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When the Toronto Blue Jays signed free agent catcher Russell Martin to a five-year, $82 million deal during the offseason, rumors immediately came out that Dioner Navarro had requested to be traded away from the team.

Now, on the first day of spring training, Navarro appears to have confirmed those rumors and reaffirmed his desire to be traded.

“I asked for a trade right away (following the Martin signing), and up to today, that’s still my goal,” Navarro told MLB.com’s Gregor Chisholm. “I would like to go to a place where I can play every day. I already know that I can do it.”

The 31-year-old Navarro signed a two-year deal with the Blue Jays last offseason. He spent the 2014 season as the team’s starting catcher, hitting .274/.317/.395 with 12 home runs, 69 RBI and 40 runs in 139 games while starting 102 games behind the plate.

While those are respectable offensive numbers, Navarro’s defensive stats were mediocre at best. He had three errors, seven passed balls and threw out just 21 percent of base stealers.

According to StatCorner, Navarro also ranked third-last in the major leagues when it came to pitch framing and getting his pitchers more called strikes.

With Martin offering an upgrade in both offense and defense, it’s not a surprise to see that the Blue Jays decided to pursue him in the offseason despite already having Navarro in the fold.

Navarro, of course, doesn’t really see it that way.

“I think I put myself in a really good position last year…and I don’t know where or if anything did go wrong,” he told Sportsnet.ca’s Shi Davidi.

According to Blue Jays general manager Alex Anthopoulos, the Blue Jays have been trying to trade Navarro this offseason, per Scott MacArthur of TSN. But the team has insisted that it wants fair value back in any trade and won’t just simply give the catcher away. With Navarro being in the final year of his deal, other teams are hesitant to part with the type of players or prospects that Toronto is looking to get back.

If Navarro isn’t traded, then the Blue Jays will likely use him in a backup catcher role heading into the season. He could also see some at-bats in the designated hitter spot.

With catcher Josh Thole also likely to make the team as knuckleballer’s R.A. Dickey’s personal backstop, it’s unclear how Toronto will divide up the playing time between its three catchers.

While Navarro has been clear about his desire to be traded, he also understands that there is a chance he’ll have to stay with the Blue Jays in a part-time role. If that happens, Navarro says that he’ll do his best to help the team and hope for the best.

“I’m a pro. I’m going to do my job. I’m just going to try to put myself in the best position that I can be in, work hard throughout the whole spring and hopefully an opportunity shows up,” he told Davidi.

All stats are from Baseball-Reference.com

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While the Toronto Blue Jays spent the offseason overhauling several positions on the roster, the team decided not to pursue a veteran second baseman. Considering that Toronto’s second basemen batted a combined .247/.295/.340 with just a .634 OPS during the 2014 season, the team’s decision seemed even more puzzling.

As a result of Toronto’s decision to stand pat on this front, utility man Maicer Izturis is penciled in as the team’s starting second baseman heading into spring training.

Izturis played just 11 games in 2014, hitting .286/.324/.314 with one stolen base, one RBI and three runs scored during that span. He spent the rest of the year on the disabled list with a torn lateral collateral ligament in his left knee that required season-ending surgery.

It’s safe to say that up to this point, Izturis’ tenure with the Blue Jays hasn’t gone the way either side would’ve wanted.

After signing a three-year, $9 million deal with Toronto heading into 2013 campaign, Izturis went on to have one of the worst seasons of his career. He hit just .236/.288/.310 in 107 games and had an underwhelming OPS of .597. Defensively, Izturis made 10 errors while bouncing around from position to position. He posted a dWAR of -0.5, according to Baseball-Reference.com.

Now 34 years old, the switch-hitting Izturis will be attempting to come back from that serious injury during what will be his final guaranteed season with the Blue Jays. Toronto holds a $3 million club option on Izturis for the 2016 season.

Aside from Izturis, the Blue Jays don’t have many other options at second base. Ryan Goins—who hit .188 in 67 games in 2014—is likely the next player in line to get the job if Izturis underperforms or is injured again.

