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Taking a Look at the Blue Jays 2023 Free Agents

Now that the Toronto Blue Jays 2023 season has ended, it is time to start looking at their 2023 free agents. The Jays have multiple players that are free agents. This means that the Jays roster in 2024 will look a lot different. The 2023 season was bittersweet and not what anyone expected. So now it is time to move forward and focus on reshaping the roster. Matt Chapman, Brandon Belt, Kevin Kiermaier, Jordan Hicks, Chad Green (club option), Hyun Jin Ryu, and Whit Merrifield (mutual option) are all free agents. The question is, who should the Jays resign, and who should they let go? It is the free agent frenzy that everyone is anxiously awaiting to see unfold.

Toronto Blue Jays 2023 Free Agents

Chad Green

While Green had a short season with the Jays this year due to recovering from Tommy John Surgery, he showed consistency in the bullpen. Against the Minnesota Twins on October 3rd, Green pitched well, putting up a scoreless inning, and also lowered his ERA to 5.25 and finished off with a 3-0 record for the Blue Jays on the season. Green deserves the chance to play a full season with the Jays to really showcase his true talent and potential. Toronto’s bullpen this season was one of the strongest attributes about the team as well as the starting pitching. Many fans want Green to return next season, and he would be a strong asset to hold onto. The Jays have many strong pitchers in the pen, including Jordan Hicks, who they picked up at the trade deadline.

Jordan Hicks

There’s no question that Hicks was a solid pickup at the trade deadline. His biggest asset is his capability to throw really hard and fast (105 mph). He is one of the fastest-throwing pitchers in MLB. He also has a wicked sinker that showcases incredible movement. Hicks, this season found his home with the Jays and settled in nicely. If he remains with the team, he can continue to pick up where he left off and continue to grow and mold into the star pitcher he once was with the St. Louis Cardinals.

Matt Chapman

Chapman’s 2023 season with the Jays was a hard pill to swallow, to say the least. We all know that Chapman is a star third baseman and that his defense is top-notch. Being a three-time Gold Glove winner, we never doubted his defense. However, we expected Chapman to have a better season offensively, and unfortunately, this was not the case. Although he was high in the standings for hitting the most doubles, he had a high strike-out rate and had a long drought where he didn’t hit a home run.

In fact, this season, he went 29 games (August 5 to September 27) and 28 games (April 19 to May 20) without hitting a home run. His offense this season was just not consistent enough, and the fact that he was out with injuries a couple of times this season also didn’t help. With this being said, the Blue Jays should not be willing to overpay Chapman to keep him, considering his under-par performance this season. He is one major free agent that they should not consider keeping.

Kevin Kiermaier

Kiermaier will always be recognized for his aggressive play, both offensively and defensively. Kiermaier is the type of player who comes out and he brings 110 percent to the game. He brings speed, he brings high energy, and he will do whatever it takes to keep whoever is pitching in the game. He plays with a lot of hustle and heart and left a lasting and positive impact on the Jays 2023 season.

Kiermaier also is a player who has a fun personality and was brought to Toronto because of the masterful and combative play that he brings to the game of baseball. Many fans would love to see Kiermaier remain with the team next season. He brings uniqueness, and not many can dive and catch a ball the way he does. Kiermaier is also the type of player who will sacrifice his body to make plays, and we saw this all season long.

Whit Merrifield

Merrifield provided the Jays this season with many productive at-bats early on in the regular season. Merrifield is also a veteran player who can lead by example and be a role model for the younger players on the roster. The fact that Merrifield also rooted for his teammate Jose Berrios when he was pulled out early in game two of the postseason against the Twins. Everyone knows that it was an inexcusable and unwise decision to pull Berrios out when he was pitching so well. Merrifield commenting on this and sticking up for his teammate says a lot. He was not happy with the decision, and he, along with many fans and sports commentators, are still baffled by the poor decision made.

Merrifield finished off the 2023 season with 67 RBI and a .272 batting average which is decent. The fact that Merrifield didn’t get to play in the second game of the Wild Card series again makes us question the Jays’ poor decisions by management once again. Also, not providing Davis Schneider with any at-bats was also surprising and unfortunate. But the fact of the matter is, Merrifield will most likely be gone next season. He will most likely be able to provide more value for another team. While Merrifield is a likable player and a player that I believe to be quite valuable, I believe that it is best to bring new change to the Blue Jays roster and focus on developing their younger players.

Brandon Belt

Belt provided the Jays with some late offensive spark before the postseason. But Belt is 35 years old and mentioned that he is planning to retire next season. He is a veteran similar to his teammate Merrifield. But their focus should be on reshaping the team’s lineup and sharpening the young talent that they have. There has been some discussion about signing Belt to a one-year deal next season, but it is unlikely that he will return. While his leadership would be nice to have on the team, it would not make sense to keep him for another year. Belt is pretty set on his mind to finish this season with MLB and say farewell.

Toronto’s other regular and big-name players, such as Bo Bichette, are guys that need to continue to lead by example. Belt has had a very successful career, and while he was not able to come out big in the playoffs and be the Jays x-factor, he had a successful season this year. It was disappointing that the Jays couldn’t provide a deeper playoff push or, better yet, another World Series in the books for Belt.

Hyun-Jin Ryu

Last but not least on the free agent list is Ryu. Out of all the Blue Jays starting pitchers, Ryu was not the solid lights outs pitcher that some projected him to be. This season I was not very impressed by his pitching when the Jays had rock-solid pitching from guys like Chris Bassitt. He was not a pitcher who demonstrated dominance, and he didn’t bring a wow factor, unfortunately.

Talks are that the San Diego Padres could afford to target and sign Ryu for $8 million. With the Blue Jays quality pitching they have in terms of starters, it would not make sense to keep Ryu. With that being said, many can appreciate the effort that Ryu brought to the team. Overall, he should still be appreciated by Jays fans. But it would be in their best interest to let Ryu walk. He will find a better-suited home where he can flourish better as a pitcher.

Farewell 2023

With many free agents set to say farewell to the Blue Jays organization, it will be interesting to see what the Jays will do in the offseason. We will probably only see a couple of free agents remain with them, and the rest will most likely be gone next season. This means a whole new team and a fresh start after a frustrating 2023 season. The 2023 season did bring some positive moments. For example, invigorating raw young talent from the young players and strong pitching. It was disappointing that players who were expected to have performed better in the postseason didn’t. But it’s time for the Jays to focus on the future and 2024. Thank you to all the players that we will not see with the Blue Jays organization next season.

Main Photo Credits: Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports

Vanessa Serrao

Vanessa Serrao

Vanessa is a freelance baseball writer for Last Word On Baseball. She is also an author and is pursuing a career in sports journalism. She loves the Toronto Blue Jays, but covers MLB breaking news.

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