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Blue Jays Rumors

Dodgers, Astros Interested In Liam Hendriks

By Anthony Franco | December 14, 2020 at 8:39am CDT

In a class of his own atop the free agent reliever market, Liam Hendriks is unsurprisingly drawing widespread interest. The White Sox, Mets and Blue Jays have been tied to Hendriks within the past week, and Jeff Passan of ESPN reports that the Dodgers and Astros have joined them among those pursuing the right-hander. Hendriks is looking for a four-year deal, Passan adds.

Over the past two seasons, Hendriks has arguably been the best reliever in baseball. He’s pitched to a 1.79 ERA across 110.1 relief innings since the start of 2019. In that time, Hendriks struck out 38% of opposing hitters against a 5.7% walk rate and held batters to a .192/.240/.289 slash line. No reliever (minimum 50 innings) has a better park-adjusted ERA, and only Josh Hader, Nick Anderson and Kirby Yates have a higher strikeout minus walk percentage.

Quite obviously, every team in the league would benefit from the addition of Hendriks to the back of the bullpen. The Dodgers’ bullpen was quite good in 2020; nevertheless, that’s the area of the roster that has given the team a bit of trouble in prior seasons and is the easiest spot to add depth as they look to mount another World Series run.

The Astros’ interest in Hendriks also isn’t surprising. Houston’s bullpen was decimated by injuries this past season and looks in need of some outside help. The Astros are facing the potential free agent departures of George Springer, Michael Brantley and Josh Reddick, though, with few obvious in-house replacements beyond Kyle Tucker. It remains to be seen if there’ll be requisite payroll space for the Houston front office to add top-of-the-market relief help while also sufficiently addressing the outfield.

Widespread interest notwithstanding, Hendriks finding a four-year deal at a strong average annual value might prove to be a tough task. He turns 32 in February, which figures to give some teams pause. The early stages of the offseason also haven’t been particularly kind to relievers. Every team in the league passed on Brad Hand’s $10MM option at the start of the offseason. Trevor May settled for a two-year, $15.5MM deal with the Mets; similarly productive relievers (Jeurys Familia and Joe Kelly, for instance) found three-year pacts in past winters. It’s possible Hendriks’ recent brilliance causes teams to view him as an exception, but the general trend seems to be that of a depressed bullpen market. One factor in his favor: the A’s did not issue him a qualifying offer, so the team that signs him will not have to forfeit draft pick compensation.

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Chicago White Sox Houston Astros Los Angeles Dodgers New York Mets Toronto Blue Jays Liam Hendriks

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Latest On Tim Mayza

By Mark Polishuk | December 13, 2020 at 10:59pm CDT

  • After undergoing Tommy John surgery in September 2019, Blue Jays left-hander Tim Mayza is looking forward to returning to action in Spring Training, The Toronto Star’s Laura Armstrong writes.  Mayza’s rehab was more complicated the normal TJ recovery process, as Mayza had to also recover from a torn flexor tendon (suffered at the same time as his UCL tear) and spend much of his time working out at home rather than at team facilities due to the COVID-19 lockdown.  If that wasn’t enough, Mayza tested positive for the coronavirus this fall, though he was thankfully asymptomatic during his two weeks of quarantine.  “Although it’s been different, my rehab was not stalled at all through all this,” Mayza said.  “I’ve continued to stay on track and the end goal of being 100 per cent by spring training is very much a realistic goal.”  Mayza has a 4.67 ERA, 2.71 K/BB rate, 48.6% grounder rate, and 10.6 K/9 over 104 innings with Toronto from 2017-19, and he has held left-handed batters to a .217/.288/.349 slash line over 208 plate appearances.  With a lack of southpaw relief options on the Jays’ 40-man roster, there is certainly opportunity for Mayza to win a job if he looks good in camp.
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Baltimore Orioles New York Mets Notes Toronto Blue Jays Washington Nationals Alex Cobb Mike Elias Tim Mayza

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Blue Jays Among Teams Interested In Justin Turner

By TC Zencka | December 10, 2020 at 12:59pm CDT

The Blue Jays are among those clubs showing interest in Justin Turner, according to MLB Insider Jon Heyman (via Twitter). The Blue Jays are kicking the tires on just about every top free agent available in an effort to supercharge their rebuild and turn their playoff team from 2020 into a legitimate contender the American League East.

