The Toronto Blue Jays are still linked to southpaw hurler Framber Valdez.
The Blue Jays’ focus on pitching this winter has been more than evident. Shane Bieber came back, and they signed Dylan Cease, Cody Ponce, and Tyler Rogers as their big free agent adds. They have also added considerable pitching depth at the minor league and prospect levels.
However, they have a hole in their pocket because the money they had earmarked for Kyle Tucker is still available. Because of this, their interest in Valdez is more plausible.
A new report reveals that things could have been different for the Blue Jays. In addition to wanting to bring back a reliever who recently revealed their reason for moving on, they had interest in a few other starters before they landed Cease.
Toronto Blue Jays Had Interest in Valdez, Imai & King Before Signing Dylan Cease
The Blue Jays have had an aggressive offseason. In addition to the signings of Cease, Ponce, and Rogers, they were pursuing big bats on the free agent market. They landed Kazuma Okamoto despite swinging and missing on Alex Bregman, Cody Bellinger, Bo Bichette, and Tucker.
However, before Cease put his name on the dotted line, the Blue Jays cast a wide net and “engaged” with other starters to bolster their rotation.
In a recent AMA, MLB insider Ben Nicholson-Smith addressed a few things. In one response, he revealed the Blue Jays’ interest level in a few pitchers who were available at the start of free agency.
“There was some initial mutual interest at the time, but the Jays have since signed Cease,” Nicholson-Smith said on the AMA. “The Jays have done lots of background work on Framber as is usual, as you’d expect. They like the talent level, but for that to lead somewhere at this point, Framber’s market probably may have to stall out a bit. People see Orioles as more likely.”
“King: yes. Eflin: don’t know. Imai: yes.”
Michael King, Zach Eflin, and Tatsuya Imai were free agents who were available at the beginning of the offseason. Since the Blue Jays signed Cease, they have moved on to their new teams. King returned to the San Diego Padres, Imai signed with the Houston Astros, and Eflin signed with the Baltimore Orioles.
Blue Jays Still Interested in Framber Valdez
While the interest in King and Imai is likely just Toronto performing due diligence, their interest in Valdez makes much more sense.
Unlike King and Imai, Valdez is a lefty. Recently, MLB insider Mark Feinsand pointed this detail out.
“Toronto clearly has money to spend, evidenced by its serious bid for Kyle Tucker,” Feinsand wrote on January 30th. “Whether the Blue Jays want to spend it on a pitcher remains to be seen, but with their current all-right-handed rotation, bringing in a proven left-hander could be appealing.”
“Also of note: Gausman and Bieber are slated to become free agents next winter, so signing Valdez would help stabilize the rotation for 2027 and beyond.”
Valdez’s Impact on the Blue Jays Starting Rotation
Having a veteran arm on the rotation would be a huge benefit to the Blue Jays, especially if that arm is a lefty. Right-handed pitchers are a dime a dozen, but acquiring an excellent southpaw hurler is not as easy to come by.
Signing a pitcher like Valdez could have a larger ripple effect than you might expect. This is especially true for a rotation that already includes Kevin Gausman, Trey Yesavage, Jose Berrios, Bieber, Cease, and Ponce.
Berrios is expected to be the first arm out of this rotation, but what happens if and when Valdez signs?
The next one out of the rotation could be either Yesavage or Ponce. Yesavage will be able to go down to the minors without repercussions, and Ponce could join Berrios in the bullpen.
While it would have been nice for the Blue Jays to add King or Imai, Cease is better than both. On top of that, if they could pull off adding Valdez to their rotation as well, that could end up being their best acquisition of the winter.
Blue Jays Could Have Looked Very Different Heading Into the New Season