The Toronto Blue Jays stand to lose some high-profile free agents this winter, when Jose Bautista, Edwin Encarnacion, Michael Saunders and Brett Cecil all hit the open market. At the same time, they could look to add in free agency, where many intriguing bats will soon be available.
Among them: Dexter Fowler and Ian Desmond, two outfielders discussed by Ben Nicholson-Smith and Arden Zwelling on At the Letters this week.
“Both those guys are really good players,” Nicholson-Smith said. “If you’re looking at the top of the free agent list that the Jays might consider—and this is speculative on my part—I think that those guys could be among the first that you would take a look at.”
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Fowler’s a switch-hitter who posted an .840 OPS for the Cubs, while Desmond has significant experience at multiple positions and an average of 22 home runs per season over the last five years. That kind of versatility could appeal to the Blue Jays’ front office.
“You see with the Cubs just how valuable that Zobrist-type is,” Zwelling said. “That multi-positional guy—and Zobrist even gives you a switch-hitter. This guy will do anything. None of his offensive categories blow you away … but he’s a reliable, steady, consistent hitter who can play a ton of positions and is never at a platoon disadvantage. That’s pretty valuable.”
All things being equal, the Blue Jays want to have the platoon advantage more often in 2017 while adding some speed. That said, there’s no single way that players must add value.
“They want to get better, and one way to get better is to improve defensively in the corners and have a more balanced lineup that gets the platoon advantage more often,” Nicholson-Smith said. “But I don’t think you have to do that at all costs.”