Toronto will also have second base prospect Devon Travis’ auditioning for the second base role during spring training. While Travis posted good numbers in the minor leagues last season, he has never played above the Double-A level and will likely require further seasoning in Triple-A Buffalo before being ready for the big leagues.

If Izturis does get displaced for the second base starting job by one of the aforementioned players or a dark-horse candidate like Munenori Kawasaki, expect him to revert to his former role of utility infielder who can play multiple positions.

With the Blue Jays already having a top-heavy batting order, Toronto will need players like Izturis to step up and stabilize the bottom part of the order.

All stats are from Baseball-Reference.com

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Toronto Blue Jays top pitching prospect Daniel Norris didn’t get a lot of attention this offseason (unless you count the attention he’s received for his nomadic lifestyle). With most of the questions focused on right-hander Aaron Sanchez’s future role with the team, Norris spent the offseason in relative anonymity from a baseball standpoint.

But with spring training quickly approaching, the truth of the matter is that Norris has a very real chance to break camp with the Blue Jays and become a key contributor for the team during the 2015 season.

The 21-year-old Norris is coming off a breakout 2014 campaign during which he moved up three different levels in the minor leagues, posting a combined record of 12-2 with a 2.53 ERA and 163 strikeouts in 124.2 innings pitched along the way.

Norris’ best pitch is his plus fastball, which he can throw in the mid-90s. He complements that pitch with a sharp slider and a slow, sweeping curveball. Scouts also believe that his changeup has the potential to be an above-average offering in the future.

The key to success for Norris is focusing on his control and limiting the number of bases on balls against him. The young prospect struggled with control early on in his professional career. But he did show improvement on that front last season, issuing only 43 walks.

While Norris’ 2014 season ended with a call-up to the Blue Jays in September, he never really got to showcase his true talent during his brief tenure in Toronto. Fatigue and a minor injury had sapped the movement and velocity from his pitches.

According to Tom Dakers of Bluebird Banter, Norris was topping out at 95 mph with his fastball in the minor leagues. But during his stint in the majors, Norris averaged just 91.1 mph on his fastball, according to FanGraphs’ PITCHf/x.

During the offseason, the Blue Jays announced that Norris had undergone a minor procedure to remove bone spurs and loose bodies in his elbow, per Brendan Kennedy of the Toronto Star.

Coming into spring training fully healthy, Norris will battle Sanchez and the newly acquired Marco Estrada for the fifth spot in Toronto’s rotation.

If Norris wins the fifth spot, that will allow the Blue Jays to shift Sanchez—who posted a 1.09 ERA as a reliever last season—back to the bullpen in a closing or set-up role. Estrada—who was much better as a reliever than he was as a starter last season—could also be used as a reliever.

If one of Sanchez or Estrada wins the fifth spot in the rotation, there’s also a chance that Norris could head to the bullpen and wait for his chance to start.

In the worst-case scenario for Norris, the Blue Jays could opt to send him down to Triple-A Buffalo at the end of spring training for more seasoning. Even if that does happen, though, look for Norris to be promoted to the big leagues sometime during the 2015 season and make an impact with the team.

All stats are from Fangraphs.com.

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A couple of days ago, various baseball media outlets reported that the Toronto Blue Jays had signed free agent reliever Ronald Belisario to a minor league deal after making a strong push for him. Jim Bowden of ESPN.com was the first reporter to break the story.

The deal made sense for the Blue Jays, as the team was looking to overhaul a bullpen that had badly struggled during the 2014 season and finished 25th in the majors in ERA.

Belisario, too, was coming off a poor 2014 season where he posted 5.56 ERA in 66.1 innings pitched while picking up eight saves in 12 chances. But analysis indicates that the right-hander could be a prime bounce-back candidate during this upcoming season. 

Unfortunately, it appears that the story of Belisario signing with the Blue Jays was released prematurely, while the two sides were still negotiating and had yet not finalized a contract.

