Complete 2014-15 Toronto Blue Jays Offseason Preview and Predictions

The Toronto Blue Jays played their final game of the 2014 season Sunday, losing 1-0 to the Baltimore Orioles.

Toronto finished the season with an 83-79 record, good for third place in the American League East. While this was the first time since 2010 that the Blue Jays finished a season with a winning record, the team still missed the playoffs by a considerable margin.

The Blue Jays finished a whopping 12 games behind the Orioles for the top spot in the AL East and were five games out of the second wild-card spot in the AL.

With the Kansas City Royals qualifying for the playoffs this season for the first time since 1985, Toronto—which last made the playoffs in 1993—now owns the longest active playoff drought in MLB.

So with the 2014 season now over for the Blue Jays, let’s take a look at some of the questions the team will be facing this offseason and make a few predictions about how Blue Jays general manager Alex Anthopoulos will shore up his club’s weaknesses heading into next season.

Payroll Breakdown

Frank Gunn/Associated Press

Before we analyze anything else, let’s take a quick look at what the Blue Jays' payroll was this season and how it stands to look next year once all of the team’s expiring contracts come off the books this offseason.

2014 Payroll: $137 million

Coming Off The Books: $41 million

2015 Payroll: $96 million

Please note that the 2015 payroll doesn’t include the salaries of all of the team’s arbitration-eligible players, such as Brett Cecil and Brett Lawrie. The salaries of players who have team options for next season, such as Adam Lind and J.A. Happ, are also not included here.

A lot has been made of the Blue Jays’ payroll throughout the 2014 season. When Toronto didn’t make any notable moves at the MLB trade deadline, despite being in the playoff race, many analysts wondered if this was because the team was unable to take on any additional salary.

Sportsnet's Shi Davidi wrote at the time that the Blue Jays "look like a team with a good payroll in the upper third of baseball, but also what appears to be a rigid cap that even a golden opportunity at the playoffs can’t nudge upwards."

While Anthopoulos has never publicly complained about any payroll limitations, it will be interesting to see how much money he’ll be permitted to spend this offseason.

*All salary information is from Cot's Baseball Contracts. Figures are rounded to the nearest million.

Blue Jays’ Free Agents

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The Blue Jays have three players who will be free agents this offseason: Casey Janssen, Colby Rasmus and Melky Cabrera.

Janssen, who has spent his entire career in Toronto, had a solid but unspectacular year as the team’s closer this season. The right-hander posted a 3.94 ERA while converting 25 saves in 30 opportunities.

While there’s a chance that Toronto could bring Janssen back, the 33-year-old’s struggles following the All-Star break (6.46 ERA in 23.2 innings pitched) could lead the team to look elsewhere for a closer during the offseason.

Rasmus’ days with the Blue Jays appear to be over after the center fielder lost his starting job during September and was relegated to a bench role. After a breakout year in 2013, the 28-year-old hit just .225/.287/.448 with 18 home runs, 40 RBI and 45 runs scored in 104 games this season.

The most interesting free agent out of this trio is Cabrera. The 30-year-old had a tremendous season this year, hitting .301/.351/.458 with 16 home runs, 73 RBI and 81 runs scored in 139 games. Those numbers are sure to attract other teams and land the left fielder several lucrative offers on the open market.

According to Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet, Anthopoulos expects the Blue Jays to be competitive for Cabrera. Cabrera has also told Toronto that he would be interested in returning to the team. Getting a deal done here needs to be the most important priority of the offseason for the Blue Jays.

Holes to Fill

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Heading into the offseason, the Blue Jays have several areas that they need to shore up in order to be competitive next year.

Toronto’s bullpen was arguably the team’s biggest weakness during the 2014 season and needs to be drastically overhauled. The Blue Jays finished the season with a 4.09 bullpen ERA, ranking 25th in the majors in that category.

Several relievers on the team might not be back next year.

Janssen is a free agent. Sergio Santos' $6 million option for 2015 will likely be declined after he posted an 8.57 ERA and was designated for assignment twice this season. Dustin McGowan will also likely see his $4 million 2015 option declined after he posted a mediocre 4.37 ERA this season.

Another area the Blue Jays need to focus on is second base. Toronto had a revolving door at second base throughout this season and had as many as seven different players play the position. Blue Jays second basemen combined to hit just .247/.295/.340 with seven home runs, 48 RBI and 52 runs scored in 2014. More production from the position will be needed next season.

If Rasmus is indeed allowed to leave as a free agent, that will leave a hole in center field. There will also be a hole in left field if the Blue Jays are unable to re-sign Cabrera.

Kevin Pillar and Anthony Gose could be outfield options next season, but neither has brought much to the table offensively up to this point. Pillar hit just .267/.295/.397 in 53 games, while Gose hit .226/.311/.293 in 94 games this season.

Top prospect Dalton Pompey might be ready to be a full-time player in the majors next season, but it’s unreasonable to expect too much out of a 21-year-old who hasn’t had enough seasoning in the minor leagues yet.

Potential Free-Agent Targets

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Due to a club policy that restricts the team from offering free agents contracts exceeding five years, the Blue Jays usually never have much of a chance to sign any of the top free agents on the market. Aside from attempting to re-sign Cabrera, Toronto likely won’t be a factor when it comes to recruiting other top free agents like Max Scherzer or Jon Lester this offseason.

So, instead of looking to make a big splash in free agency, Anthopoulos is much more likely to add a cheaper veteran player who would fill one of the holes on the team.

With the bullpen arguably being the team’s biggest weakness going into the offseason, signing quality relievers in free agency should be a major priority for the Blue Jays.

The most well-known reliever on the market will likely be Andrew Miller. The left-hander dominated hitters this season, posting a 2.02 ERA in 62.1 innings pitched. Miller doesn’t have closing experience, which could knock down his price and make him an intriguing option for the Blue Jays. The fact that the 29-year-old had his career year this season while pitching for two AL East teams makes him even more attractive.

Another reliever Toronto should take a look at is Pat Neshek. The 34-year-old posted a 1.87 ERA in 67.1 innings pitched for the St. Louis Cardinals this season. He also racked up 25 holds and six saves during that span.

There aren’t too many high-impact position players who would both fit the Blue Jays’ price range and fill a hole in team’s lineup who are available in the market this offseason. Rather, Toronto would likely have to settle for depth players such as Alberto Callaspo and Chris Denorfia in order to boost its infield, outfield and bench.

Trade Possibilities

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The Blue Jays are unlikely to make any blockbuster trades involving their top young players like Marcus Stroman, Aaron Sanchez, Drew Hutchison, Daniel Norris and Dalton Pompey.

If Anthopoulos had any intention of trading the aforementioned players, he would’ve done so at the trade deadline. So it’s unreasonable to expect the general manager to change his stance now.

If the Blue Jays do make a trade, it will likely involve moving a veteran player from an area of strength and receiving back a veteran player who fills a need on the team, such as at second base, center field or in the bullpen.

For example, J.A. Happ’s $6.7 million 2015 option will likely be picked up after he posted a 4.22 ERA in 26 starts this season. But Happ could still be the odd man out if Sanchez makes the transition from the team’s bullpen to the starting rotation during spring training next year. This could lead the Blue Jays to explore a trade involving Happ for an everyday position player.

Overall, though, the Blue Jays will likely try to keep the core of their team together and will be reluctant to part with the high-profile talent required to make a major trade this offseason.

*All stats are from MLB.com and Baseball-Reference.com.