MLB Minute: Blue Jays’ Flyer Options

JFtC presents The MLB Minute, a weekly look at the goings on around Major League Baseball. This week, a look at some flyers the Blue Jays could consider

Featured Images Courtesy Of DaveMe Images. Prints Available For Purchase

The Toronto Blue Jays will be looking to fill out their roster for a playoff run in 2022. Whether they’re looking for a big splash, or augmentation pieces remains to be seen. But, the good news is that there may be room for both, especially if Toronto decides to look around the league and find some players they’d consider taking a flyer on. We saw them throw money at Kirby Yates in a hope that he could perform for them, so flyers are not a crazy idea. So, let’s take a look at some:

* The San Diego Padres have been said to ‘dangle’ Chris Paddack last summer in trade talks with Washington when they tried to land Max Scherzer and Trea Turner. Obviously, the Nationals sent the pair to Los Angeles, which makes you wonder if they saw flaws in Paddack. Or, the Padres took Paddack off the market because of injury, which is the exact reason that Toronto could consider him a flyer.

2021 was an unfortunate season for the 26 yr old Paddack. Not only did he hit the Covid IL on three separate occasions, he ended his season with an oblique strain and then a UCL strain. This was all after he took a step back from the success he saw in his first two seasons. His K% and LOB% all went down while his ERA, WHIP and Avg. all went up. It wasn’t a total disaster as his FIP (3.78) and xFIP (3.87) were more reasonable. He has three more years of team control, which is an attractive fact if he can get things back on track. Given that San Diego only dangled him in talks for Mad Max and Turner, you can bet that they won’t just be giving him away. But, if Toronto wants a rotation addition, a guy like Paddack is certainly interesting.

* In a different kind of flyer situation, the LA Dodgers have taken a flyer on former Blue Jay, Sam Gaviglio, signing him to a minor league deal. The 31 started last season with the Rangers, but was allowed to pursue an opportunity in South Korea. Obviously, his experience of being a swing man in Toronto (and other places) make him an interesting depth option for a team that has designs on more playoff success. It is not likely that Sammy G will bring them to a championship, but is good to see him getting interest from a MLB team.

* An opportunity for Toronto to use their financial power to trade for an outfielder could exist in Miami. Robert Murray shares that when Avisail Garcia signed with the Marlins, multiple MLB executives told him that it was the worst deal of the offseason. Apparently, the 4yr/$53M deal is something the Marlins may be looking to get rid of as their are questions about Garcia’s ‘motivation’. Perhaps, signing in Miami isn’t as exciting as the player may have thought. If that is the case, and Toronto is looking for an outfield bat, particularly one who could be paired with one of the several pitching options Miami possesses, they could consider taking on the salary. We’ve seen Miami use Toronto in that manner already last year when the Blue Jays took on Corey Dickerson.

Often, when there is a salary dump, it is because the player is not performing up to their contract. But Garcia has 20+ HR, .750-.800 OPS and defensive abilities that Toronto could benefit from, especially if a Randal Grichuk were dealt. Garcia had a DRS of 8 in right last year and has played in CF as well. And, if playing for a young, exciting team like Toronto, who has a legit chance of a division title doesn’t help a player’s motivation, then perhaps the Blue Jays should check for a pulse before pulling the trigger on this deal.