As of now, the Jays have been linked to Brad Hand, Liam Hendriks, Ha-Seong Kim, Mike Fiers, Marcell Ozuna, DJ LeMahieu, Kolten Wong, George Springer, Garrett Richards, J.T. Realmuto, Michael Brantley, J.A. Happ,and Kevin Gausman before he accepted his qualifying offer. They’ve also been linked to Francisco Lindor, Steven Matz, and Jean Segura via trade. I’m sure there are there are others I’ve missed. Point being, Toronto is active in free agency.

Turner brings a little more intrigue because of the fit at a wide open third base position in Toronto. The Blue Jays recently non-tendered incumbent Travis Shaw, and while Vladimir Guerrero Jr. has expressed an interest to claim the position for himself, it makes as much sense to find a replacement outside the organization for the hot corner if there’s a viable solution. Turner would certainly qualify. Of course, Heyman notes that there are multiple teams expressing interest in Turner at the present.

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East Notes: Mets, Jays, O’s, Nats

By Jeff Todd,Steve Adams and Connor Byrne | December 9, 2020 at 11:30pm CDT

The Mets are interested in righty reliever Liam Hendriks, arguably the No. 1 bullpen arm available on the open market, per Andy Martino of SNY. He’d be the second major relief addition this offseason for the Mets, who signed Trevor May to a two-year, $15.5MM guarantee last week. Hendriks, previously with the Athletics, was perhaps the most dominant reliever in baseball during the previous two seasons. In that 108 1/3-inning stretch, the 31-year-old logged a matching 1.66 ERA/FIP, notched 13.21 K/9 against 1.83 BB/9, and recorded 39 saves in 47 opportunities. While the New York club has some level of interest in cross-town star D.J. LeMahieu, David Lennon of Newsday writes, it’s more on the “periphery” in that pursuit at the moment.

More from the eastern divisions:

  • The aforementioned Hendriks and fellow free-agent reliever Brad Hand “are believed to be” on the Blue Jays’ radar, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet writes (their interest in Hand was previously reported). Either pitcher would further strengthen a Toronto bullpen that finished 24th in the majors in ERA and 28th in K/BB ratio last season. It seems the Toronto organization is still casting rather a wide net in its free agent search. Gregor Chisholm of the Toronto Star recently linked the team to a number of big names at a variety of positions.
  • Orioles general manager Mike Elias said Tuesday that the team is unlikely to give out any multiyear contracts in free agency (Twitter links via Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com and Jon Meoli of the Baltimore Sun). However, Elias acknowledged the Orioles are hunting for a new shortstop after trading Jose Iglesias to the Angels last week. Elsewhere, Elias said the Orioles plan to keep righty Alex Cobb, who has one year and $15MM left on his contract. Cobb had a decent year in 2020 (4.30 ERA/4.87 FIP in 52 1/3 innings), though he may be a tough sell at his current salary.
  • Sticking with the Orioles, beleaguered first baseman Chris Davis revealed Wednesday (via Melo) that he has no plans to hang up his cleats at this point. “I don’t want it to end the way that things have gone the last few years for me. I think there’s more of a story to be told but as far as my contract is concerned, it is what it is,” said Davis. “I’m not going anywhere. I’m not giving up. I’m not throwing in the towel. I understand the club is in a position right now to where they’re trying to cut payroll, and I’m the one big lump that they’re kind of stuck with. But they knew what they were signing up for when they took the job.” Davis’s seven-year, $161MM contract has been an unmitigated disaster for the Orioles, but he’s certainly not obligated to walk away from the remaining two seasons even if the club would prefer it. The 34-year-old is coming off a third-straight woeful season. Davis took just 55 plate appearances, failed to hit a home run and posted a brutal minus-14 wRC+.
  • Moving south on 95, the Nationals have a need for just the sort of player Davis once was. The D.C. organization put in an effort to lure Carlos Santana before he latched on with the Royals, Jesse Dougherty of the Washington Post reports on Twitter. Missing on the veteran slugger makes it likelier that the Nats will end up putting together some kind of timeshare at first, as there isn’t a clear everyday alternative available in free agency. It also keeps the door open to a return for Nationals stalwart Ryan Zimmerman, whose intentions remain unknown.
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Baltimore Orioles New York Mets Notes Toronto Blue Jays Washington Nationals Brad Hand Carlos Santana Chris Davis Liam Hendriks

