4 Veteran Free Agents the Blue Jays Should Bring in for Spring Training

The Toronto Blue Jays were the biggest winners this past MLB offseason, but their roster is not yet complete.

Although the Jays were the benchmark for other clubs, causing a ripple effect with every move they made, a few key additions remain that are worth looking into.

Trades will happen depending on how the season progresses, but a few veteran free agents still remain on the market that the Blue Jays should take a gamble on. 

These players by no means are expected to make a significant impact, but in acquiring them, Toronto would add valuable depth—and depth is the key to any championship team. 

The following players are not guaranteed a spot on the big club should they sign with the Jays, but if they perform well in spring training, they have a great shot at nabbing a starting job. 

Aubrey Huff

Huff batted an uncharacteristic .192 in 2012 in only 78 at-bats with the San Francisco Giants. After that performance, the reigning World Series champs appear to have given up on the 36-year-old. 

Toronto would benefit from signing Huff because first base has been a lingering issue. 

Although Edwin Encarnacion seems to have taken the reigns at the position, he would be vacating the DH spot, one that Huff can fill without a problem. 

Huff has spent the vast majority of his career in the American League—ten years to be exact. In those ten seasons, Huff batted .282/.340/.472 with 203 home runs as well as 752 RBI. 

Not only that, but in his 13-year career, Huff has had a negative WAR percentage only three times: in 2001, 2009 and 2011.

Needless to say, he's usually a better player than most guys and most certainly a better option than Adam Lind. 

Jim Thome

At 42, Jim Thome has no plans of retiring, according to a December interview with CSNPHILLY.com's Jim Salisbury.

Thome wouldn't come to the Blue Jays as a first baseman, he would head north of the border solely to be a DH.

And he knows it: “At this stage, am I an everyday player? No,” Thome said. “But I think I can still play. The best thing for me is being a designated hitter somewhere."

With 22 years of Major League service under his belt, Thome is currently MLB's active leader in walks with 1747 (7th all-time) and has a career OBP of .402.

Not only that, but of his 22 years, 19 of them have been in the American League where he's compiled an impressive .280/.406/.557 batting line to complement his 511 home runs and 1415 RBI. 

Thome can come to Toronto for cheap and produce for a team itching to make a solid impact in the American League.

Thome has a similar goal in mind: “I always try to go home and unwind and think about it," he said to Salisbury. "After a couple months off, I’ve come to the conclusion, that yeah, if someone wants me I’d like to play.”

Well, the Blue Jays probably wouldn't mind having you, Jim. 

Scott Hairston

Let's get real. In 2013 Colby Rasmus will bat somewhere between his weight and .280.

It gets tiring to hear that Rasmus is going to have a productive season in Toronto when he never has and has never even come close.

I bit my tongue in 2012 when he got hot in June, batting .291/.331/.547 with a few sensational plays in the outfield, but then he went back to his same old routine. 

The next month, his batting average dropped 100 points to .191, and in August, it dropped even further to a woeful .167. 

Enter Scott Hairston, a veteran with nine years of MLB experience to his name, and a man coming fresh off a .263/.299/.504 campaign with only one error in the outfield in 772.2 innings. 

His price might be a little higher compared to other free agents, but he's definitely worth it. 

Even if he didn't replace Colby Rasmus in center field, he'd make a tremendous fourth outfielder. Better than Anthony Gose, better than Rajai Davis and better than Moises Sierra. 

Not only that, but should the Blue Jays succumb to injuries (why would we think that?), they'd have no problem trusting Hairston to man any outfield position.

For any of you Colby Rasmus fans out there, my apologies, but this has been long overdue. 

Kyle Lohse

I'm astonished that Kyle Lohse has yet to sign with a team for 2013.

So with that, he's my last pick, and this one should be a no-brainer and a teaser all at once.

The Blue Jays would have a tough time acquiring the 12-year veteran, as Lohse will want to be in the starting rotation from day one, and unfortunately, Toronto can't offer him that—yet. 

But a starting arm will almost certainly get injured partway through the season. Or maybe one of those pitchers will be ineffective.

Then, and only then, would Kyle Lohse get his opportunity to start on the bump.

And with a 16-3 record in 2012 to go along with 211 innings pitched and a 2.86 ERA, he's likely to succeed. 

But why would Toronto be appealing to him?

I can almost guarantee it isn't the tax hikes. But maybe, just maybe, it's the fact that Toronto is a baseball hotbed right now, and for the first time in a long time, the tradition of winning might be influential enough.

Lohse would fit in with that tradition, and with a career .520 win percentage, he's essentially the Blue Jays in a nutshell.

His 4.45 career ERA doesn't pay due diligence to his past two seasons where he's pitched to a 30-11 record and a 3.11 ERA in 399.1 innings pitched. 

And everyone thought Mark Buehrle was the only workhorse in town.