The Toronto Blue Jays added Tyler Rogers to the bullpen, which likely meant Seranthony Dominguez would be pitching elsewhere.
The Blue Jays acquired Dominguez before the trade deadline last year from the Baltimore Orioles. He ended up being a high-leverage reliever with Toronto, but Dominguez remains a free agent.
With the Blue Jays’ backend of the bullpen set, Dominguez will likely sign elsewhere, and ESPN’s David Schoenfield linked him to the Washington Nationals. And, the insider believes he’d be the Nationals’ closer.
“Of the 13 pure relievers in the top 50, only Dominguez remains unsigned. Most of the top secondary types have signed as well,” Schoenfield wrote. “Dominguez had some control issues last season, but he throws hard and his Statcast page, other than his walks, is a whole bunch of red.
“He’s not a guy you want to trust as one of your top high-leverage relievers, but he’s a solid depth option and could be a player the Nationals sign as a closer and then look to flip at the trade deadline.”
With Dominguez still unsigned, he may have to sign a short-term deal, and the Nationals do make sense. He’d be the team’s closer and prove to playoff teams he can be an effective closer or high-leverage reliever, which would boost his trade value and free agent value next year.
Dominguez went 4-4 with a 3.16 ERA in 67 games, including 2 saves last season. However, he’s just 40-for-60 in save opportunities.
Blue Jays Added Rogers in Favor of Dominguez
Although Dominguez was an effective reliever for the Blue Jays, the team likely decided to go in a different direction.
With Yimi Garcia’s status still up in the air for next season, Toronto added Rogers to go alongside Louis Varland and closer Jeff Hoffman. The Blue Jays handed Rogers a three-year, $37 million deal and the star reliever was excited to sign in Toronto.
“When the American League champs give you a phone call you kind of perk up and get excited about that, a team that was really close to winning the World Series. That right there is a great start,” Rogers said during an introductory Zoom call with Toronto media. “And the Blue Jays have a great reputation throughout the industry.
“Even before they made this World Series run, they had a great reputation for how they treat their players, their facilities and even more so, how they take care of the families. (The family) is going to be joining me in Toronto. That was a big part of tipping the scales.”
Rogers went 4-6 with a 1.98 ERA in 81 games last season with the San Francisco Giants and New York Mets.
What is Dominguez Projected to Sign For?
Dominguez wasn’t viewed as a closer this offseason, so he’s unlikely to sign for a lucrative deal.
Instead, MLBTradeRumors predicted Dominguez would sign a two-year, $18 million deal this offseason.
“A three-year deal probably isn’t out of the question, but setup arms of this type frequently get two-year contracts paying them in the range of $8-10MM per season,” the article read. “That’s the prediction here for Dominguez, who should draw looks as a setup man for any bullpen-needy club with a bit of cash to spend and might even garner some interest as a closing option on some second-division teams.”
Dominguez went 2-0 with a 3.18 ERA in the playoffs with the Blue Jays.
Star Pitcher Predicted to Leave Blue Jays for Surprising Role With NL Team