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Blue Jays Notes: Kim, Ryu, Schwarber, Fiers

By Mark Polishuk and Steve Adams | December 8, 2020 at 3:12pm CDT

Korean infielder Ha-Seong Kim appears to be one of many possible Blue Jays targets this offseason, and another Jays star might have done a bit of recruiting, as Daniel Kim of South Korea’s KBS reports (Twitter links) that Kim and Toronto ace Hyun Jin Ryu recently had dinner.  Ryu didn’t get into details of the meeting but said in an interview with KBS that he would be “happy to play on a same team with Kim.”  Kim requested the meeting himself, and while it’s probably safe to assume playing for the Jays came up at some point, it’s only natural that Kim would want to speak with a veteran player who has already made the move from the KBO to the majors.

Asked about the meeting, Jays assistant GM Joe Sheehan declined to discuss specifics but told Sportsnet’s Shi Davidi (Twitter link) that Ryu “being a big player in the KBO’s history is really good.”  The Jays are known to be exploring the infield market and Sheehan gave a favorable review of Kim’s KBO track record when asked by Sportsnet’s Ben Nicholson-Smith (Twitter link).

More from north of the border…

  • The Jays, Angels, and Yankees all have interest in former Cubs slugger Kyle Schwarber, 670 The Score’s Bruce Levine reports.  Schwarber was non-tendered by the Cubs last week following a season that saw him hit only .188/.308/.393 with 11 home runs over 224 PA.  Since Schwarber is a defensively-shaky left fielder, he would seem like a curious fit for all three teams, who already have the left field and DH positions accounted for, barring a trade to open up space.  Looking at Toronto specifically, there could be room for Schwarber if Vladimir Guerrero Jr. ends up spending more time at third base, though it still seems like something of an imperfect match.
  • The Blue Jays also have interest in right-hander Mike Fiers, according to MLB Network’s Jon Morosi (via Twitter).  Fiers posted a 4.58 ERA, 2.31 K/BB rate, and 5.64 K/9 over 59 innings with the Athletics last season.  The 35-year-old has been a durable back-of-the-rotation type for much of his career, and would perhaps bring more stability (if not necessarily upside) to a Jays rotation mix that has Ryu in front of Robbie Ray, Ross Stripling, Tanner Roark, and a wealth of younger arms headlined by Nate Pearson.
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Los Angeles Angels New York Yankees Notes Toronto Blue Jays Ha-Seong Kim Kyle Schwarber Mike Fiers

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Blue Jays, Mets Discussed Steven Matz

By Connor Byrne | December 7, 2020 at 7:53pm CDT

  • Before the Mets avoided arbitration with Steven Matz on a $5.2MM agreement, they reached out to the Blue Jays to gauge their interest in the southpaw, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports. No trade came together, of course. Toronto would have been hard pressed to consider Matz an upgrade for its rotation after he recorded a horrific 9.68 ERA/7.76 FIP in 30 2/3 innings last season.
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Cincinnati Reds New York Mets Notes Philadelphia Phillies Toronto Blue Jays Jose Urena Sonny Gray Steven Matz Trevor Williams

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Blue Jays Claim Anthony Castro, Walker Lockett

By Steve Adams | December 7, 2020 at 2:27pm CDT

The Blue Jays have claimed right-hander Anthony Castro off waivers from the Tigers, per an announcement out of Detroit. The move drops the Tigers’ 40-man roster down to 39 players. Toronto has also claimed fellow righty Walker Lockett from the Mariners, according to Seattle. The Jays now have a full 40-man roster.

Castro, 25, made his Major League debut with the Tigers this past season, albeit pitching in just one inning with a pair of runs allowed. Scouting reports on Castro tout his plus fastball and a potentially plus slider, but his command (or lack thereof) has proven a notable issue to this point in his pro career. Castro has 112 1/3 innings under his belt at the Double-A level but has issued 77 walks in that time. He logged a more palatable 3.3 BB/9 in 116 2/3 innings at Class-A Advanced in 2018, but he also plunked a dozen batters in that time

Castro had Tommy John surgery in 2015, wiping out that entire season for him in addition to part of the 2016 campaign. The Tigers have used him primarily as a starter, but as FanGraphs’ Eric Longenhagen pointed out in his scouting report last year, there’s some belief that he could maintain a heater in the upper 90s with that promising slider if used in a short relief role. It’s not clear how the Jays plan to utilize Castro, but he has a pair of minor league options remaining, so they can be patient with him if they keep him on the roster into the 2021 season.

