Fresh off their first playoff season since 2016, the up-and-coming Blue Jays may be in position for an aggressive winter. With that in mind, they’re already showing interest in a couple of the game’s premier free-agent outfielders. The Astros’ George Springer and longtime Red Sox center fielder Jackie Bradley Jr. are on the Blue Jays’ radar, according to Jon Heyman of MLB Network (h/t: Tim Kelly of WEEI.com).
[RELATED: Blue Jays Offseason Outlook]
Either Springer or Bradley could take over in center for Toronto, which relied on Randal Grichuk in 2020. Grichuk had a nice offensive season, hitting .273/.312/.481 (112 wRC+) with 12 home runs in 231 plate appearances. However, Grichuk had difficulty in the outfield, where he managed minus-eight Defensive Runs Saved and a minus-three Ultimate Zone Rating. With Teoscar Hernandez and Lourdes Gurriel Jr. in the corners, Toronto could either try to trade Grichuk, who’s due $29MM through 2023, or move him around the outfield/DH if it signs either Springer or Bradley.
Of Springer and Bradley, the former will command the far richer contract. MLBTR predicts a five-year, $125MM contract for Springer, who has blended high-end offense with very good defense throughout his career. There’s a case that the 31-year-old Springer is the No. 1 position player on the open market (it’s him or catcher J.T. Realmuto). With the Astros having given Springer an $18.9MM qualifying offer, which he’s sure to reject, the Blue Jays would have to surrender draft compensation to add him.
Bradley isn’t on Springer’s level, but JBJ has been a valuable player during his career, in which he has combined fantastic defense with passable offense. This past season, although abbreviated, was one of the 30-year-old’s best at the plate. He wound up with a strong line of .283/.364/.450 (119 wRC+), seven homers and five steals across 217 PA. MLBTR expects Bradley to land a two-year, $16MM contract before the 2021 campaign, but the Jays or another team will have to beat out the likes of the Red Sox and Astros, who have shown interest early this offseason.
Springer would be a great fit for a young team such as the Blue Jays
Would Springer want to go somewhere with artificial turf? He’s not shy about getting physical with the ground.
And how about the tax difference between earning in Canada and the US?
Does Springer, who has had a good run with a team that has won for the last several years really want to go to the Blue Jays, who for all their “potential” and coming up hopes, hasn’t won a thing and may not for several years?
He may have no choice. It’s not as if a lot of teams will be beating down the door with the uncertainty of next season. I suspect, though, the Mets or Red Sox will get him.
He’s not (nor should any player be expected to) sacrifice millions of dollars to go to a winner. In reality, probably outside of the Dodgers, we often don’t know for sure who playoff teams will be.
Spring is a free agent and will go to the highest bidder. It offers are close, then he’ll have the luxury of deciding a location and can factor other things in. Not that hard
Good take Brandon. It’s the money, stupid.
Pretty soon the US will have the same tax structure. Nothing to worry about.
I used to make the same argument about the taxes until somebody educated me on the fact the Toronto is actually middle of the pack when it comes to taxes in MLB. In the end he will go to whoever is paying the most money.
Take home pay has to vary greatly for it to be a deciding factor. Generally on the mega deals the winning team is throwing out an extra guaranteed year and that more than covers it.
I can see a guy debating between very similar options taking the Texas or Florida deal over Toronto or CA, but they’d have to be pretty similar.
That would be good. Then they could pay teachers instead of having them subsidize people who are too greedy to pay taxes. They’d also have money to recruit police properly from universities, like Canada does.
You know nothing, “Gary.”
garth16iorg@, I know everything about taxes, I live in California LOL. I pay $3 a gallon for gas and if you live in the States you probably pay $2 a gallon for gas. That’s $1 more in taxes here in California.
Take a glimpse at California and you will see what the rest of the nation will look like in a few years. Or as I hinted at above take a look at Canada and you will see what the US will look like in a few years.
It’s you who knows nothing.
We have the newest turf that has a soft underlay to help with the impact of diving, ect.. The infield is dirt I think if not the base paths are for sure so running isn’t any different there.
The blue jays do not need that outfield help with jbj and springer, they got gurriel, grichuk and hernandez who all had very strong 2020 seasons.