According to Mike Wilner of Sportsnet.ca, the Blue Jays and Belisario were very close to reaching an agreement, but the deal fell through at the last minute.

Belisario remained a free agent until today, when he signed a minor league deal with the Tampa Bay Rays, per Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times.

With Belisario off the market, the Blue Jays continue their search for relievers heading into spring training. According to Sportsnet.ca’s Ben Nicholson-Smith, Blue Jays general manager Alex Anthopoulos stated that Toronto is still monitoring “a lot of the remaining free agents.”

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After missing the playoffs for the 21st straight season last year, the Toronto Blue Jays spent much of the offseason retooling their roster in an attempt to reverse their fortunes during the upcoming season.

Blue Jays general manager Alex Anthopoulos began his overhaul by first electing to part ways with several notable players from last season, such as Adam Lind, Melky Cabrera and Brett Lawrie.

The GM then made several acquisitions, headlined by players such as Russell Martin, Josh Donaldson and Michael Saunders.

These new acquisitions should give Toronto’s lineup a very different look during the 2015 season. Both Martin and Donaldson should hit out of a top-five spot in the Blue Jays’ lineup. Saunders should provide a veteran presence in the bottom part of Toronto’s batting order.

Let’s take a closer look and predict how each of these top offseason acquisitions will perform in 2015.

Josh Donaldson, Third Baseman

Acquiring Josh Donaldson in a trade with the Oakland A’s was easily Toronto’s biggest move of the offseason.

An All-Star who finished eighth in MVP voting last season, Donaldson hit .255/.342/.456 with 29 home runs, eight stolen bases, 98 RBI and 93 runs scored in 158 games.

According to Baseball-Reference.com, the third baseman also put up a dWAR of 2.6. In terms of overall WAR, Donaldson was just behind American League MVP Mike Trout for the highest WAR among position players.

Keep in mind that Donaldson was playing all of his home games in the cavernous O.co Coliseum last season. His home/road stats reflect that fact, as the right-handed hitter had an OPS of .874 on the road compared to a .718 OPS at home.

With Donaldson now playing his home games at the hitter-friendly Rogers Centre, his power numbers should see a spike. It also doesn’t hurt that he’ll likely be getting plenty of RBI opportunities while hitting behind high on-base percentage players like Jose Bautista.

2015 Prediction: .275/.358/.490 with 32 home runs, 10 stolen bases, 108 RBI and 94 runs scored.

Russell Martin, Catcher

The Blue Jays signed Russell Martin to a five-year, $82 million contract during the offseason. This was the largest contract in terms of money that the club has ever given out to a free agent.

Martin had a spectacular season with the bat last season, hitting .290/.402/.430 with 11 home runs, 67 RBI and 45 runs scored in 111 games.

The catcher was also defensively sound behind the plate, allowing just three passed balls and gunning down 39 percent of all base stealers against him.

Heading into the new season, the Blue Jays will likely slot Martin into the No. 2 spot in their lineup. This means that he should hit in front of the team’s power hitters. Provided that he lives up to his career .354 on-base percentage, Martin should be able to score plenty of runs.

Overall, though, it’s probably unlikely Martin repeats his offensive performance from last season again in 2015. According to FanGraphs.com, the 31-year-old’s batting average on balls in play was a career-high .336 in 2014. That will probably drop closer to his career BABIP of .289 in 2015. Playing at Rogers Centre could mean that Martin sees an uptick in his home runs total, though.

2015 Prediction: .265/.358/.401 with 17 home runs, 63 RBI and 65 runs scored.

Michael Saunders, Outfielder

The Blue Jays acquired Michael Saunders in an offseason trade with the Seattle Mariners, sending pitcher J.A. Happ the other way.

While Saunders began the 2014 campaign in a starting role, injuries limited him to just 78 games played during the season. The outfielder did put up solid offensive numbers when he played, though, hitting .273/.341/.450 with eight home runs, 34 RBI and 38 runs scored.

Considering that Saunders was able to play 139 and 132 games during the 2012 and 2013 seasons, respectively, there’s a strong possibility that his injury-prone 2014 season was simply an outlier.

