After finishing last in the American League East at 79-83 this season, the Toronto Blue Jays have some heavy lifting to do this offseason.

But how far do they need to extend in their search for help? What are the biggest areas of need? And how does the labor situation impact things moving forward?

Let's dive a little deeper.

As un-fun as it is to talk about, the situation around the Collective Bargaining Agreement looms over everything this offseason.

The owners are pushing for a salary cap and if that actually happens, the Blue Jays will likely be in a position to have to work to shed payroll over the next few years. If it doesn't happen, then baseball's economy figures to work the way it has forever, which is a benefit to the high-spending Jays.

But until the answer to the salary cap question is known, the Blue Jays are in a tough spot. Do they rush to get deals done in November under the current system, knowing they may have to undo some things to get in compliance? Or, do they just sit back and let other teams potentially take the lead in November and see where things are at when the lockout ends?

And, will any players be rushing to sign deals before the lockout starts? And how crazy will things get once it ends? That's all up in the air.

I'm going to keep pounding the pavement for a right-handed hitting outfielder. That is the biggest need for this group moving forward. The Blue Jays finished in the majors in runs scored and last in the majors in home runs. They need more power, especially with George Springer (likely) departing in free agency.

Brett Bateman, Addison Barger and Nathan Lukes are all solid players, but all are left-handed. The Jays need some more balance to that group. If they are in a position to spend big money, I continue to think that it needs to be spent on the likes of Seiya Suzuki or Randy Arozarena.

This year, the Blue Jays saw injuries to Shane Bieber, Max Scherzer, Trey Yesavage, Dylan Cease, Jose Berrios, Bowden Francis, Cody Ponce, and Patrick Corbin at various points, so the math tells you that you can never have enough pitching.

That said, Toronto has four starters penciled in for next season, and a large group of players that can battle for the fifth spot and provide depth. While the idea of reuniting with Bieber or Kevin Gausman is nice, it's not the first thing I'm doing, especially in an unknown financial climate.