Thanks for that knowledge bomb. Now let me drop one on you, neither plays well in CF, Teo is a DH/occasional OF going forward he’s just terrible out there
Springer would still be a huge upgrade. If they got him I’d imagine they would either trade one of Grichuk or Gurriel. Could also move Teoscar to DH full time and run an outfield of Gurriel, Springer and Grichuk.
Personally for myself, the only way I’m trading Gurriel is if I am getting an up and coming young player with years controllable left (so basically him) or a bonafide ace. I love Gurriel and feel he is one of the most valuable blue jay. I do not want to see him go
Yeah i really dont want to trade Gurriel. Far more value than people see
Loved when the jays played the Phillies and they showed the graphic of Gurriel and Harper and how he’s making less then 10% of harpers salary and putting up the same stat lines
I don’t think the way you build a winning ballclub is trading a player like Gurriel just because he is going to cost more going forward…especially if your talking signing free agents that will probably cost lots more…..this kid is good and should certainly be a building block forward not just sacrificed to the Gods because he’s going to cost you in 2023 to sign him forward….
Signing Springer for 125M in order to trade Guerriel Jr. making <15M over the next 3 seasons would be bone-stupid.
How so? No offence to Gurriel, but Springer is significantly better. Gurriel is a solid everyday player with injury problems. Springer is an all star, 40 homer potential player, who also plays quality defence in center. No comparison IMO.
No offense to any of that group, but they’re not worthy of totally passing on Springer – certainly not based on a small sample size of 200 or fewer ABs. I’m not saying that Springer is an absolute necessity for the Jays, but I think he’d be an upgrade.
Please bring in Springer. He’s such a good fit. If they don’t want to DH the odd guy out, Gurriel or Hernandez would bring back a great pitcher or package that could be used to help add down the line. I hope they’d be able to find a taker for Grichuk though. Either way, get it done!
Would they spend that much on an OF? I know Springer is worth it, I just don’t really recall the Jays going all out like (top of the market) that for OF help… serious question, not being a wiseass
Its going to take a lot more than either Gurriel or Hernandez to net a “great pitcher” and depending on who else is in the package might yet to be seem.
No, it’s not.
for a “great pitcher”, yes it will take more than that.
however I can see those two netting a good, solid pitcher, such as a 3 or 4 in the rotation.
Rangers could be interested in talking about a trade for Gurriel or Grichuk to man LF.
Who do you want form the Rangers? I really do like Gurriel but a trade to the Cleveland Indians for Lindor makes sense. A team shopping a superstar that needs outfield help.
I thought Lindor was a SS and not in the OF
Oh yeah he is a short stop. I was just saying if we did sign Springer or JBJ a trade to acquire lindor should follow becuase we’d have an extra OF
Yeah, a Solak+Montero for Gurriel would be interesting.
Is that a joke? Cause the jays would never trade a middle of the order cost controlled bat for x2 that package
I would cry if this deal went through
A poor defensive left fielder for a poor defensive left fielder with less hitting ability plus a good reliever. I know Solak had a terrible year last year, but he really is a good hitter. Granted any Solak trade should come after he gets his value back up next season. He had a bad 60 games (granted he was one of our better hitters last season… oof), so I’d like to see him build value back before we trade him once again. Nevertheless, I would love to see Gurriel in Texas. Poor defender, but great hitter. I like that. But how much is he really worth? A good reliever and a bounce back hitter? Lynn? Gallo? Idk what the price would be for that kind of a player.
Lynn
Solak can hit, Lynn is a machine
This says otherwise about solaks hitting ability baseball-reference.com/players/s/solakni01.shtml
That I find absurd. Lynn was terrific (if it wasn’t for the dang Astros), and was a top 5 starter last season (top 2 if it wasn’t for the dang… Astros). He’s cheap, he’s a leader, and he’s a great player. Personally, I’d like to see almost a mega deal of Lynn, Solak, and Montero or J. Rodriguez for Gurriel and Groshans+. I know it’s one season of Lynn, but having a Ryu, Lynn, Pearson top 3 is a playoff fright for other teams. Plus the absolute firepower in that lineup.