As long as he stays healthy, Saunders will be the Blue Jays’ starting left fielder during the upcoming season. If he can repeat those 2014 offensive numbers over a span of more games, Saunders should be able to replace departed outfielder Melky Cabrera’s production quite nicely.

It’s worth noting that Toronto will likely place Saunders in the lower half of its batting order, so the left-handed hitter probably won’t get as many RBI opportunities compared to some of the other hitters on the team. Playing in Rogers Centre instead of the pitcher-friendly Safeco Field should be a positive factor, though.

2015 Prediction: .260/.330/.425 with 18 home runs, 14 stolen bases, 62 RBI and 66 runs scored.

*All stats are from Baseball-Reference.com and FanGraphs.com

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For the Toronto Blue Jays, 2014 was another year of disappointment and unfulfilled expectations. Toronto finished the season with an 83-79 record, 13 games out of first place in the American League East and five games out of the second wild-card spot in the AL.

In an effort to make his team competitive again, Blue Jays general manager Alex Anthopoulos has been extremely active this offseason, with the addition of free-agent catcher Russell Martin and the trade for All-Star third baseman Josh Donaldson being some of his bigger moves.

With the Kansas City Royals making the playoffs last season, the Blue Jays—who last made qualified for the postseason in 1993—now own the longest active playoff drought in MLB.

As 2015 approaches, let’s take a look at three New Year’s resolutions that Toronto will need to follow if it intends to contend this upcoming season.

Overhaul the Bullpen

As noted above, Anthopoulos has made several major moves this offseason. But acquiring relievers has not one been of them.

Aside from picking up swingman Marco Estrada, the Blue Jays have not made any strides at all toward improving a bullpen that finished 25th in the majors in ERA last season.

Toronto is also unlikely to bring back free-agent relievers Dustin McGowan and Casey Janssen, creating two more empty spots in its bullpen heading into 2015.

Also complicating matters is the fact that the Blue Jays want to insert right-hander Aaron Sanchez in the starting rotation. Sanchez was arguably Toronto’s best reliever last season, posting a 1.09 ERA in 33 innings pitched.

As things stand right now, the only guaranteed spots in Toronto’s bullpen belong to Brett Cecil, Aaron Loup and Todd Redmond. Estrada will also likely be a reliever if he is unable to win a starting role during spring training.

Toronto could opt to fill the remaining spots in its bullpen by signing free agents, but it’s worth noting that most of the high-end relievers who were on the market have already signed with other teams.

Trading for other relievers is also an option, but this could end up costing the Blue Jays dearly in prospects. Relief pitchers are also usually volatile commodities, and giving up good prospects for them would be a risky trade.

Toronto could always use internal options such as Steve Delabar, Kyle Drabek and John Stilson to fill the remaining holes in its relief corps. But it’s unclear if those pitchers would contribute enough to a team that intends to compete next season.

Despite which route they decide to take, rebuilding the bullpen is huge priority for the Blue Jays entering the new year.

Have a Good Start to the 2015 Season and Stay Consistent

Having a good start to the season is paramount. Yes, the baseball season consists of 162 games, and there’s plenty of time for all teams to make a run in their division. But having a strong start allows players to build confidence early on and lets the team set a good tone for the rest of the year.

In order to have a good start to the season, the Blue Jays could try pushing the pace more during spring training, so players that have been slow starters in the past can get going a little earlier.

While starting the season off strong needs to be a priority for Toronto, staying consistent throughout the campaign should be even important. As fans of the team would no doubt agree, “inconsistent” would be a good word to describe the Blue Jays during 2014.

Toronto started off last season going 12-14 in April before turning it around and going 21-9 in May. The team then went 12-15 in June before going 15-11 in July. It got even worse from there, as Toronto fell out of the race by going 9-17 in August before turning it around with a 14-12 September.

Heading into the 2015 season, the Blue Jays will need to avoid those drastic month-to-month swings and try to stay more consistent. Finishing at least .500 or above each month is a good goal to strive for here.

