The Blue Jays are still chasing Michael Brantley

Even after agreeing to a record $ 150 million franchise deal with George springer last night the Blue Jays try to strike a deal with the designated outfielder / hitter Michael brantley, by Ken Rosenthal of Athletic (Twitter link). There are “legitimate legs” to a possible Springer / Brantley package, TSN’s Scott Mitchell adds, noting that the Jays are “very open” to such an arrangement despite a glut of outfield options already on the roster.

Of course, few of the Jays’ internal options can plausibly stack up to Brantley on the flat. The 33-year-old has been among the best pure hitters in the sport throughout his Major League career and, since his power developed during a campaign at 27 in 2014, he has been the one of the best board game players. .

During that span, Brantley recorded 731 games and recorded 3,145 home plate appearances while posting a brilliant .311 / .371 / .481 hitting line. He made 8.3% of those home plate appearances and was one of the hardest players in the game to hit, moving at a pace of just 10.1%.

Brantley just signed a two-year, $ 32 million contract in Houston, where he and Springer were teammates, and as Rosenthal explored over the weekend by first suggesting an NBA-esque ‘package’ , where they became close friends. Given Brantley’s consistency and his recent excellence in Houston, another multi-year deal looks likely.

Beyond Springer and Brantley’s relationship, the Blue Jays front office knows exactly what kind of player and teammate they would get at Brantley. Chairman / CEO Mark Shapiro was the Chief Executive Officer of Indians when Cleveland acquired Brantley from the Brewers as part of 2009 CC Sabathia blockbuster, while the current Jays general manager Ross Atkins was the director of player development for Cleveland at the time. Brantley was still in Cleveland when Shapiro and Atkins were hired by the Blue Jays.

There are a myriad of ways for the Jays to make their roster work, should Brantley ever join the fray. Presumably, he had split his time between left field and designated hitter, joining Springer, Teoscar Hernandez and Lourdes Gurriel Jr. in this outfield carousel. Randal Grichuk and Derek fisher The off-screen bets seem most likely to be ousted from playing time, but that’s largely true even with only Springer on board. Grichuk, who still owed $ 28 million over the next three seasons, would appear to be an even more likely business candidate than he already would if Brantley was signed.

Adding Brantley would also reduce the DH time available for Rowdy Tellez. Jays could fit it into the mix at first base if they really want to give Vladimir Guerrero Jr. another shot on third base, although one would generally expect Guerrero to eventually settle down as the first baseman / designated hitter himself. The Jays might consider moving Gurriel from left field to infield, whether it’s second or third (depending on where Cavan Biggio settles), though with such an alignment on the pitch comes some notable defensive issues.

All of this, of course, is putting the cart before the horse unless or until negotiations with Brantley gain momentum. These “problems” are also the type of headaches that rebuilding teams look forward to as they struggle through their lean years; Having “too many” talented hitters for nine roster spots is not a bad thing, and the inherent depth associated with that has become a hallmark of World Series caliber clubs in recent years. And, as Mitchell notes, signing Brantley would allow the Jays to be even more comfortable diving into their outfield and grasping depth to improve pitching staff in the commercial market.

Whether Brantley eventually joins Springer in Toronto (or Buffalo), one of the main takeaways from the Blue Jays’ interest is that this is a team that always intends to improve even after adding Springer and agreeing to get closer to the old Padres. Kirby yates. Toronto still has over $ 80 million under the $ 210 million luxury tax barrier and, assuming an equal split of Springer’s $ 25 million annual salary, only has about $ 98 million in contracts. guaranteed, divided between 12 players. For a team that has twice increased its payroll north of $ 160 million (2017-18), there is still plenty of room for further additions.