@Frosty I said he has a bad 2020, but he’s a good hitter despite that. Ever since he as a prospect till the time he came up in 2019, he’s been great. Last season was a hiccup to say the least.
I think Gurriel is worth a lot more than a “good reliever and a bounce back hitter” … he’s also still quite young and while he’s had some ups and downs… once he seemed to have figured things out he’s been steadily improving and I would say, hasn’t even reached his full potential yet. I’m not even a Blue Jays fan but I have to admit I think he’s a great hitter and someone who’s only getting better. On top of that he’s under team control for several more seasons… so yeah it would certainly take MORE than a reliever and wild-card OF.
Gurriel a bad defender? You clearly don’t watch any blue jays games… the guy has a cannon and a bunch of amazing catches/ plays.
Gurriel is an interesting case as a LF (gold glove nomination not withstanding) Obvious strengths (arm) but he might be the worst route runner I’ve ever seen in the OF trying to track down fly balls (which isn’t surprising given he hasn’t even played the equivalent of a full season in the OF yet)
Gold Glove nominee!
Regularly makes it look scary out there, but tends to get the job done.
Rangers29. The Jays are not subtracting right now. Gurriel has huge value at $13m over the next 3 years. If he was traded, it would be in a big one like Lindor as opposed to a sprinkling of talent among a group of guys. They want to start consolidating talent. Even if they add a cf, there is a DH. They wouldn’t subtract Gurriel. I don’t see any validity to the argument that they’d have to get rid of one of the other outfielders. I think you need 4 playable outfielders. If Grichuk were a liquid asset, they’d move him. He’s an awkward roster fit, but does provide enough value to not pay him to play for someone else.
Poor D? 2019 sure when he was moving around positions and never played much outfield. Then this year his first full year in left gets nominated for gold glove but sure he’s a terrible defender
Gurriel is not a “poor defender” he was nominated for a gold glove this year.
You are totally right, he was nominated for a gold glove this year as well.
Marcell Ozuna’s won a Gold Glove Aidan. That award means very little. Gurriel missed plenty of balls a regular LF catches. Aside from his arm in LF he does not bring strong defense. Still a poor route runner and is tentative running toward the fence. Inexperience plays a role in that. But let’s stop pretending he plays good defense. He just has a strong, accurate throwing arm.
In 2017, Ozuna had 1 other qualifying NL LF within 100 putouts of him. Adam Duvall.
More about lack of quality LF than anything.
The award has shine from LF, just not as much as from SS.
Relative to other AL LF, Gurriel got it done in a major way.
He sometimes cut off CF, which is scary/bad, but he gets to more balls than a lot of ‘regular LF’ despite the flaws that you like to bring up.
There are some balls in foul ground that he gets to, and rockets right at him that he recovers on more than the ‘regular’ LF would.
The LF bar is only slightly above Manny/Schwarber level of play.
Strictly compared to other LF, Gurriel has a glove that is pretty golden.
1 less error, 1 less assist, 19 more putouts in 46 more innings than Gordon.
Lordy got some range, comfort with wall plays and reads will only get better is a safe assumption.
Learn the difference between good and great sometime!
He already plays good defense.
He seems on the verge of becoming a great defender.
Filthy, why do you always take the school boy, immature route with your long, drawn out comments? At least write like an adult.
Gurriel is not a good defender in LF. He’s just adequate. He is also inexperienced and has improved a little from 2019. But good? No. Next you’ll say he’s a good 2B and SS.
Scorekeepers do not call errors all that much and they certainly do not call errors on poor route running. They rarely call errors on poor throws to cutoffs or poor decisions on throws (see: Hernandez, Teoscar).
Learn the difference between good and adequate.
For every poor that comes to mind, he has an excellent moment to counter it. Simply gets to a lot of balls, which I consider good.
Brief & mature enough for you?
The comment about 2B & SS is a great example of maturity.
Of course no good at 2B & SS. I say try him at 3B wouldn’t hurt though.
Enjoy.
You can have Grichuk. He’s a marginally acceptable starting corner outfielder, but he’s paid more than he’s worth. Better to use that money elsewhere, and I won’t miss watching the strikeouts.
Gurriel isn’t going anywhere. He’s a vastly more valuable player (who’s still getting better, especially defensively) on a way smaller contract.
