Which Relief Pitchers Remain On The Market That Could Appeal To The Jays?
Now that Jaime Garcia has solved the Jays issue at the #5 spot in their rotation there aren't too many holes in the roster left to fill. Adding another starter with big league experience on a minor league deal would be a good idea. As for the major league roster the only spot remaining that may need upgrading is the bullpen. One could argue that back-up catcher is another area of need, but most teams have bad back-up catchers and the Jays actually have solid depth there with Danny Jansen, Resse McGuire and Max Pentecost in the upper minors.
As for the bullpen, it's not as deep. Currently Roberto Osuna, Ryan Tepera, Aaron Loup and Danny Barnes appear to be the only locks to break camp with the team. Carlos Ramirez, Tim Mayza and Matt Dermody all have options and will likely be moved up and down between Toronto and Buffalo all year long unless they can really bust out and force the Jays to keep them on the roster. The Jays are actually in a very fortunate situation having only Loup being in the bullpen without options. This means they can move players in and out of the roster based on performance and fatigue.
The Jays can afford to wait out the market and be opportunistic and pounce on quality relievers who have seen their market dwindle. Having so many relievers with options means that they can afford to give guaranteed roster spots to a couple of free agent veterans without hindering what they can do with the bullpen in-season. At this point in the off-season a guaranteed roster spot can be a major negotiating piece.
A left handed pitcher may be high on their shopping list. Aaron Loup is an above average reliever, but he doesn't have significant platoon splits that would make him valuable as a LOOGY. He is more suited to middle relief. Tim Mayza and Matt Dermody are better options against left-handed batters, but neither has established themselves in the majors and the front office may not be comfortable relying on one of them emerging as their go-to lefty in the pen.
Tony Watson is a name that comes up among fans because he is the best left handed pitcher available. And who wouldn't want the best pitcher available? The one issue is that he's good against both handed batters. Not that that's a bad thing, it's actually ideal, but it also means he is going to be more expensive. The Jays need a guy they can count on to get lefties out and that guy may be Oliver Perez. He hasn't been as dominant the past few seasons as he was when he switched to relief, but he has had good numbers against lefties. Another option could be our old friend Francisco Liriano. If he can't secure a starting role with another team he might be a good option out of the pen. He gets left-handed batters out much better than righties and his control issues would be as big of a deal in relief. Fernando Abad is also available and he's a very nice reliever, but like Watson, he probably won't be very cheap.
If Robbie Ross is healthy he would be a nice grab for the bullpen. He may even be available on a minor league deal, depending on his health. Tyler Clippard had a bad season in 2017, but he is coming off a run of 8 solid seasons. He may be able to be had for a cheaper deal similar to the one the Jays gave Joe Smith last year. He still strikes a lot of guys out, but he'll need to prove last year's spike in walks was an aberration if he wants to return to form.
Bryan Morris has the potential to be a diamond in the rough. He had an ugly 6.43 ERA last year, but most of that had to do with a LOB% of 56.6%. Prior to last season he was an extreme groundball pitcher and he had a career ERA of 2.80. Some better batted ball luck and a return to 50+ GB% could see Morris putting up strong numbers again.
Seung Hwan Oh is only a year removed from a sub 2.00 ERA and his strikeout and walk numbers were still good last year. He may not be a lights-out reliever like he was in 2016, but he could be just what the Jays need. A solid arm who can be counted on to keep the Jays in games during the middle innings.
Huston Street has an excellent track record and should come cheap after an injury riddled 2017. If he is healthy he is worth taking a chance on.
If the Jays still feel their rotation depth is a concern they could consider getting a swing-man that will start in the bullpen and could be called upon if the needs arises in the rotation. Trevor Cahill is an excellent candidate for that role. He has had success both as a starter and reliever and looked very good in the rotation for the Padres last year before his season fell apart after a trade to the Royals. Josh Collmenter on a minor league deal may also make sense as a swing-man.
I expect the Jays to bring in at least one reliever on a major league deal, perhaps two. I think the Blue Jays can find good value in the bullpen market due to the amount of flexibility they have with their current bullpen. As you can see there are lots of options still available and it shouldn't take a fortune to bring in a couple good arms. The nice part is that these deals will only be for a couple million dollars and it will be easy to eat the contracts should they not pan out. Keeping the youngsters with options in the minors so their service clocks aren't running and they can further develop while seeing if the veterans can get the job done is a good strategy when it comes to resource management.
The Jays don't need to compete for the top end arms because they are already set at the top of their bullpen. They need to fill out the rest of the bullpen with guys who can pitch the middle innings for a reasonable price. With the market dragging on like it has there is a good chance that a few capable arms could fall into the Jays' lap.
