BOCA RATON, Fla. — The Toronto Blue Jays know what they need: starting pitching and more starting pitching. What they’re trying to figure out is how and when they’ll acquire it.
Tony LaCava, the team’s interim GM says he remains in information-acquisition mode, talking with fellow executives during the day and meeting with player agents in the evening.
“The offence, at least in terms of scoring runs, was as good as there was in baseball. Can you add to that? I guess you could, but right now the focus is on the starting pitching,” LaCava said at the MLB GM Meetings Tuesday.
The Blue Jays would ideally like to acquire a frontline arm to replace free agent David Price, but LaCava said he’s not set on obtaining frontline pitching at all costs. If the Blue Jays can surround Marcus Stroman and R.A. Dickey with some steady starters and impact relievers, they’ll still keep runs off the board.
The future of Marco Estrada will go a long way toward determining precisely how much pitching the Blue Jays need. If Estrada accepts his one-year qualifying offer, the Blue Jays have one more rotation spot accounted for and $15.8 million less payroll at their disposal. Otherwise they can work out a multi-year deal or let the right-hander sign elsewhere. Players must accept or decline the offers by Friday, so the Blue Jays expect clarity soon.
"We’ll wait and see and hopefully we can bring Marco back," LaCava said.
If Estrada leaves, the Blue Jays will obtain a compensatory draft pick. Conversely, they aren’t opposed to giving up picks in the right circumstances. LaCava said the Blue Jays will consider pursuing free agent pitchers who have received qualifying offers even though signing those players requires the forfeiture of a top pick.
“We’re obviously weighing the draft pick compensation for those types of players," Lacava said. “That’s part of it and you weigh that against what the alternatives are. Nothing’s been ruled out."
That group includes Jeff Samardzija, Wei-Yin Chen and Jordan Zimmermann, though it’s not clear if the Blue Jays have reached out to those particular players. Each would cost a substantial amount of cash, but that doesn’t appear to concern LaCava, who says the Blue Jays have the resources to field a World Series contender in 2016.
"I’m not going to comment on the specifics of our payroll, but I’ve been assured that we’ll have all the resources that we need to put a championship (calibre team) out there," he said.
Should the Blue Jays turn to the trade market, they’d ideally obtain starters who can be controlled beyond 2016. But those starters cost more in trade talks, so the Blue Jays have to remain flexible.
They’d prefer not to trade from a farm system that’s “a little underrated,” though they’ve been asked about their up-and-coming players and are willing to listen.
Where those conversations lead has yet to be determined, but the conversations that take place in Boca Raton are allowing the Blue Jays to start shaping the 2016 roster.
"We’re learning a lot," LaCava said. “It’s still dancing right now."
