UPDATED: The Jays, in fact, have not added outfielder Michael Brantley on a three-year deal
UPDATE: There seems to be some sense that these reports have been a little bit premature, so read on with caution! The Jays, by all accounts, are still very much in on Brantley, but Hazel tweeted on Wednesday afternoon that a Jays official has refuted her report, and several national trade-breaker types are saying a deal is still possible and discussions are ongoing, but nothing is done. This could have something to do with the medical — Brantley’s injury history means a medical isn’t just a formality, as Buster Olney points out, which could be making the team nervous about the idea that it’s done — or possibly about a trade in the works, too. (In the latter scenario, it could be that adding Brantley is contingent on making a trade, which would require its own series of medicals, and also require players to be notified, which may not have happen yet if the Brantley news leaked early.) Or the reports could have just been wrong! Hopefully it gets cleared up quickly and I can eventually just delete this big note
UPDATE THE SECOND: Unfortunately it appears as though the answer here was that the info people were hearing was simply incorrect. That is, provided we believe this Houston reporter does have the goods.
Odd, because after Hazel reported that Brantley to the Jays was done there were confirmations from others, like Ken Rosenthal. It seemed like multiple sources were saying this was done, but either they were both sourced from the same person with bad intel or, I don’t know what. A rather illuminating 24 hours in the world of trade-breaking, eh? And not much of it especially good.
Anyway, it’s a shame this seems to have not materialized, as Brantley would have been a very good fit for the Jays’ lineup. But at least the Springer reports are real!
Hmm, and apparently the Jays weren’t even close here. Yikes to all of this!
Original post
The Toronto Blue Jays’ outfield is suddenly a much more crowded — and talented! — place, at least for now, as Sportsnet’s Hazel Mae is reporting that the club has signed left fielder Michael Brantley on a three-year free agent contract.
Brantley is good friends with George Springer, who the Jays signed on Monday night, and an incredibly good hitter in his own right. Brantley's wRC+ the last three seasons combined (two in Houston and one in Cleveland) is 129. That places him 24th among 168 qualified MLB hitters by wRC+ over that span, just behind the A's Matt Chapman, and slighly ahead of the the Reds' Eugenio Suarez, the Cubs' Anthony Rizzo, and the Padres' Manny Machado.
The man can flat out hit! And he doesn’t do it just by selling out for power, either. Brantley's 10.4% strikeout rate since 2018 is the fourth lowest among that same group. He is a guy who puts the ball in play, making contact at a 90.2% rate on the pitches he swings at — the second best mark since 2018 among that same group.
Also huge is the fact that he hits from the left side, which will help to add some balance to a very right-hand heavy Blue Jays lineup.
His defence isn't nearly as much of a problem as you'd think for a guy who turns 34 in May, either. I looked at this back on Sunday, noting that he compares favourably to Lourdes Gurriel Jr. as a left fielder over the last three seasons — though Houston’s usage of him in 2020 isn’t exactly a great sign, as he played just 19 games in left for the Astros last year.
What these two big additions will mean for the likes of Gurriel, Teoscar Hernández, Randal Grichuk, or even Rowdy Tellez remains to be seen. The Jays have an offensive surplus, with five outfielders who will be expecting to play everyday and their first base and DH slots occupied by Tellez and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. That surplus combined with their excellent farm system could mean a trade is coming on the pitching front. Though you’d hate to see any of those guys go (save Grichuk, who is the least likely to be dealt, I’d think, because of his $9.3 million salary and spotty history of production), the contract status of both Gurriel ($13.4 million owed through 2023, plus one additional year of control after that) and Hernández ($4.325 million this year, then two additional years of control) will make them very appealing to rival clubs.
Then again, there are pitchers still out there available for just money. Taijuan Walker would look great back in a Blue Jays uniform, as would Masahiro Tanaka, Jake Odorizzi, or James Paxton. Though the club may look to guys like that while still adding to the mix through trade. A lot of possibilities right now, and except for the potential loss of a truly fun player like Gurriel, they’re all pretty great for the Blue Jays and their fans.
Just hook it to my veins! The 2021 Blue Jays are going to score some runs. Hard not to love it.
Top image: Screengrab via YouTube/MLB
Loving this. Funny how since Shapiro started this blog, things have started happening. LOL
Narrator Voice: It wasn't.