Toronto Blue Jays should make Zack Wheeler a priority in free agency
Recent reports suggest the Toronto Blue Jays are among the teams interested in signing Zack Wheeler and he should be the team’s top priority in free agency.
The Toronto Blue Jays made it known that they were going to be looking at any avenue to improve the roster and while they have made a couple of moves, it’s safe to say that they haven’t put their money where their mouth is…yet.
Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reported that the Blue Jays are among the teams pursuing starting pitcher Zack Wheeler as the Chicago White Sox, Minnesota Twins, Cincinnati Reds and the Texas Rangers are apparently their top competitors.
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What might keep some teams from Wheeler is the fact that he declined his qualifying offer from the New York Mets which means there is compensation attached. a draft pick. This means the Blue Jays will have to hand over their second-highest draft which will probably end up being the 45th overall pick.
Even if the 29-year-old has an $100 million offer on the table, there shouldn’t be any reason why Toronto shouldn’t continue their pursuit. He had an 11-8 record last season with a 3.96 ERA in 195 innings with the Mets this season which is pretty decent considering how much the Mets struggled last season.
Sure giving up a draft pick would be tough but considering how hard it is to find starting pitching on the open market, the Blue Jays should be fortunate that the price tag isn’t that bad. They shouldn’t want to go out and trade for a pitcher like Wheeler because that will cost the team some of their prospect capital.
Sportsnet’s Shi Davidi reported earlier this month, that along with Wheeler, Toronto has interest in other pitchers like Hyun-Jin Ryu, Jordan Lyles, Tanner Roark, Michael Pineda, Wade Miley, Rick Porcello and Dallas Keuchel. There are a lot of options there but it’s not forgone conclusion that they all are interested in signing with the Blue Jays.
This is why the Blue Jays have to pursue Wheeler, They have a top prospect like Nate Pearson making a push to the big leagues and made the deal to acquire Chase Anderson plus they tendered an offer to Matt Shoemaker so it’s clear management is willing to address the rotation but needs to look at options outside of the organization to get it done.
They can’t just rely on Anthony Kay and Ryan Borucki to be ready to go for the start of the season and considering how crucial depth is, they should in on as many options to get this team into a contending position.
Next. 5 potential players to pursue in MLB Free Agency. dark
What do you think about the Blue Jays’ interest in Wheeler? Should they be aggressive in their pitch for the starting pitcher? How much would you sign him for? Let us know in the comments below.