Blue Jays president: Pending free agents likely to test market
Just because they want to test the waters, doesn't mean they're leaving.
That's the message Toronto Blue Jays president Mark Shapiro delivered Friday, saying it's likely the long list of pending free agents will at least listen to offers from other clubs.
"I don’t like to speak in absolutes, but I think that’s probably the most likely scenario," Shapiro told Sportsnet, adding the conversations he's had with those free agents have been "casual, but nothing that’s been very intense or substantive in nature.”
The list of Blue Jays hitting free agency is long, but of all the players that could depart, it's the question of whether Jose Bautista or Edwin Encarnacion, both expected to get paid serious money this offseason, will stick around.
| 2017 TOR FA | By the numbers |
|---|---|
| Darwin Barney | .269/.321/.379 (4 HR-19 RBI) |
| Jose Bautista | .228/.350/.442 (17 HR-55 RBI) |
| Joaquin Benoit | 0.00 ERA (16.1 IP) |
| Brett Cecil | 4.55 ERA (29.2 IP) |
| R.A. Dickey | 4.60 ERA (164.1 IP) |
| Edwin Encarnacion | .267/.358/.543 (37 HR-112 RBI) |
| Dioner Navarro | .211/.269/.333 (6 HR-34 RBI) |
| Michael Saunders | .266/.348/.505 (23 HR-54 RBI) |
| Josh Thole | .155/.242/.207 (1 HR-7 RBI) |
Without naming them, Shapiro said just because his big-time players haven't negotiated with Toronto, it doesn't leave out the possibility that they could come back to the Blue Jays.
These guys have the ability to go out and look through more clearly what the alternatives are out there in the free agent market,” Shapiro added. “Again, I still believe if they’re guys that want to be here and we still think that they can fit and be part of a championship team, not just collecting talent but a championship team, we’ll find a way to keep them here.”