Toronto Blue Jays Free Agency: How Looming Lockout Complicates Everything

On Saturday, I wrote an article about the idea of the Toronto Blue Jays trading for either Xavier Edwards or Otto Lopez of the Miami Marlins.

At the end of the article, I concluded that I'd rather not trade players/prospects for players that are essentially a souped-up version of Ernie Clement.

And I don't mean that disrespectfully to either Lopez or Edwards. They are both good players, and they are both better than Clement. They'd be useful for Toronto, but they don't provide the kind of power this team needs after finishing last in the big leagues in home runs in 2026.

I concluded that I'd rather see the team sign someone in free agency if they are going to upgrade at second base. Veteran Brandon Lowe, who has 30-homer potential, is out there, and so is Jazz Chisholm, who has the ability to give you a 25-homer, 25-steal season if he stays healthy.

That said, I've also indicated that I think the biggest need for the Jays is a right-handed hitting outfielder in free agency, and I've specifically mentioned Randy Arozarena and Seiya Suzuki as options. 

But here in lies the problem: The looming lockout complicates things greatly. As in, I think the plan to sign one of the outfielders and one of the infielders makes sense, but when you have no idea what the economic climate will be moving forward, your hands are kind of tied.

The lockout is expected to take hold on Dec. 2. If the Blue Jays try to get aggressive and sign multiple players before that date, they could face a situation where they are forced to shed payroll as a result of a salary cap implementation once the lockout ends. Do you want to spend money only to have to cut expenditures before the season starts?

Or, do you take the gamble and think that a salary cap will never come? 

While free agency looks like it has answers to Toronto's questions, you just don't know how things are going to look and how things are going to play out.

As a result, maybe a trade for Edwards or Lopez is the way to go. While I don't think it represents a perfect fit, it just might be a safer bet considering the known cost of doing business on the trade front.

The MLB offseason starts the day following the World Series's conclusion. Free agency starts five days after.