The reigning American League champion Toronto Blue Jays were dealt a tough hand on Thursday night as they missed out on free agent slugger Kyle Tucker.

The Blue Jays reportedly offered Tucker a long-term deal, but he signed a four-year, $240 million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers - the team that beat the Blue Jays in the World Series.

While the Blue Jays can take solace in the fact that the Dodgers play in the National League and don't directly impact their chances of getting back to the World Series, it's a blow nonetheless for an organization that has been super aggressive this offseason in trying to bring a championship north of the border.

The Blue Jays have done a good job overall, signing the likes of Dylan Cease, Tyler Rogers, Cody Ponce and Kazuma Okamoto, but the offense feels more uncertain without Tucker. Okamoto has never prove himself at the major league level and comes with question marks that Tucker simply doesn't.

And in addition, it looks like the Blue Jays are going to lose star shortstop Bo Bichette as well. Per Bob Nightengale of USA Today, the Philadelphia Phillies are the favorite to sign him.

The Phillies are the overwhelming favorites to sign infielder Bo Bichette while the Yankees and Mets will now be in a bidding war for outfielder Cody Bellinger.

If Bichette leaves, it will be a disappointment on multiple levels. First, the Jays offense simply won't be as good, and secondly, it's never easy to lose a homegrown star. The fanbase has a real connection with Bichette, as does the clubhouse, and it's hard to see that walk out the door.

Presuming the Blue Jays don't do anything else major this offseason, they are going to be left with a very flexible lineup that offers a lot of options.

We know this: 

Alejandro Kirk will be at catcher with Vladimir Guerrero Jr. at first base. Andres Gimenez will be at shortstop.

Beyond that? It seems likely that Ernie Clement will be at second base, but he has the ability to play third. Addison Barger can play third base or the outfield while Okamoto can play third base or the outfield as well. Myles Straw, Joey Loperfido and Davis Schneider are all candidates to play in the outfield, and Schneider can play the infield also. And then there's Nathan Lukes.

We'll dive deeper into the overall outlook on the lineup in our next post here at Blue Jays Roundtable.

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