SAN DIEGO – Sure, the Toronto Blue Jays would like to upgrade at second base before opening day. But GM Alex Anthopoulos says he’s mostly content with his position players and manager John Gibbons says adding an everyday second baseman will be difficult.
“I’m not so sure that piece is really out there that really fits us,” Gibbons said Monday.
Many players are still available. Free agents Jed Lowrie and Asdrubal Cabrera remain unsigned, and trade chips are also an option at a time of year that all 30 teams are contemplating moves.
It’s just a question of whether any player could be enough of an upgrade to justify giving up significant cash or trade chips. If not, the Blue Jays expect to get by with plenty of production from the top of their batting order.
“If you look at it, we think our top of the lineup is as good as anybody’s,” Gibbons said. “So they’re going to do a lot of damage, those guys alone. One through nine is rarely all great players.”
A year ago this time, the Blue Jays were intent on giving Ryan Goins an extended look at second base. The experiment ended when Goins didn’t hit, but he’s again one of the internal candidates for regular playing time, along with Maicer Izturis, Devon Travis and Steve Tolleson.
“We’ll see where that goes,” Gibbons said. “It’s a constant debate. If you get great defence can you cover yourself offensively.”
Izturis suffered a serious injury to a knee ligament in 2014 and will play next season at age 34. Anthopoulos likes what he saw from the switch-hitter in the Florida Instructional League, but Gibbons notes that relying on him comes with risk.
The Blue Jays are cautiously optimistic about Travis, a 23-year-old who ranked as the Detroit Tigers’ top prospect before Toronto acquired him for Anthony Gose. Travis could presumably use some more seasoning, since he has yet to play above double-A, but he impressed the Tigers while batting .323/.388/.487 in their system.
“I talked to [Tigers manager] Brad Ausmus and [Tigers advisor] Jimmy Leyland and they said this guy can really hit,” Gibbons said. “You hear from those guys, that tells you a lot. You put a lot of stock in it. But he’s a young kid and he may not be ready, either.”
While the Blue Jays are pleased with their position players, they remain intent on upgrading a bullpen that struggled mightily in 2014. David Robertson sits atop the free agent market, but if his asking price approaches $50 million, many teams will rightfully shy away.
“Whether you can sign a guy like that, who knows,” Gibbons said.
Robertson doesn’t seem like a fit for a team with a recent history of avoiding big money relievers. Plus, one arm might not be enough. Gibbons could use plenty of support for a relief corps that posted a 4.09 ERA which far exceeded the MLB average of 3.58.
“Hopefully the plan is to bring in at least a couple guys,” he said.
The Blue Jays are actively pursuing trades, though they’ve moved on from some of the players they targeted when the off-season first began. Three-team deals are always a possibility, but good luck creating scenarios that work for every club involved. “It’s so hard to do that,” Anthopoulos said.
No three-team deals brewing. Maybe no second base upgrade. The constant stream of rumours at the Winter Meetings makes for great theatre, but the pace of actual moves couldn’t possibly keep up.
