3 Potential Under-the-Radar Toronto Blue Jays Free-Agent Targets

The Toronto Blue Jays will enter the offseason with several holes on the roster. Second base, centre field and the bullpen are just some of the areas where the Blue Jays will need to look for replacement players.

While Blue Jays general manager Alex Anthopoulos has often preferred to go through the trade route in order to acquire new players, he has also made several under-the-radar free-agent acquisitions during his tenure.

One such acquisition that Toronto made last offseason was signing catcher Dioner Navarro to a two-year, $8 million deal. While this move didn’t receive much attention at the time, Navarro went on to have a very good season at the plate and finished fourth on the team with 69 RBI.

Navarro’s success shows that there are indeed often bargains to be had in free agency. With that being said, let’s take a look at three potential under-the-radar free agents the Blue Jays should chase this offseason.

Norichika Aoki, Outfielder

With both centre fielder Colby Rasmus and left fielder Melky Cabrera set to hit free agency, the Blue Jays will go into the offseason with two potential holes in their outfield.

Norichika Aoki would be a perfect under-the-radar target if Toronto decides to shop for a new outfielder this winter. The 32-year-old outfielder had a solid 2014 regular season with the Kansas City Royals, hitting .285/.349/.360 with 43 RBI, 63 runs scored and 17 stolen bases in 25 attempts.

Aoki doesn’t have much power and hit just one home run in 2014 while playing in the cavernous Kauffman Stadium.

He did hit a combined 18 home runs during the two previous seasons he played with the Milwaukee Brewers. This means that the left-handed hitter’s home run total could potentially increase again if he plays in the hitter-friendly Rogers Centre.

Defensively, Aoki has mostly played in right field during his career, but he has also shown the ability to play left field or centre field if needed.

Due to his age, it’s unlikely that Aoki will command a long-term contract on the market. A two- or three-year deal will likely be enough to get things done here.

Asdrubal Cabrera, Infielder

Asdrubal Cabrera could be an ideal buy-low candidate for the Blue Jays due to his struggles at the plate during the last two seasons.

Just how bad have those struggles been? Since the 2013 season, Cabrera has hit just .241/.303/.394 up to this point. But the 28-year-old is just two years away from an All-Star season and is still a career .268/.330/.409 hitter.

It’s also worth noting that while Cabrera’s batting average and on-base percentage have declined over these last couple of seasons, his power and run-production numbers are still very respectable.

The switch-hitter hit 14 home runs with 61 RBI and 74 runs scored in 2014. For comparison’s sake, Blue Jays second basemen combined to hit just seven home runs with 48 RBI and 52 runs scored.

Defensively, Cabrera is naturally a shortstop, but he also has the ability to play second base. Last season, Cabrera played 48 games at second base and made just one error. Over his career, he has played 210 games at second base.

Even if Cabrera can’t recover his All-Star form at the plate in the future, he would still be an upgrade at second base over the players who played the position for the Blue Jays during the 2014 season.

Luke Hochevar, RHP

After posting a 1.92 ERA with 82 strikeouts in 70.1 innings pitched during the 2013 season, Luke Hochevar was well on his way to becoming one of the top relievers in the American League. Unfortunately, Tommy John surgery cost Hochevar all of the 2014 season.

Now a free agent, Hochevar will need to rebuild his value and prove that he has successfully recovered from his injury. This might lead the 31-year-old to sign a “pillow contract” for one year this offseason.

According to FanGraphs, Hochevar’s average fastball velocity during 2013 was 95.6 mph. Opponent batters hit just .182 off the right-hander’s fastball. If Hochevar hasn’t lost that stuff following Tommy John surgery, then a power arm like him would be a great fit for Toronto’s bullpen.

When it comes to the bullpen, the Blue Jays need all the help they can get. Toronto’s relief corps combined to post a 4.09 ERA in 2014, ranking them 25th in the majors.

The Blue Jays will also need new relievers if the team decides not to bring back Casey Janssen, Dustin McGowan and Sergio Santos.

All stats are from MLB.com unless noted otherwise.