We've said that we think Randy Arozarena would be a good fit for the Toronto Blue Jays, but apparently they have other ideas.
At the very end of August, I wrote that I thought that Seattle Mariners outfielder Randy Arozarena would make a good fit for the Toronto Blue Jays in free agency this winter.
And while it appears that the Blue Jays agree with my line of thinking, it looks like they are set to pursue a different free agent outfielder: Seiya Suzuki of the Chicago Cubs. That was reported by Mitch Bannon of 'The Athletic' on Sunday.
Before we get to that, let's examine why we liked Arozarena.
The case for Arozarena
1) Simply put, Arozarena is a good player and this team needs more good players if it wants to win the World Series. Arozarena is coming off arguably the best year of his career. An All-Star this year, he hit .281 with 26 homers and 26 stolen bases while posting a 148 OPS+.
He also scored 113 runs, which led the American League. The Blue Jays, on the other hand, were last in runs scored.
Furthermore, he did all of that with T-Mobile Park as his home ballpark. That's one of the worst hitting parks in baseball. If he can do this there, then what could he do at Rogers Centre?
2) The Blue Jays desperately need a right-handed hitting outfielder to break up the left-handed trio of Brett Bateman, Nathan Lukes and Addison Barger. Furthermore, Anthony Santander is a switch-hitter. With George Springer and Myles Straw set to be free agents, this group needs a righty hitter.
3) Arozarena is 31 and headed for 32 years old. Perhaps he can be had on a three or four-year deal, meaning the Jays don't have to shell out money for six or seven years.
The case against
Well, he's 31 or 32 and already isn't regarded as a great defender. There have been questions about his hustle and leadership at the time as well. Do you really want to shell out big money for that profile?
Now, how about Suzuki?
Well, basically everything we just said about Arozarena bears true for Suzuki. He fills the right-handed need and is coming off a year in which he hit .270 with 26 homers and 86 RBIs. He posted an OPS+ of 131, so while he offers the power that Arozarena does, he doesn't offer the speed.
He's also not regarded as a great defender, and is a bit older. He's 32 and will turn 33 in August of 2027. Perhaps he'll come a little cheaper?
Chicago Cubs right fielder Seiya Suzuki (27) rounds the bases after he hit a home run during the fifth inning against the Miami Marlins at Wrigley Field. Matt Marton-Imagn ImagesOne additional thing:
Suzuki is also from Japan, which would give another connection to slugger Kazuma Okamoto. Just something to think about.
