quibblers could be within the minority. Coming off an 88-loss season, the Blue Jays are reportedly coping with a large hole in negotiations with a foundational participant and have but to signal an affect free agent — regardless of well-documented efforts to take action.
There are nonetheless a few high quality free brokers left. The phrase ‘couple’ isn’t removed from literal in that sentence, although. The commerce market is at all times theoretically bountiful, however the Blue Jays’ middling farm system leaves them with restricted chips to play at that desk.
All in all, it’s a grim state of affairs, however there’s one participant notably able to altering the form of the workforce’s low season in a approach few others can: Anthony Santander.
Let’s take a step again right here.
Santander will not be an ideal participant or a cheat code whose presence ensures a workforce will compete. He’s seemingly to offer much less general worth than Alex Bregman, as an illustration, and he’s been the perfect participant on an MLB workforce.
What we’re speaking about right here is the concept of workforce constructing round strengths and weaknesses and the way completely Santander — who the Blue Jays have reportedly made a proposal to — suits with what Toronto has constructed thus far.
To be honest, constructing a balanced workforce will not be a universally accepted objective. You may argue that expertise accumulation is all that basically issues. The Blue Jays’ mini pivot between 2022 and 2023 that swapped defensively-limited right-handed energy for extra lefties within the lineup and higher glovework was arguably completed within the title of steadiness.
It didn’t draw rave opinions.
Alternatively, when the Blue Jays acquired Giménez, they have been scrutinized for including a participant who has objectively offered loads of worth lately however had an analogous profile to different defence-first gamers within the lineup.
The best way that transfer is likely to be perceived could possibly be altered considerably if the Blue Jays added Santander to the combo, as he’s virtually the polar reverse of Giménez. Amongst 129 certified hitters final season, the previous ranked third in residence runs (44) solely six gamers hit fewer than the latter (9). In the meantime, Giménez ranked ninth in whole defensive worth (+15.7 runs), and Santander got here in 96th (-9.5).
If you happen to have been informed the 2 main additions to the Blue Jays within the offseason, a man with no energy and a suspect fielder, you in all probability wouldn’t be thrilled, however a Giménez/Santander combo is strong.
Right here’s what it’s appeared like in every of the final two seasons:
These aren’t famous person numbers, however collectively they have been a pair of above-average starters averaging residence run totals within the low-to-mid 20s and giving above-average contributions each offensively and defensively.
In 2023 the manufacturing resembled two Matt Chapmans…
… and final 12 months, it wasn’t far off from having two Taylor Wards with higher defence:
Contemplating Chapman earned himself a $151 million deal coming off that 2023 season, and Taylor Ward has been a lot sought-after this low season for the enhance he may give a contender, a GM capable of clone both of them and add each to their roster could be receiving important plaudits.
Extra of these plaudits could be associated to the profitable cloning than the baseball transaction, however it’d nonetheless be a superb little bit of enterprise.
This thought isn’t about congratulating the Blue Jays for a transfer they haven’t accomplished or making broad claims about an low season that isn’t wanting promising with time ticking down. It’s simply fascinating that there’s a free-agent goal on the market who moderates what Toronto has completed thus far in such an apparent approach at a place of want within the outfield.
As a result of the workforce is arguably over-indexed on glove-first gamers, the door is extensive open to discover gamers who would possibly in any other case have their attraction lessened by an absence of defensive worth. Santander is the cleanest match remaining and arguably has been for a while.
There’s a giant distinction between figuring out a participant who would look good in your workforce and agreeing to a contract with him. The Blue Jays have been dwelling in that hole all winter.
