5 free agent pitchers the Blue Jays could target this offseason

Last winter, the Toronto Blue Jays were one of the most active teams on the pitching market. After signing Kevin Gausman, Yusei Kikuchi, and extending Jose Berrios, they committed $277 to starting pitching.

Despite the hefty price tag, those pitchers produced a mixed bag of results. Give the Blue Jays credit, though; they weren’t afraid to dive into the deep end of the free agent pool last winter. Could they take another leap this offseason?

They might not be as aggressive as they were one year ago, but the Blue Jays still have holes to fill in their rotation and bullpen, and they could improve upon some incumbents on the team already.

With a rich pool of pitchers to choose from, these are some options for the Blue Jays to consider heading into Opening Day 2023.

1. Justin Verlander (starting pitcher)

• Age: 39
• 2022 stats: 18-4, 175 IP, 1.75 ERA, 185 SO, 6.1 fWAR
• 2022 salary: $25 million

Justin Verlander had a comeback season for the ages in 2022. He won a World Series, was named an All-Star and Cy Young finalist, led the league in ERA, and did this at the ripe young age of 39. The veteran clearly has plenty left in the tank.

Before he signed a one-year deal with the Astros heading into the 2022 campaign, the Blue Jays were among the suitors to sign the right-hander. Toronto has a clear need in the starting pitching department, and who better to fill the gap than one of the best pitchers on the market?

Verlander won’t command a long-term deal, but it’ll likely be a high AAV contract, similar to Max Scherzer’s with the Mets, which is just north of $40 million per year. A two-year $80 million deal for Verlander seems like a fair offer from a contending team like the Blue Jays.

Toronto will face some stiff competition if they enter the Verlander bidding sweepstakes, but their toughest competition in this scenario would be the Houston Astros. But if the Blue Jays are able sweeten the pot a bit, they might have a shot at landing the two-time Cy Young Award winner.

2. Nathan Eovaldi (starting pitcher)

• Age: 32
• 2022 stats: 6-3, 109.1 IP, 3.87 ERA, 103 SO, 1.0 fWAR
• 2022 salary: $17 million

2022 was a rough campaign for Red Sox starting pitcher Nathan Eovaldi. He dealt with back and shoulder injuries, which limited him to only 20 starts; his least number of games (pandemic year notwithstanding) since 2013 with the Miami Marlins.

Eovaldi cashed in at the perfect time at the conclusion of the 2018 campaign, netting a four-year, $68 million contract extension with the Red Sox. This time around, his injury riddled season will play a huge factor in his payday.

Despite a slight dip in his strikeout rate year over year, he’s still about league average in the strikeout department, but gives up very few walks. And spending the past five seasons with the Rays and Red Sox, he’s battle-tested within the American League East.

If the Blue Jays opt not to re-sign Ross Stripling, they’ll need at least one mid-tier starter to fill Stripling’s shoes, and Eovaldi just might be what Toronto needs to fill the gap. Injuries are the biggest concern with Eovaldi, but as the Red Sox experienced during their World Series run in 2018, he comes with a lot of upside.

3. Chris Bassitt (starting pitcher)

• Age: 33
• 2022 stats: 15-9, 181.2 IP, 3.42 ERA, 167 SO, 2.7 fWAR
• 2022 salary: $8.65 million

On paper, the New York Mets had one of the best rotations in baseball heading into Opening Day 2022. Despite a myriad of injuries to all five of their starting pitchers, the Mets still finished with the fifth-best starter ERA in baseball this past season.

Chris Bassitt was not immune to the injury bug either, but missed minimal time in 2022 and posted a solid 3.42 ERA in 30 starts for the Mets. He declined his mutual option and is now a free man.

Unlike Eovaldi, Bassitt’s track record is a little more reliable, which puts him in the four-to-five-year deal tier for starting pitchers. That’s an enormous commitment for the Blue Jays to make, considering they already have two-long term starting pitchers (Kevin Gausman and Jose Berrios) locked up for the next five seasons.

But looking at Bassitt’s peripherals and advanced stats, there’s a lot to like about the right-hander. Strikeouts aren’t exactly his forte, but he’s a big ground ball pitcher, and he limits a lot of hard contact and keeps the ball in the yard.

If the Jays swing and miss on getting Verlander, earmarking that money for a longer term deal for a pitcher of Bassitt’s calibre wouldn’t be a bad idea.

4. Robert Suarez (reliever)

• Age: 31
• 2022 stats: 45 G, 2.27 ERA, 31.9 K%, 0.7 bWAR
• 2022 salary: $5.5 million

After witnessing how the Blue Jays’ season came to a crashing halt, rebuilding the bullpen should be priority number one for this team. They’re not losing much personnel to free agency (only David Phelps), but if the playoffs proved anything, it’s that Toronto’s bullpen isn’t good enough to compete with the elite teams in baseball.

Robert Suarez is one of the more interesting names out on the free agent reliever market this winter. His debut season with the San Diego Padres was rather impressive, and his 31.9% strikeout rate is higher than any reliever on the Jays in 2022.

His fastball velocity is among the upper echelon of relievers and he may that huge void in the Blue Jays bullpen for “swing and miss stuff”. Primarily a fastball and changeup reliever, Suarez has a scintillating repertoire that’s severely lacking with the Blue Jays incumbents.

5. Taylor Rogers (reliever)

• Age: 31
• 2022 stats: 66 G, 4.76 ERA, 30.7 K%, 1.0 fWAR
• 2022 salary: $7.3 million

Taylor Rogers would’ve checked a lot of boxes for the Blue Jays at last season’s trade deadline, but instead of landing in Toronto, he was dealt from the Minnesota Twins to the Milwaukee Brewers.

He was pretty solid split between the Twins and Brewers, posting a 30.7% strikeout rate through 66 games. The stuff isn’t as elite as the aforementioned Suarez, but the fact that Rogers is a power lefty could help diversify Toronto’s bullpen that much further.

Tim Mayza’s the only left-handed holdover reliever from last year, so another lefty like Rogers would help manager John Schneider play matchups better in late-game situations.

Rogers’ fastball sits around the 94 MPH mark, but it’s his slider that gets the bulk of strikeouts. He punishes left-handed hitters, which the Blue Jays struggled against during the 2022 season.

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