The goal for this off season is run prevention. And or outfield defense isn’t preventing any runs. They are far better defenders than the likes of Teoscar and Grichuk. We’ll just have to wait and see.
Brandon Marsh runs like the wind, is a top 100 prospect on several boards, and is MLB ready.
Angels need a franchise catcher and arms. Marsh plus another prospect for Kirk and Woods Richardson?
Adell?
Kidding but…
A top 100 pitching prospect like Woods-Richardson would be a main chip if there’s a trade for an established All-Star caliber player is the feeling I get.
I can see that. Woods-Richardson is a stud. Adell seems like too much but Marsh seems like to little.
That’s really close, if I was Atkins I’d swap out Kirk for Moreno but it really works for Jays. The org depth is in catchers so expect those guys to be shopped this offseason.
Angels need catching now. Kirk provides that. As far as pitching prospects I’d prefer Woods but somebody further down the line works too.
Marsh + Parris/Jackson for Kirk and Manoah/Kloffenstein seems solid. We could throw in Bemboom so Toronto has a backup catcher at the MLB level.
Not happening. Kirk almost leapfrogged Jano this year. If he comes into camp having lost a couple pounds and is able to put a full camp in I could see him and Jansen splitting the duties 50/50. Also jays aren’t giving up near ready pitching prospects who are in the top 100 to get a package back that isn’t for pitching or an established major leaguer with control. Just doesn’t make sense with where their at in the rebuild especially with the number of infield prospects they have coming up and Martin being an absolute wild card (SS or CF who knows)
Prospect for prospect trade? That would be interesting. Woods-Richardson is a rapidly appreciating asset. I don’t get the sense the Jays would part with him easily. But they are deep at catcher. I’ve had an eye on Marsh through all the rebuild trade seasons when the Jays were sellers. Outfield is not a place of organizational depth for the Jays.
Jays would get rid of McGuire and Menero before Kirk. Unless kirk is part of a package for a player they simply can’t turn down say lindor or a front end starter
Moreno
I could see Springer going to the Blue Jays, still though the Orioles would do well to sign JBJ.
However I have a lot of wishful thinking
Don’t we all have wishful thinking on this page! I love to think about all the possibilities teams could do to upgrade this offseason.
Ha sometimes
I actually think Bradley could thrive on a small market team… I know earlier I commented that he’s been incredibly frustrating to watch offensively at times… but if he were to sign somewhere with less pressure to hit (Oakland, Baltimore, etc.) where the focus was his defense and baserunning and his offense was seen as just a “bonus” I think having that pressure off of his shoulders could actually wind up making him a better hitter. At times in Boston he’s been so bad, like striking out 3X a game… it just seemed like he was pushing too hard. And if he were to sign somewhere where there wasn’t as much pressure to hit all the time — he just might have a chance to be more consistent… of course maybe not though too… in which case those months long .175 periods would just be that much more devastating to a smaller market team that had been hoping for more production from him.
@Jeff zmZ
I would love to see him on the Orioles for his defense, if he had consistent offense that would be an added bonus
Plus I think he liked hitting at OPACY
How can anybody say Springer or JBJ is not an upgrade in this OF? Have you seen Hernandez or Gurriel track down a fly ball? My goodness gracious…they will cause me to get a heart attack one day. I can’t imagine how Shapiro or Atkins feel watching them all season.
Bats aside of course :)…
So the Red Sox, Astros, Mets, and Blue Jays want a center fielder, but there are two big CF names in free agency. Using my big brain, I can see that two of those team will NOT get Springer or JBJ. But which two?
Mets are rumoured for a CF and I don’t follow them much so please anyone correct me if I’m wrong but doesn’t the Mets have a good group of OFs? Nimmo, Conferto, and McNeil/ Dom Smith. That’s a good OF I would say but are they like the Jays outfield? Offense wise very good but defence not so much? I feel the Mets would be in for Realmuto but not so much JBJ or Springer.
Mets are rumored to be in the market but they have more pressing needs… Boston is engaged with JBJ already in discussion (my guess is he goes right back). But don’t count Boston out since Cora is back there now either.
The Jays absolutely should trade Grichuk, he he’s coming off a career year and I don’t think his value will be any higher.
