Grading the Toronto Blue Jays' Offseason Post-Winter Meetings

The Toronto Blue Jays did not make a single move during the winter meetings, but the team has still had an eventful offseason up to this point.

In fact, the Blue Jays arguably made the biggest deal of the winter when they sent third baseman Brett Lawrie along with some prospects to the Oakland A’s in exchange for All-Star third baseman Josh Donaldson.

Besides the Donaldson trade, Toronto made another big offseason splash, signing free-agent catcher Russell Martin to a five-year, $82 million contract.

Blue Jays general manager Alex Anthopoulos has also made a flurry of smaller moves these past couple of months. Some of these include trading outfielder Anthony Gose to the Detroit Tigers for second base prospect Devon Travis, trading designated hitter Adam Lind to the Milwaukee Brewers for pitcher Marco Estrada, and sending pitcher J.A. Happ to the Seattle Mariners for Canadian outfielder Michael Saunders.

With the addition of Saunders to play left field, it’s probably safe to assume that Toronto won’t be re-signing outfielder Melky Cabrera.

The Blue Jays also appear to have no interest in bringing back centre fielder Colby Rasmus and are set to enter spring training in 2015 with rookie Dalton Pompey as a favorite for the centre fielder job.

The newly acquired Travis will enter spring training with a chance to become the team’s Opening Day second baseman. While the 23-year-old did hit .298/.358/.460 with 10 home runs, 52 RBI and 68 runs scored in 100 games during the 2014 minor league season, he has never played above the Double-A level and might require seasoning in Triple-A Buffalo before being ready for the majors.

If that’s the case, expect Toronto to open the 2015 season with Maicer Izturis and Ryan Goins at second base.

With Happ traded, Aaron Sanchez will likely get a shot in the rotation heading into the 2015 season. The 22-year-old was terrific in a relief role in 2014, posting a 1.09 ERA in 33 innings pitched.

If Sanchez falters as a starter, Estrada has had experience starting in the past and could take over the fifth spot in the rotation.

The biggest concern for the Blue Jays for the remainder of this offseason will be adding to a bullpen that is in much need of upgrades. Besides Estrada, Anthopoulos has yet to add any new relievers to shore up a bullpen that finished 25th in the majors in ERA last season.

Most of the high-profile relievers on the market such as David Robertson (Chicago White Sox, per Associated Press via Sportsnet.ca), Andrew Miller (New York Yankees, per Wallace Matthews of ESPN.com), Luke Gregerson and Pat Neshek (Houston Astros, per ESPN.com) have all signed already.

While there are still a few free-agent relievers out there, it’s probably more likely for Anthopoulos to trade for relievers at this point. The Blue Jays still have a decent trade chip in catcher Dioner Navarro that they could use to help facilitate a deal.

Overall, though, while the Blue Jays acquired two impact players in Martin and Donaldson, the team still has several areas in need of upgrades this offseason. As things stand right now, Toronto would have a rookie starting in centre field and second base next season. That seems risky for a team with playoff aspirations.

The Blue Jays also need to add at least two to three impact relievers and shore up a bullpen that was a major weakness for the team last season.

So, while Anthopoulos started his offseason with a bang, there is still plenty of work left to be done before spring training next year.

Offseason Grade: B+