Have a Backup Plan If the Young Players Falter

The Blue Jays will be heading into the 2015 season looking for contributions from several young players on the roster.

Drew Hutchison, 24, Marcus Stroman, 23, and Sanchez, 22, should all be part of the starting rotation on Opening Day.

Outfielder Dalton Pompey, 22, will likely be the starting centre fielder for Toronto. Newly acquired 23-year-old Devon Travis will get a shot to be the team’s starting second baseman.

That’s a lot of young players that Toronto will be relying on as it attempts to compete for a playoff spot.

And while they’re not young in terms of age, both outfielder Michael Saunders and first baseman Justin Smoak could also be included in this category because they’re still relatively unproven at the major league level.

With so many untested players on the roster, it’ll be important for Anthopoulos to have a backup plan in case one or more of these aforementioned players struggle.

Acquiring depth players and sending them to Triple-A Buffalo is a good way to have some insurance. It’s also important to build a strong bench consisting of players that could step up and be starters if needed.

*All stats are from Baseball-Reference.com

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When the Toronto Blue Jays first acquired Kyle Drabek in 2009 as part of a package of prospects from the Philadelphia Phillies in exchange for ace Roy Halladay, the team’s hope was that Drabek would eventually develop into a frontline starter in the major leagues.

Since then, the now-27-year-old Drabek’s career hasn’t exactly panned out as planned. After making his debut with the Blue Jays in 2010, the right-hander posted an ugly 6.06 ERA in 18 games (14 starts) during the 2011 season and was optioned to the minor leagues.

The 2012 season wasn’t much kinder to Drabek, as he made Toronto’s Opening Day roster and went on to post a 4.67 ERA in 13 starts before going down with an elbow injury that required Tommy John surgery. This was the second Tommy John surgery of Drabek‘s career.

The injury aside, Drabek’s biggest issue on the mound has always been his erratic control. In 172.1 career innings pitched in the major leagues, Drabek has issued a whopping 111 base on balls.

After he spent most of the 2014 season in Triple-A Buffalo working as both a starter and reliever, the Blue Jays called up Drabek late in the campaign and used him out of the bullpen. Drabek pitched just three innings for Toronto before the season ended, striking out five and not giving up a run.

While that small sample size looks promising, it’s worth noting Drabek’s 2014 numbers in Buffalo were rather pedestrian. He posted a 4.18 ERA in 99 innings pitched, giving up 116 hits and 30 walks during that span.

Drabek’s latest Tommy John surgery has also taken its toll and his stuff is not as sharp as it once was. According to Fangraphs.com, the average velocity of Drabek’s fastball went from 93.6 mph in 2010 to just 91.3 mph last season.

With other young starting pitchers such as Marcus Stroman, Aaron Sanchez and Daniel Norris passing him on the depth chart, it seems unlikely Drabek will ever be a part of Toronto’s starting rotation again.

Considering he is out of options and can be claimed by another team if he doesn’t make Toronto’s Opening Day roster in 2015, the Blue Jays should give Drabek a long look during spring training and give him every chance to make the team.

While his days as a starter are likely behind him, Drabek might still have a future with the Blue Jays in the bullpen next season if he can show he can be an effective relief pitcher. But, the former top prospect is quickly running out of time and chances.

*All stats are from Fangraphs.com and MiLB.com.

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The Toronto Blue Jays have been very busy this offseason as general manager Alex Anthopoulos continues to tinker with the team’s roster in order to be competitive next season.

Some of Toronto’s biggest moves this winter have included signing free-agent catcher Russell Martin to a five-year, $82 million deal and trading away third baseman Brett Lawrie with a package of prospects to the Oakland Athletics for all-star third baseman Josh Donaldson.

With the 2014 MLB winter meetings quickly approaching, Anthopoulos will get a chance to do some more offseason shopping and address the remaining areas of weakness on the team.

Let’s take a look at three moves that the Blue Jays could make during the winter meetings.

