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Blue Jays could make intriguing move after losing Bo Bichette.
The Toronto Blue Jays could look to make another splash in the free agent market.
In just over 12 hours, the Blue Jays were handed bad news as Kyle Tucker signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers late Thursday evening. Then, on Friday morning, Bo Bichette inked a deal with the New York Mets.
With the Blue Jays not getting either, the team has been linked to potentially going after Cody Bellinger. However, Blue Jays insider Ben Nicholson-Smith believes Toronto could reignite talks with left-handed starter Framber Valdez.
“At this point in the winter, the free-agent market has thinned out and there aren’t many players who’d represent meaningful upgrades for the Blue Jays beyond Bellinger,” Nicholson-Smith wrote. “It’s unclear how much recent contact they’ve had with Framber Valdez. But for what it’s worth, I heard they met with him in person at the Las Vegas GM Meetings (pre-Cease deal).
“And there was some mutual interest at that point. If the Blue Jays wanted to go all-in on run prevention they could reignite those talks, but most in the industry consider the Mets and Baltimore Orioles more likely suitors for the left-hander.”
If Toronto decides to go all-in on pitching, Valdez would be a nice addition to the rotation. It would also give the Blue Jays’ rotation a left-hander, which they could use.
However, how Valdez would fit into the rotation is uncertain. Currently, Toronto has Kevin Gausman, Dylan Cease, Trey Yesvage, Shane Bieber, Jose Berrios, and Cody Ponce all candidates for the rotation. So, adding Valdez could mean one of them – most likely Berrios – gets traded or, perhaps, Toronto is cautious on Yesavage and Bieber and skip starts.
Blue Jays Already Winners of Offseason
Despite Toronto not landing Tucker and Bichette signing elsewhere, the Blue Jays have had a positive offseason.
Toronto signed Cease to bolster its rotation, as well as Ponce, and inked reliever Tyler Rogers. The team also signed Japanese slugger Kazuma Okamoto to add some offense to the lineup. With that, ESPN MLB insider Jeff Passan named Toronto one of the offseason winners.
“Urgency is paramount in Toronto after the Blue Jays’ heartbreaking World Series loss to the Dodgers. In a free agent market where high-end pitching continues to linger, Toronto jumped it and guaranteed $210 million for seven years of Dylan Cease,” Passan wrote. “The Jays didn’t stop there, adding Cody Ponce (three years, $30 million), Tyler Rogers (three years, $37 million) and Kazuma Okamoto (four years, $60 million). …
“With more than $85 million due off their books next winter, the Blue Jays have not waited around for the market to come to them. They were aggressive when necessary to fill their targeted needs — starting pitching, bullpen, power-and-contact bat — and will now spend the rest of the winter using the cash cudgel that few teams can currently wield.”
If the Blue Jays can make another move, perhaps Valdez, it would only make their roster that much better.
What Will Valdez Get in Free Agency?
Valdez is the top free agent starting pitcher available, and he should still get a good contract.
ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel predicted Valdez would sign a six-year, $168 million deal this offseason.
“You’re likely getting a steady No. 2/No. 3 starter and clear starter in a playoff series, and you’re just hoping that he doesn’t transition to a softer-tossing back-end starter on this contract,” McDaniel wrote. “The best recent comp is Aaron Nola (seven years, $172 million), though Valdez is hitting the market at roughly 18 months older than Nola did, so six years seems likely.”
Valdez is a two-time MLB All-Star. Last season with the Houston Astros, he was 13-11 with a 3.66 ERA in 31 starts.
Cole Shelton Cole Shelton covers the NHL, MLB and Cleveland Browns for Heavy.com. He has covered pro and college sports since 2016, including bylines at BJ Penn, USA Today, SB Nation, Rotowire, Canadian Baseball Network and more. More about Cole Shelton
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