Missed chance with Shohei Ohtani Blue Jays need to explore their options

(Toronto) The Toronto Blue Jays must quickly look for other options after being without free agent Shohei Ohtani, who agreed to a 10-year, $700 million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The Ontario team has significant holes to fill as it looks to return to the playoffs in 2024. Here are five players who could now be targets for the Jays:

Matt Chapman

The Blue Jays could very well stay in familiar territory to resolve the third bag issue. Matt Chapman brings a two-time Gold Glove-winning defense, but can sometimes spend long stretches in the wilderness on offense.

Represented by Scott Boras, Chapman should reap the dividends of a thinner free agent group behind Ohtani.

Chapman, however, lost some steam last year, hitting just 17 homers after 27 in 2021 and 2022, but his defense remains on point.

Cody Bellinger

A left-handed hitter is exactly what the Blue Jays need at the center of their offensive role.

Signing Bellinger will be costly, however, as he is at the height of his glory at age 28 and has just bounced back with the Chicago Cubs. He hit 26 home runs and drove in 97 runs while hitting .307/.356/.525. His .307 batting average is a career high for him.

Those stats looked more like what he did in his first three seasons with the Dodgers than the last two, during which he struggled.

Bellinger, who typically plays center field but can play first base, won the NL MVP award in 2019.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto

The Blue Jays’ rotation is one of the deepest in the majors. Adding a pitcher like Japan’s Yoshinobu Yamamoto would give the Jays another ace and greater flexibility on the transaction side.

Nippon will not receive a discount: it has attracted the attention of notorious spenders and should command a long-term contract worth more than 150 million.

With 2022 Cy-Young finalist Alek Manoah trying to bounce back from a poor campaign and the prospect of Ricky Tiedemann knocking on the door, the Jays have plenty of trade options available.

Signing the 25-year-old pitcher would demonstrate that the Jays are serious about the 2024 playoffs. It would likely lead to other transactions to address the club’s other needs.

Rhys Hoskins

The Jays could take a chance on Rhys Hoskins, who underwent ACL reconstruction last year and missed the entire season. The former Phillie could be an interesting solution at designated hitter if he returns to form.

Hoskins had four seasons of 27 or more home runs in Philadelphia, including a 30 and a 34, and could also serve as a backup at first base and in the outfield.

It could be that Hoskins is just interested in a one-year deal to prove his power is still there. This could be interesting for the Jays.

Lourdes Gurriel son

If Lourdes Gurriel Jr. returns to Toronto, he would give the Jays a left fielder with power and easily allow Daulton Varsho to transition to center field following Kevin Kiermaier’s departure.

Gurriel, traded to Arizona for Varsho a year ago, reached the All-Star Game for the first time in 2023. His defense improved by hitting 24 home runs and producing 82 runs.

At 30 years old, Gurriel wouldn’t break the bank and would fill several needs for the Jays. Another former teammate – Teoscar Hernandez – is also a free agent and could be brought back into the Jays lineup.

Hernandez isn’t known for his defense, but his power would be welcome.