Is Teoscar Hernández’s asking price finally right for the Blue Jays?

I may be showing my age here, but remember the “Give like Santa, save like Scrooge” Canadian Tire Christmas commercials?

With rumours of the Blue Jays interested in Juan Soto, Max Fried and Corbin Burnes, a narrative has emerged painting the club as frivolous spenders, but in actuality, they’ve pinched their pennies like Ebenezer.

I’m sure the Blue Jays were interested in all these players, but they have a budget. Not everybody can make it rain like the Yankees, Dodgers or Mets, but as a top-1o payroll team in 2024, the Blue Jays aren’t acting like it this offseason.

Blue Jays and their offseason so far

So far in free agency, they’ve only spent $15 million on right-hander Yimi Garcia and a handful of minor league deals, with several needs they have yet to address on the roster.

The benefit of waiting out the market is those price tags will probably come down, but teams also risk losing out on marquee players. With a more robust free agent crop compared to last winter, the Blue Jays can afford to play the waiting game this offseason.

It appears at least one asking price has come down: former Blue Jays outfielder Teoscar Hernández. The details from Mark Feinsand’s latest at MLB.com:

“The Dodgers and Hernández seemed headed for a reunion, but the two sides haven’t been able to reach a deal thus far. That opened the door for other teams – namely the Red Sox and Blue Jays – to jump in on the outfielder, who is seeking a three-year deal in the $22-24 million a year range, per sources.”

Spotrac projected Hernández’s value in the three-year/$71.265 million dollar range, which falls in line with Feinsand’s report of the former Dodger seeking a deal in the $66 million to $72 million range. On Monday, Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet reported Hernández was in the market for a four-year contract, with Anthony Santander looking for a five-year deal.

Blue Jays and the potential pursuit of Hernández

The Blue Jays could vastly improve their outfield production in free agency, and both Hernández and Santander are the two biggest fish left in the pond. Both players come with risk, but after Veronica Chung weighed the Hernández vs Santander debate, I’m leaning toward the Teo camp.

Especially if Santander wants a fourth or a fifth year, that contract could look messy by the end (see the George Springer deal, which still has two years left on it by the way). By locking into only three years of Hernández, it gives the Blue Jays an exit plan if things go sideways.

We know the Blue Jays want to be competitive in 2025, but beyond that, there’s a lot of uncertainty. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette’s contract statuses loom large over this organization, and the Blue Jays might stare down the barrel of a rebuild as early as 2026 if Bo and Vlad both walk and the front office doesn’t replace their production.