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Toronto Blue Jays: With Bautista Set to Sign, What’s Next?

By Chris Okrainetz

October 6, 2016; Arlington, TX, USA; Toronto Blue Jays right fielder Jose Bautista (19) hits a three run home run in the ninth inning against the Texas Rangers during game one of the 2016 ALDS playoff baseball game at Globe Life Park in Arlington. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
October 6, 2016; Arlington, TX, USA; Toronto Blue Jays right fielder Jose Bautista (19) hits a three run home run in the ninth inning against the Texas Rangers during game one of the 2016 ALDS playoff baseball game at Globe Life Park in Arlington. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports /
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With Jose Bautista set to sign a one-year deal with the Toronto Blue Jays, what’s the next order of business for Mark Shapiro and Ross Atkins?

After exploring the open market for a couple of months, Jose Bautista will sign a one-year deal with the Toronto Blue Jays, pending a physical. His new deal carries a mutual option for 2018 and another option for the 2019 season as well, although mutual options are rarely picked up.

What’s important, though, is Bautista will be back with the Blue Jays next season. Now the question becomes what does Toronto do next?

This roster still has a number of holes to fill and Bautista only solves one of their problems, which is in right field. However, the team still has glaring needs for left-handed relief help and a backup catcher, and you could make a good argument they should evaluate their situation in left field too.

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With the Blue Jays’ payroll now hovering around $155 million, according to Sportsnet’s Shi Davidi, Toronto more than likely has a good idea of what they’re willing to spend for the rest of this offseason.

Considering how much relief pitchers have been going for this offseason, I think it’s fair to believe that the Blue Jays will allocate the majority of their remaining offseason budget towards the bullpen. If they were to go the route of signing a left-hander like Boone Logan or Jerry Blevins, my guess is that the Blue Jays would then be committed to giving Reese McGuire or A.J. Jimenez a chance to win the backup catcher role.

Both players would come at a cheap price tag and it would allow the team to spend on other positions of need, like the bullpen, while still maintaining a bit of financial flexibility for the season.

The problem with this route, however, is that relief pitchers tend to be a volatile bunch and their performance fluctuates on a year-to-year basis, hence why teams try to avoid heavily investing in them. Unless you’re getting a proven, elite reliever like Mariano Rivera, or Trevor Hoffman, or even Aroldis Chapman, it’s generally not a good idea to overpay a reliever on the open market.

But given who’s available on the free agent market at each of the positions the Blue Jays need, pursuing a relief pitcher seems like the best route unless a reliever like Tom Watson of the Pittsburgh Pirates becomes available via trade.

In a long-winded, round about way, you can see how the Blue Jays are in a bind. They need bullpen help, but the market has overpaid, perhaps even overvalued, relief pitchers and Toronto is likely stuck overpaying a bit for an arm, if they want the help via free agency. By doing that, they would then financially restrict themselves when it comes to signing a backup catcher and left fielder.

On the other hand, Toronto could be comfortable with their backup catching and left field situation. Or, they could be comfortable with their bullpen, too. There are a lot of question marks to be answered still and I’m sure the budget will dictate what area they go after next.

But if this Blue Jays offseason has taught us anything, it’s that conventional wisdom should be taken at face value. After all, didn’t this regime say they wanted to get younger and more balanced this offseason?

Yes, Kendrys Morales brings balance, but he doesn’t fit the youth movement profile at 33 years old. Then there’s Steve Pearce, 33, and Bautista, 36, who are both aging right-handed hitters. All three players are talented and will contribute this season, but this was not what we were told to expect this offseason.

While the Blue Jays have been compelling to watch this winter, I think they will become even more intriguing now that Bautista is signed and they have some financial clarity.

Next: Will the Blue Jays Regret Only Giving Bautista a One-Year Deal?

What do you think the Toronto Blue Jays should do next? Should they pursue a relief pitcher or no? Let us know your thoughts in comments.

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