The Blue Jays Attempt To Re-sign Melky Cabrera

Despite all the offseason moves Anthopoulos has made up to this point, Toronto’s outfield depth still appears to be very shallow.

Besides Jose Bautista in right field, the other two outfield spots are still question marks. If the 2015 season started tomorrow, rookie Dalton Pompey would be in the centre field and Kevin Pillar would be in left field. That would be less than optimal for a team looking to compete.

Toronto can solve this problem and strengthen its outfield by re-signing free-agent Melky Cabrera.

Cabrera was terrific during the 2014 season, hitting .301/.351/.458 with 16 home runs, 73 RBI and 81 runs scored. The 30-year-old is easily one of the best free-agent outfielders in the market right now.

While the Blue Jays and Cabrera have both expressed an interest in an extension and maintained dialogue, Anthopoulos has previously said that the two sides aren’t on the same page as far as a contract is concerned, per Prime Time Sports (via Sportsnet.ca).

While this makes it sound like a reunion between Cabrera and the Blue Jays is unlikely, the winter meetings could allow both parties to change their perspectives. Cabrera might not get the contract he’s looking for from another team and the Blue Jays could again become the favorites to land him.

The Blue Jays Trade Dioner Navarro

With Toronto’s acquisition of Martin, catcher Dioner Navarro has now become expendable. Look for the Blue Jays to shop him aggressively during the winter meetings.

The 30-year-old Navarro was solid as the starting catcher for the Blue Jays during the 2014 season, hitting .274/.317/.395 with 12 home runs, 69 RBI and 40 runs scored in 139 games.

But, with Martin being an upgrade both offensively and defensively, there’s very little chance of Navarro getting to catch many games next season. It’s also worth noting that as long as knuckleballer R.A. Dickey is on the team, Josh Thole will likely be catching every fifth day.

Navarro will be a free agent after the 2015 season, so he likely won’t bring much value in a trade. On the flip side, certain teams could be attracted by the fact that he’ll only be making $5 million next season.

It’s worth noting though that Toronto isn’t desperate to trade Navarro at any cost and won’t just be giving him away for nothing. With the trade of designated hitter Adam Lind, it’s possible that Navarro could stay with Toronto as the DH if the team is unable to trade him for a suitable return.

The Blue Jays Look to Acquire Cost-Effective Relievers

Aside from the outfield, Toronto’s bullpen is arguably the weakest part of the team up to this point in the offseason

The Blue Jays ranked 25th in bullpen ERA in 2014 and lost several relievers such as Dustin McGowan and Casey Janssen at the end of the season. Toronto will be looking to add at least two to three impact relievers this offseason.

Don’t expect Anthopoulos to pursue expensive relievers like Andrew Miller or David Robertson to strengthen his relief corps though. According to Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca (via Twitter), Toronto’s GM doesn’t see his team offering large, long-term contracts to relief pitchers.

If that’s indeed the case, the Blue Jays will likely go after older relievers that are coming off good seasons and are only looking short-term deals.

Toronto could also pursue free-agent pitchers who have put up good numbers in the past, but are looking to rebuild their value because they were either injured or underperformed last year. Names such as Luke Hochevar and Jason Motte come to mind here.

Unlike other free agents, mid-tier relievers often don’t sign with teams until later in the offseason. So, Anthopoulos could opt to address other areas of the roster first before focusing on the bullpen. But, look for the GM to at least kick the tires on a couple of relievers during the winter meetings.

All stats are from Baseball-Reference.com

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The Toronto Blue Jays have reportedly made a blockbuster trade, acquiring third baseman Josh Donaldson from the Oakland Athletics, per Ken Rosenthal of FoxSports.com (via twitter).

Donaldson hit .255/.342/.456 with 29 home runs, 98 RBI and 93 runs scored in 158 games last season while being selected to his first All-Star team.

The 28-year-old will be arbitration-eligible this offseason and will be a free agent in 2019.

Going to the Athletics are third baseman Brett Lawrie, shortstop Franklin Barreto and pitchers Kendall Graveman and Sean Nolin.

