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The Blue Jays are believed to be “making an effort” to bring in the free agent outfielder George springer in the fold, Ben Nicholson-Smith and Shi Davidi of Sportsnet report. The two sides were due to reconnect earlier this week, according to the report. In a related note, MLB.com’s Jon Morosi tweeted yesterday that Springer “could” make a decision by the end of the week. While this is certainly not the most concrete wording, its juxtaposition with the Sportsnet update seems to suggest that the Springer market is heating up with less than a month until Spring Training is about to begin. .
Earlier this month, SNY’s Jim Duquette said in a television segment that the Jays offered Springer a five-year contract that came south of his asking price of $ 150 million. MLB Network’s Jon Heyman indexed the offer in the $ 115 million range yesterday (video link), noting that the Mets’ best offer was in that same stage.
The Springer Market has been characterized as a two-horse race for weeks now, and Toronto’s main competition in Queens has already spent aggressively to acquire Francisco Lindor, Carlos Carrasco, James mccann and Trevor May (in addition to keeping Marcus Stroman via the eligible offer). It remains to be seen whether the Mets will break through the luxury tax barrier to sign Springer. Several reports over the past few weeks have suggested that Springer’s preference is to play near his home in New Britain, Connecticut, but Davidi and Nicholson-Smith write that Springer’s interest in the Jays is “genuine.” posing minimal obstacle.
In terms of payroll capability, the Jays have a relatively clean slate going forward. Toronto has just under $ 68 million pledged for 10 players for the 2021 season, and they will of course need to top their roster with pre-umpire winning players somewhere near the league minimum. The club only have $ 35 million in guaranteed contracts on the books in 2022 and $ 36 million in 2023, with zero dollars in guarantees as of 2024.
The Blue Jays front office has openly expressed its desire to add top talent this winter as the organization continues to shift from a rebuilding mode to a win-immediate mindset. Signature of last year Hyun jin ryu has set a precedent for acquiring high-end talent, and the Jays are known to have taken an interest in virtually every top free agent and commercial candidate in the market this year.
So far, this has not resulted in any real talent acquisition. Toronto has signed rebound candidates Robbie ray and Tyler Chatwood, and they would have met a right-handed Kirby yates today, as the two sides move closer to a potential deal. But the Jays also finished second on several notable targets, including DJ LeMahieu and Lindor.
At this point, Springer appears to be the team’s priority among the remaining Big Fish in the market, although if he dismisses their interest and lands with the Mets or an unexpected suitor, the Jays could step up their pursuit of JT Realmuto and or Trevor Bauer.
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