As much as there is a lot of talk about the Jays adding significant positional players, I just don’t see it. I think the long term vision of Shapiro/Atkins is to have Groshans at 3b and Martin in CF by next year. And Martinez taking over at SS in 2022, moving Bo to 2b. Thus, JBJ would make sense in the short term.
If the Jays are going to spend cash I think it’s going to be on pitching.
Just a question on your master plan, do you see any team taking on Grichuk this offseason?
I think The Mets would give him a look.
Detroit will shock everyone end up with George Springer hopefully That would be a beast lineup for years To come with George Springer Willie Castro Spencer torkleson Riley greene and candy man to start the line up Not to mention Our young guy we Signed through the International signing period That I cannot think of that young kids gonna be a beast also anyways please please Detroit Get Springer for Christ sake lol
Is Springer much of a defensive CF anymore? Not that the Jays haven’t shown a willingness to go with offense over defense in CF the last few years Grichuk and Hernandez are just not good defensive CF’s. Bradley would seem a more logical piece at a more reasonable price and also would help balance the lineup with another left handed bat, with Shaw likely leaving only Biggio and Tellez (maybe) as the only left bats currently in the lineup.
He was 9th overall in 2019 in DRS among MLB CFers. That’s not too shabby.
Springer is just a year older than Bradley. Since Springer is the better player, he is the more logical piece. If you want to win, don’t go halfway. Get the best players possible to fill your biggest needs. Since the Blue Jays’ payroll is in decent shape, Springer makes perfect sense for them. The Grichuk and Roark deals are the biggest concerns, though Roark is a FA after 2021. They also have to sweat out Ryu maintaining his effectiveness. Shelling out $8 million for Ray was a bad move, in my opinion. Here’s a detailed look at their payroll.
fangraphs.com/roster-resource/payroll/blue-jays
Toronto would be a great city for Springer to live in. Just a fantastic place. I love living in America, but the city itself is a strong selling point for the Blue Jays. Talented team, too.
I think someone is going to wind up overpaying for Jackie Bradley. As a Red Sox fan, he has been extremely fun to watch in the field as one of the best defensive centerfielders in the game… I mean watching him is truly something special. But offensively — he’s been THE most frustrating player to watch over the past several years. He’ll get RED HOT for a month or two and look like an all-star… then he’ll go the next 3 months hitting .180 with 2 HRs. And now that he wound up having a solid couple of months in the COVID shortened season as his FA platform year — he’s going to wind up getting paid as if he’s really a capable .280 something hitter — and believe me as much as I’ve wanted that to be the case… and at times he’s certainly looked more than capable… he always winds up back ‘down to earth’ batting .175 for 75% of the year and at times literally looking like he’s forgotten how to make contact. I actually like the guy and wish him the best… and if he can actually hit .270-.280 with 20-25 HRs/year for a couple years while also playing stellar defense a team who signs him could wind up with a massive steal on their hands. But after watching season after season of slumps hitting .175 and striking out 3X a game… I just no longer think he can really do it over a full season. And if I were a GM I’d be afraid of giving him big $ and having him fall off even further and wind up hitting .220 (or worse) over the life of the contract… and even gold glove caliber defense can’t make up for JBJ’s offense when it’s at its low point(s).
We’ll see how much it impacts free agents that the Jays might be playing in Buffalo (or another location) for another year. It didn’t impact Robbie Ray but I am sure the top level guys like Springer won’t be lining up to sign up for that situation. I assume the money would have to blow all other suitors out of the water.
Excellent point about Buffalo. It might mean losing Springer and having to overpay for Bradley. Otherwise, they’ll have to swing a trade, though CF options are extremely limited.
What about a Grichuk Nimmo challenge trade? Seems the Mets are too left handed and the Jays too right handed in the outfield. Throw in one of the Jays’ depth pitchers and a decent prospect to even up the value. I love the idea of Nimmo in the Jays’ lineup but awkward fit defensively.
As a Mets guy, I’ve been asking for something like this for a little while now.
I doubt it will be Buffalo again. The Bisons might want their stadium back. Dunedin would be a nicer facility to pitch to free agents as the contingency.
