Toronto Blue Jays: Better options than Andrew Cashner

Despite the Toronto Blue Jays reportedly showing continued interest in Andrew Cashner, there are other pitching options out there who are just as realistic.

Most fans are fully aware the Toronto Blue Jays would like to bring in a veteran arm on a short-term deal. As well as providing more experience for the rotation, it would allow projected fifth starter Joe Biagini to return to the bullpen.

In that respect, the Blue Jays are tracking numerous options, aided by teams being slow to offer free agents contracts. And one of the options is apparently Andrew Cashner.

Initially reported by Jon Morosi of MLB.com, the Jays are showing continued interest in Cashner. The question is, does he represent a good option to bring to Toronto?

The 31-year-old is coming off a season where he recorded a 3.40 ERA, which was his best since 2014. For the purpose of comparison, this would have been second-best among Blue Jays pitchers with at least 18 starts during 2017.

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Cashner also had a career-best 11 wins in his 28 starts. While 11 wins doesn’t sound too impressive, it represents a positive step for a player with a career win-loss record of 42-64 in 137 starts.

The 2008 first round draft pick is renowned for his fastball, which can surpass 100 mph. As per Brooks Baseball, he relied primarily on his Sinker using a two-seam fastball grip (93 mph) and four-seam fastball (94 mph) during 2017.

In addition, Cashner had an impressive 48.6 percent ground-ball rate during 2017. However, as you’d expect for a player who is still available, he also has his negatives, as noted by Steve Adams of mlbtraderumors.com:

"Cashner’s 4.64 K/9 rate was the second-lowest in the Majors, and his 3.46 BB/9 rate was worse than the league average. Overall, his K%-BB% of just 3.1 percent was the worst of any qualified pitcher in baseball, leading fielding-independent metrics like xFIP (5.30) and SIERA (5.52) to paint an unflattering picture of his work."

The Conroe, Texas native entered free agency, ideally looking for a three-year deal. However, the fact he is still available could make him willing to compromise, thus playing into the Blue Jays’ hands.

Overall, while we wouldn’t be totally against the idea of the Toronto Blue Jays signing Cashner, we believe there are other options out there, who are just attainable. As previously suggested, we would target the likes of Jaime Garcia and Jason Vargas.

Next: Will Donaldson get his long-term extension?

What’s your opinion of Cashner? Do you see him helping the Toronto Blue Jays? Is there anyone else who you would prefer they go for, who is also a realistic option? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.