MLB Free Agents 2015: Top Pitching Targets for the Toronto Blue Jays

With two consecutive losses to the lowly Boston Red Sox over the weekend, the Toronto Blue Jays find themselves six games out of a wild-card spot with four teams to pass. Their playoff chances are all but extinct.

With that in mind, perhaps it's time to take a look ahead at the upcoming free-agent class and assess which players would help Toronto compete in 2015.

There have been a few areas of weakness on this year's squad that need to be addressed.

First off, there's the bullpen. After placing among the top 10 major league teams in ERA, WHIP and batting average against a year ago, the team has turned into a bottom-10 club in all three categories in 2014, per MLB.com.

The starting rotation could also use an upgrade.

Knuckleballer R.A. Dickey hasn't been the staff ace Toronto had been hoping for since being acquired from the New York Mets. He's had another disappointing campaign in 2014, lowering his ERA from 2013 but walking more batters per nine innings and seeing his WHIP increase as well. His FIP has also stayed well above the 4.00 mark.

Youngster Drew Hutchison has shown some flashes of excellence and has managed to start 28 games for the club, but the inconsistency he's had this season is evidenced by his 4.47 ERA and 1.27 WHIP. His 3.84 FIP, sub-3.0 walks per nine innings and 8.2 strikeout rate per nine are encouraging signs, though.

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Mark Buehrle has regressed after a phenomenal start to the year. His 3.34 ERA is very impressive, but his 3.70 FIP isn't much better than Hutchison's mark. A 1.38 WHIP is also cause for concern. Then there's the fact that over his last 10 starts, he's posted a 5.03 ERA and has been hit to the tune of .342 by opposing hitters. Not exactly the dominant performances Jays fans saw early on from the experienced southpaw.

With J.A. Happ also having typical numbers for a fifth starter—4.44 ERA, 1.41 WHIP, 4.22 FIP and under six innings per start—Toronto has just one reliable arm in rookie Marcus Stroman.

Finding a way to fix these problems in time for 2015 won't be easy.

Top-of-the-rotation arms like Jon Lester, Max Scherzer and James Shields are sure to command a pretty penny on the market this offseason.

With Toronto's payroll already sitting at nearly $130 million, per USA Today, the team's already in uncharted waters and may not be able to fork over much more cash.

With that being said, here are a few players the Jays could target to improve their lackluster pitching staff.

Brandon McCarthy, SP

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Luring Brandon McCarthy out of the Bronx may not be easy.

The New York Yankees have money, prestige and 2014 positioning on Toronto, but with the top pitchers in the class likely out of reach for financial reasons, the Jays have to make a push for someone like McCarthy.

The 31-year-old right-hander has impressed so far in his time with the division-rival Yankees.

Since moving from Arizona to New York, McCarthy has started 11 contests, posting an ERA of 2.79, a FIP of 2.97 and 1.18 WHIP.

Seven of those 11 games have been quality starts—though another start saw him go 5.2 innings without allowing a run, leaving him one out shy of an eighth quality start—and his strikeout-to-walk ratio of 5.33 has shown he's had excellent command while maintaining his ability to strikeout hitters.

The fact that he's shown he can pitch in the American League should also help the Jays in determining that his impressive numbers can last.

While he wouldn't come cheap, no pitcher who can improve the rotation will. And McCarthy will certainly come at a more manageable cost than the likes of Shields, Lester or Scherzer.

Jason Grilli, RP

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Another pitcher who moved from the senior circuit to the American League this season, Jason Grilli could be a nice addition to the Jays bullpen for the 2015 season.

After converting 33 saves while posting a 2.70 ERA for the Pittsburgh Pirates last season, Grilli was shipped to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim after he struggled in his first 22 games of the year with the Bucs, throwing just over 20 innings with a 4.87 ERA and picking up just 11 saves from 15 opportunities.

Since the move, however, Grilli has rediscovered his 2013 form and has been instrumental in helping the Halos turn their bullpen around and take a commanding six-game lead over Oakland in the AL West.

His 2.28 ERA, 1.01 WHIP, 1.79 FIP, 9.4 strikeouts per nine innings pitched and 2.0 walks per nine through nearly 28 innings are all incredibly impressive totals.

One would wonder then, why Grilli would want to leave Anaheim this offseason.

Well, if the veteran reliever wants another crack at being a closer, he may be forced to do just that.

With fellow acquisition Huston Street being even more impressive since he moved from San Diego in the closer's role, it's almost certain that Los Angeles will pick up his more-than-reasonable $7 million team option for next season.

Toronto could give Grilli that chance, with the closer role open and Casey Janssen hitting free agency.

Back in mid-July, when Janssen possessed a 1.23 ERA and had blown just two saves out of 16 opportunities and had picked up three wins, it seemed as though the Jays would work to re-sign him. But since July 13, Janssen has been a huge disappointment. In 20 appearances since then, his ERA has been 8.47 in 17 innings, while opposing batters have had a field day against him, hitting .351 with a .990 OPS.

There may be a chance the Jays sign him at a reduced cost to fill the setup role, but it's highly doubtful he'll be the team's closer in 2015.

Matt Belisle, RP

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Colorado Rockies reliever Matt Belisle may be the perfect buy-low candidate for Toronto this offseason.

After four consecutive years with a FIP below 3.10, Belisle has seen that number jump to 3.97 this year in Denver. His ERA+ has also been a number that has been above the average mark of 100 in each of the last four seasons but has dipped to 79 in 2014.

His 5.37 ERA and 1.53 WHIP may help bring his price tag down, but there are some peripheral numbers that are still bright spots for the 34-year-old.

For instance, he still issues fewer than three walks every nine innings while striking out nearly six in the same span.

His numbers being up across the board this year after four years of consistent success point to a potential rebound season in 2015.

If the Jays were smart, they'd see Belisle as a great low-risk and low-cost option to bolstering their bullpen for a 2015 season that could be one of their last shots for a while at making a playoff run.

All statistics were obtained at Baseball-Reference.com unless otherwise noted.

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