While he showed promise early in his career, Lawrie has struggled with injuries these past few seasons. The 24-year-old Canadian played just 70 games in 2014, hitting .247/.301/.421 with 12 home runs, 38 RBI and 27 runs scored.

The 24-year-old Nolin spent most of the 2014 season pitching in Triple-A Buffalo, posting a 4-6 record with a 3.50 ERA in 87.1 innings pitched. The left-hander was a starter in the minors, but he doesn’t really have the stuff to pitch out of the rotation in the major leagues and profiles more as a reliever.

Graveman was one of the top pitchers in the Blue Jays’ farm system during the 2014 season, posting a 14-6 record with a combined 1.83 ERA while pitching between four different levels in the minor leagues. The 23-year-old can be a regular contributor in the major leagues as soon as next season.

The most intriguing piece the Blue Jays are giving up in this trade is Barreto. Signed as an international free agent by the Blue Jays a couple of seasons ago, Barreto has quickly become one of the top prospects in Toronto’s farm system.

Playing with the Class-A Short Vancouver Canadians during the 2014 season, the 18-year-old Barreto hit .311/.384/.481 with six home runs, 61 RBI and 65 runs scored. He also added 29 steals in 34 attempts.

Donaldson is just the latest acquisition during what has been a busy offseason for the Blue Jays. The team recently signed free agent catcher Russell Martin to a five-year, $82 million deal.

Toronto has also traded away Adam Lind to the Milwaukee Brewers for pitcher Marco Estrada and sent outfielder Anthony Gose to the Detroit Tigers for second baseman Devon Travis.

*All stats are from Baseball-Reference.com.

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The Toronto Blue Jays have had internal discussions about signing free-agent catcher Russell Martin, per Jeff Blair of Sportsnet.ca.

Martin is coming off a career year with the Pittsburgh Pirates, hitting .290/.402/.430 with 11 home runs, 67 RBI and 45 runs scored. He is easily the top catcher available in the market this winter.

While adding Martin would be an upgrade, the Blue Jays did get solid production from their catching tandem of Dioner Navarro and Josh Thole during the 2014 season.

Navarro hit .274/.317/.395 with 12 home runs, 69 RBI and 40 runs scored in 139 games. Thole hit .248 in 57 games but did have an on-base percentage of .320.

The Blue Jays recently traded away designated hitter Adam Lind to the Milwaukee Brewers, per Gregor Chisholm of MLB.com. Acquiring Martin would mean that Toronto could shift the switch-hitting Navarro into the DH spot.

Thole—who will be eligible for arbitration this offseason—will likely be retained as a backup primarily because of his ability to catch knuckleballer R.A. Dickey.

While their run production numbers are similar, Martin offers a significant defensive upgrade over Navarro. Last season, Martin gunned down 39 percent of base stealers compared to the 21 percent for Navarro. According to Baseball-Reference.com, Martin’s defensive WAR in 2014 was 2.0. In comparison, Navarro’s dWAR was just 0.9.

The Pirates have extended Martin a qualifying offer, per Tom Singer of MLB.com. This means that the Blue Jays would have to surrender their first-round pick in the 2015 MLB draft if they were to sign Martin. On the flip side, Toronto could get a draft pick back if the team fails to re-sign its own free agent, Melky Cabrera.

While they may have had internal discussions about signing Martin, it’s hard to imagine the Blue Jays prioritizing this move. Toronto’s main areas in need of improvement are still at second base, outfield and the bullpen.

It’s worth noting that Martin’s great 2014 season means that he’ll be drawing plenty of interest from other teams throughout the league. The 31-year-old Canadian will no doubt be looking for a large multiyear deal and has given no indication that he would be willing to give a hometown discount to Toronto.

Considering that they already have solid production at the catching position, it’s very likely that the Blue Jays will not engage in a bidding war for Martin and will ultimately decide to allocate their resources elsewhere this winter.

All stats are from Baseball-Reference.com.

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