Toronto Blue Jays offseason in review

The Blue Jays came up short on most (but not all) of their many pursuits of star free agents this winter, and the ship may have already sailed on the team's efforts to sign Vladimir Guerrero Jr. to a contract extension.

Amidst all the pessimism surrounding the Jays' future, the team did make some notable moves to try and reload the roster after a disappointing 2024 campaign.

The Blue Jays can void opt-out by guaranteeing 2030 option for $17.5MM salary, and adding $2.5MM to 2028 and 2029 salaries; $61.75MM of Santander's deal is deferred)

Toronto hitters combined for only 156 home runs and a .389 slugging percentage in 2024, so a 44-homer bat like Anthony Santander should bring some much-needed thunder to the lineup.

The Blue Jays made a hefty $92.5MM investment that Santander can build on the career year that saw him hit .235/.308/.506 over 665 plate appearances for the Orioles, while handily topping his previous high of 33 homers (in 2022).

Santander's overall hitting profile is a concern, as evidenced by the low batting average and OBP. However, Santander still posted an above-average walk rate despite the low on-base number, and his strikeout rate remained above average in 2024 even though chasing pitches has been an issue for his entire career.

The switch-hitter is certainly a power-first (if not quite a power-only) type of batter, yet the profile fits for a Jays team lacking in pop and in left-handed hitting balance.

Santander will step right into the lineup as the everyday left fielder, and he'll probably get a decent share of DH time given that his glovework is considered only passable.

As defense-focused as the Blue Jays have been over the last couple of years, they continued to move in that direction with a surprising trade for arguably the sport's best defensive second baseman.

Hoffman, 32, returns to the organization that drafted him more than a decade ago.

The righty was Toronto's first-round pick (ninth overall) out of East Carolina in 2014.

He was a high-profile starting pitching prospect who landed among Baseball America's Top 100 prospects in each of his first three professional seasons. Hoffman didn't spend long in the Toronto system.

One year after the draft, the Jays dealt him to the Rockies as part of the return in the Troy Tulowitzki deadline blockbuster.

Hoffman had the best two seasons of his career in Philadelphia. He made the big league roster in early May of the first season and turned in 52 1/3 innings of 2.41 ERA ball.

That performance made him a key piece of Rob Thomson's leverage group heading into 2024. Hoffman posted even better numbers during his second season at Citizens Bank Park.

Hoffman worked 66 1/3 innings with a 2.17 ERA while striking out more than a third of opposing hitters. Over his tenure with the Phils, Hoffman turned in a 2.28 earned run average with a 33.4% strikeout percentage.

He kept his walks to a modest 7.4% clip and held opponents to a .180/.249/.295 slash in 473 plate appearances.

Of the 97 relievers who have logged 100+ innings over the past two seasons, only five (Emmanuel Clase, Tanner Scott, Ryan Helsley, Kirby Yates and Tyler Holton) have a lower ERA.

Hoffman also ranks sixth in strikeout rate, trailing Aroldis Chapman, Josh Hader, Fernando Cruz, Kirby Yates, and A.J. Puk. He is in the top 10 in swinging strike percentage. The 6'5″ hurler has the stuff to match those results. His fastball sits around 97 MPH on average.

Hoffman mixes four pitches and has overpowered hitters with both the heater and his upper-80s slider.

Scherzer is obviously a legend in the game and a future Hall of Famer. He debuted back in 2008, has almost 3,000 innings in the majors with a 3.16 earned run average, three Cy Young trophies, eight All-Star selections and two World Series rings.

The question is what he has left in the tank at this point. He is now 40 years old and coming off an injury-marred season.

Scherzer started 2024 on the injured list while recovering from offseason back surgery. Though he recovered from that, he also battled a nerve issue in his hand, shoulder fatigue and a strained hamstring throughout the season.

He was limited to just nine starts and 43 1/3 innings.

That obviously creates some concern but Scherzer has been remarkably durable throughout his career. In each full season from 2009 to 2023, he made 27 or more starts and logged at least 145 1/3 innings.

From 2013 to 2018, he had six straight seasons of hitting the 200-inning plateau. In short, 2024 was the first season of his career where he missed significant time.

The last time Garcia was a free agent, he also signed with the Blue Jays. Going into the 2022 season, he and the Jays agreed to a two-year deal with an $11MM guarantee, with that deal also having a club/vesting option for 2024.

At that time, Garcia had just finished a strong three-year run split between the Dodgers, Marlins and Astros.

He tossed 135 innings over the 2019 to 2021 seasons, allowing 3.53 earned runs per nine. He struck out 26.7% of batters faced and limited walks to a 6.8% clip.

His first two years with the Jays saw him continue to pitch in roughly the same manner. He tossed 127 innings over 2022 and 2023 with a 3.61 ERA, 25.9% strikeout rate and 5.9% walk rate.

He racked up four saves and 41 holds for the Blue Jays in that time and also vested his $6MM option along the way.

2024 was a bit of a mixed bag. Yimi Garcia came out strong with a 0.47 ERA through his 19 innings, punching out 35.3% of batters faced.

He even racked up five saves while closer Jordan Romano was battling injuries last year.

Tate, 31 in May, was with Toronto briefly at the end of last year. The Jays claimed him off waivers from the Orioles on the first day of September. They optioned him to Triple-A, recalling him to the majors on September 18.

He made four appearances with the big league club as the season was winding down. The Jays could have retained him via arbitration, but the club non-tendered him instead.

Walker, 30, has a little bit of major league experience. He tossed 22 1/3 innings with the Mets over the past two seasons, allowing 6.45 earned runs per nine in that small sample. He struck out 22.7% of batters faced while giving out walks at an 11.7% clip.

He was designated for assignment by the Mets in July and flipped to the Pirates, though the Bucs designated him for assignment shortly thereafter and eventually released him.

Those major league numbers aren't especially impressive, but the Jays are likely attracted to his minor league work, where he has shown huge strikeout ability but also significant control issues.

He has thrown 89 innings on the farm over the past three years with a 3.54 ERA, giving out walks to 12.7% of opponents but also punching them out at a huge 33.7% rate.

The Jays were seemingly intrigued enough by those numbers to give Walker a 40-man roster spot.

Acquired 2B Andres Gimenez and RP Nick Sandlin from Guardians for 1B Spencer Horwitz and minor league OF Nick Mitchell

Acquired OF Myles Straw, $3.75MM in cash considerations, and $2MM of international bonus pool money from Guardians for cash considerations or a player to be named later

Claimed RHP Angel Bastardo from Red Sox in Rule 5 Draft

Ryan Yarbrough, Jacob Barnes, Christian Bethancourt, Richard Lovelady, Eric Lauer, Amir Garrett, Ali Sanchez, Michael Stefanic, Adam Kloffenstein

Spencer Horwitz, Jordan Romano, Genesis Cabrera, Brett de Geus, Luis De Los Santos, Paolo Espino, Brandon Eisert