Everyone relax. The brain trust at the Bluejay front office is going to check in with all free agents. That is the way they do things. Shapiro wants to know the market. They may or may not have any interest at all in the players that they are checking into.
I would love to see Springer or JBJ in a Toronto uniform. Springer would be the one to go for both offensively and defensively. The only question is does Shapiro have the stones for a big ticket deal like this.
I really think the Red Sox should go all in to sign Springer. I realize that their record was atrocious last season and a case could be made that they’re in a full-blown rebuild. BUT with the offensive core they have (Bogearts, Devers, Verdugo, Martinez, Vasquez and maybe Benintendi if he gets things straightened out… as well as Dalbec and Chavis as up and comers) they could make a really quick rebound. Add Springer to that offense and suddenly you’ve got one of the best lineups in baseball. Now just adding Springer obviously isn’t enough — they would also have to seriously invest in their bullpen AND get a healthy Sale and E-Rod back next season. BUT that’s a realistic possibility… and then all of a sudden a team that couldn’t get outs to save their lives last season is sporting one of the top lineups in the game and a rotation of Sale, E-Rod, Eovaldi, Houck and if he pitches like he did in his first 2 games in Boston — a new and improved Pivetta. I understand how many “ifs” are in this equation… but there is also a LOT more talent there than people might realize given their record last year. With the right 5 or so signings (mainly relief pitching and in this case Springer) and they could very well leap back into contention (maybe not WS contention… but certainly playoff contention)
If they sign jbj he is the 4th ofer. If they get Springer i think they have to trade Grichuk. Im sure am up and coming team could take him and a decent player/prospect. Like tellez or one of the catcher as one needs tonbe added for the rule 5
Thinking 1 of 2 things seeing this.
1, Toronto will be reported as in on everyone as agents try to drive offers with other teams &
2, this could be a factor in a Lindor deal
Last year jays rumours for lindor and clevenger were always centred around Gurriel Jr……a middle order bat that can play passable left field, and Cleveland of course has been challenged for years with skilled outfielders…..with cost control to boot.
If Gurriel Jr. is moved it would only be to get a real difference maker like Lindor, leaving a hole in the outfield.
Springer in centre (JBJ on a 1 year as a backup plan) moves Grichuk to right and teoscar back to left/Dh
Jays have the $, the window just oened, and for a minute imagine that lineup for the next 4 years (Springer, bichette, Lindor, vladdy, teoscar, Biggio, rotating dh, grichuk, catch) pretty…pretty…pretty…good.
Springer simply moves the needle and creates all kinds of possibilities in the batting line up.
Hernandez is terrible defensively and should be the DH in this scenario, not Grichuck
Fake news by Scott Boras.
Fake news by their agent..You know who.
Outfield D is a big problem with the Jays. Teoscar is awful, Grichuk’s play in CF isn’t up to snub and Gurriel just has a very good arm. One of the two players mentioned would help. But then a second move must be made.
We had this discussion last week; signing Springer or Bradley means a trade needs to happen with one of the three OF, Tellez or Vlad. Signing Bradley means Grichuk must play CF when a lefty starts on the mound or the Jays will need to play Jonathan Davis, and I’m not certain they are high on him. Davis can play CF very well. Bradley should never touch the field to face a LHP.
All these “moves” mean nothing if they don’t get a major league manager. Chuckles can’t manage at the major league level. Before anyone says “they made the playoffs” remember they had no challenger. Toronto were the only team, in the bottom eight, that traded upward and still had to fall into the playoffs only to have Chuckles try to manage and cost them the games.
Bottom line no new manager same old story, so close but so far away.
Fair point.
3rd ‘best’ manager in the AL!
#1 under a microscope has flaws too.
#2 got axed for a very polarizing choice.
Do some of these writers even watch baseball? Haha seems that way but the pickins are slim.
Signed so far this offseason, LaRussa, Hinch, Cora.
Are these major league managers?
I thought Dusty Baker was a bottom choice, and he turned out pretty good, so I’m obviously no expert.
Some candidates exist that are better than what keeps being hired of course, but the Jays option does a good enough job of staying out of the way for upper management’s puppet show that he seems secure for April 2021.
No need to scapegoat him yet.
Needs to earn anything beyond then, but for now he’s not far off from the other options around the league from my perspective.