The Toronto Blue Jays off-season additions have comprised of IFK (Isiah Kiner-Falefa), Justin Turner, and Yariel Rodriguez. These pickups give them a letter grade of C as overall, they added solid additions to their 2024 roster but could have picked up a bigger name. If the Blue Jays had done this, they would have received a letter grade of B+. The Blue Jays have added some offensive power by adding slugger Justin Turner, who could be a DH but could be placed in different positions if needed. Isiah Kiner-Falefa was an adequate pickup for the Blue Jays this offseason. He is a good utility player that is strong defensively. But the focus for the Jays wasn’t primarily on defense but more on offense.
The Blue Jays have strong defense players such as Kevin Kiermaier and Daulton Varsho. Lastly, the Blue Jays have officially signed right-handed pitcher Yuriel Rodriguez on February 9th to a five-year $32 million contract. Rodriguez was being eyed by several MLB teams and while he was a good pickup the Blue Jays could have signed another big-name player that would help them with the offensive struggles, they faced in the postseason in 2023. Let’s take a look at these three pickups in more detail and why they have received a letter grade of C.
Blue Jays Offseason Pickups Earn them This Letter Grade
Justin Turner
Justin Turner says that his job is stay healthy and available for John Schneider. Whether it's 1B, 2B, 3B or DH doesn't matter.
"I get asked all the time what my favourite position is and it's literally just in the lineup, right? I really don't care where I'm playing." #BlueJays pic.twitter.com/j6aTuYhc9A
— Keegan Matheson (@KeeganMatheson) February 2, 2024
Justin Turner was the best offseason pickup that the Jays acquired. The Blue Jays needed an offensive slugger and that’s what they will get with Turner. For a player that is 39 years old he put up impressive numbers in the 2023 season with the Boston Red Sox. He recorded a .276 average with 96 RBI. Turner is a player that has consistently posted a respectable batting average over the years in MLB. He has spent his career with the New York Mets but primarily he has played most of his career with the LA Dodgers. He was able to record a batting average of over .300 in both 2014, 2017, 2018 and 2020.
The Blue Jays need an offensive player who plays with consistency in terms of offense and that’s what they will get with Justin Turner. If the Blue Jays had picked up another player similar to Justin Turner, then this would have given them a letter grade of B+. What makes Turner a solid pickup is that he is available to play wherever the Blue Jays need him. Turner just wants to be ready to play for the Blue Jays. Turner will be a great player to turn to if another player gets injured and can cover positions such as first base, second base, third base or DH. The great part about Turner is that he doesn’t care what position plays, his urgency to help the Blue Jays win and remain healthy showcases his true skill set and value as a player.
Isiah Kiner-Falefa
The Isiah Kiner-Falefa signing for the Blue Jays is one that allows them to have diversity defensively, IFK is a positive defensive player playing 6 different positions with a career .976 fielding percentage and a gold glove at 3rd base.. #MLB #Baseball
— Jackmartin (@jackmartinO535) January 29, 2024
With IFK, the Blue Jays get a defensive gem. Isiah, the former New York Yankee has won two gold gloves and is known for the defense he has brought for the Yankees. While IFK is not what you would call a strong offensive player the Blue Jays are gaining a player with experience and versatility as IFK is a utility player. The appeal with IFK is that he has a gold glove in his baseball resume and also has won the heart and hustle award three times. Last season with the Yankees, he recorded a .242 batting average with 37 RBI. While the Blue Jays don’t exactly need another utility player as they have Cavan Biggio, and Santiago Espinal, Falefa will provide the Blue Jays more depth on the bench.
Yuriel Rodriguez
#HotStove is looking up for the #BlueJays who signed Cuban RHP Yuriel Rodriguez. Some notes:
Age: 27
Role: Could start or come out of pen; provides depth to rotation including Gausman, Bassitt, Berrios, Kikuchi and Manoah
Deal: 4/$32
What do my #NextLevel friends think? pic.twitter.com/bIfNSVe8P7— Kelley Franco Throop (@threeinningfan) January 18, 2024
In 2022, Rodriguez pitched with Japan’s Chunichi Dragons. He played 56 games and recorded a 1.15 ERA. This is the lowest ERA he has ever posted in his career. He last pitched at the 2023 World Baseball Classic for his country of origin, Cuba. As a pitcher, Rodríguez’s main pitches are his fastball, slider, curveball, changeup and splitter mix. His fastball averages about 96 miles per hour. Rodríguez’s reported signing does pose a risk. He has yet to pitch in MLB. As well, his role is also not set in stone yet. But this signing comes at no surprise because teams have been giving out eye catching contracts to international players this offseason.
Japanese starting pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto was one of them. He signed a $325 million deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers in December. A more comparable player to Rodríguez, is 30-year-old Shota Imanaga. He signed a four-year, 53 million contract with the Chicago Cubs in January of this year. It is not clear yet whether the Blue Jays will employ Rodríguez as a starter or reliever. While the Blue Jays focus was to add offense to their roster, the Jays are certainly in need of rotation depth.
Alek Manoah will likely be in the Blue Jays starting rotation. But if Manoah has a similar 2023 season, they will not be able to turn to Hyun-Jin Ryu who is a free agent. So, acquiring Rodriquez was a move that made sense because of Alek Manoah primarily. A continuation of a poor performance from Manoah is not off the table unfortunately. Only time will tell with this. So, Rodríguez could serve as a player to turn to in case this happens. The Blue Jays could also use Rodríguez in the bullpen, where they need to replace Jordan Hicks. The 2023 deadline acquisition signed a four-year, $44-million deal with the San Francisco Giants on January 11th. Rodríguez’s role will become more pronounced once pitchers and catchers officially report to spring training.
Letter Grade of C
After dissecting these three players and what they offer for the Blue Jays, the Blue Jays earn a letter grade of C. The Blue Jays could have focused more on offense in their offseason pickups. But overall, Rodriquez and IFK were two adequate pickups. They are two moves that make sense for the Jays. With the addition of Justin Turner this will provide the Jays with more offense in the 2024 season. If all the Blue Jays offensive players can provide consistency with RISP and coming out big when it matters, then this will help them make a push in the AL East.