Lockett was a waiver claim from the Mets on Sept. 1, but the 26-year-old didn’t last long in Seattle. He did throw 8 1/3 innings of four-run ball in the Mariners’ uniform, but that wasn’t enough to convince the club to retain him. Before his short Mariners tenure, Lockett – a fourth-round pick of the Padres in 2012 – had difficulty as a swingman with the Pads and the Mets. So far, Lockett has pitched to a 7.67 ERA/5.91 FIP with 6.5 K/9 and 3.33 BB/9 in 54 innings in the bigs.

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Detroit Tigers Seattle Mariners Toronto Blue Jays Transactions Anthony Castro Walker Lockett

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Blue Jays Interested In Marcell Ozuna

By Connor Byrne | December 3, 2020 at 8:08pm CDT

The Giants and Blue Jays are among the teams that are interested in free-agent outfielder Marcell Ozuna, per Jon Morosi of MLB.com (Twitter links: 1, 2). Ozuna spent a good portion of 2020 as a designated hitter for the Braves, so he seems an imperfect fit for the Giants. After all, there’s no word on whether the NL will retain the DH position next year. Ozuna would be a cleaner fit for the Blue Jays, though. The Jays don’t seem to need help in the corner outfield, where they have Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and Teoscar Hernandez, but Ozuna could be a DH solution for the club.

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Boston Red Sox New York Mets New York Yankees Notes San Francisco Giants Toronto Blue Jays Adam Ottavino Eddie Rosario Marcell Ozuna Michael Hill

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Blue Jays Non-Tender Travis Shaw, A.J. Cole

By Connor Byrne | December 2, 2020 at 7:06pm CDT

The Blue Jays have non-tendered corner infielder Travis Shaw and reliever A.J. Cole, Gregor Chisholm of the Toronto Star tweets.

Formerly a productive third baseman with the Brewers, Shaw endured a terrible 2019 in his final season with the club. The Blue Jays still signed him to a $4MM guarantee last offseason, and while Shaw did post much better numbers, they weren’t enough for him to remain in their plans at a similar salary for 2021. The 30-year-old ended the season as a .239/.306/.411 hitter with six home runs in 180 plate appearances.

Cole has struggled with home runs at times, though he only yielded them on 9.7 percent of fly balls in 2020, helping him to a terrific 3.09 ERA in 23 1/3 innings. But some of Cole’s other numbers, including a 4.31 FIP, 7.71 K/9 and 3.47 BB/9, were less impressive. He’d have only made around $1MM via arbitration, but the Blue Jays weren’t willing to keep him around for that.

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Blue Jays Among Teams Interested In Jean Segura

By Connor Byrne | December 2, 2020 at 3:59pm CDT

Phillies middle infielder Jean Segura has come up in trade talks, Jon Heyman of MLB Network tweets. The Blue Jays are among the teams that have discussed Segura with the Phillies, according to Robert Murray of FanSided.

The Phillies are already facing the loss of shortstop Didi Gregorius in free agency, so trading Segura could leave them looking to replace their two middle infield starters from 2020. Acquired from the Mariners before 2019, Segura has given the Phillies decent offensive production over 835 plate appearances, having batted .276/.329/.421 (96 wRC+) with 19 home runs and 12 stolen bases. Of course, those numbers pale in comparison to the production he posted as a Diamondback and Mariner from 2016-18, during which he slashed .308/.353/.449 (116 wRC+) in 1,892 trips to the plate.

Defensively, Segura has garnered extensive experience at short and plenty of recent time at second. Because of Philly’s addition of Gregorious, this past season was the first time he played at the keystone since 2016. If he were to join the Blue Jays, Segura would likely remain at second because of the presence of shortstop Bo Bichette. Toronto has a potential second base solution in the versatile Cavan Biggio, but general manager Ross Atkins said Wednesday the club could use him as its primary third baseman, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet tweets.

Unless the Phillies eat money, any team taking on Segura would be making a two-year, $29.5MM investment. That includes a $1MM buyout in lieu of a $17MM club option for 2023.

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