It looks increasingly likely that the Jays will be making a trade for a fourth outfielder.
Would you look at that, it’s time for another News and Notes. The Jays haven’t been involved in many rumours, but there has been a lot of action as of late which has impacted the Jays. Let’s dig in.
Michael Brantley re-signs with the Houston Astros:
We’ll start with the largest and most recent topic, Michael Brantley signing with the reigning World Series champions, per Fansided’s Robert Murray.
Free-agent outfielder Michael Brantley in talks with the Houston Astros, according to a source familiar with the situation.
— Robert Murray (@ByRobertMurray) December 18, 2022
The contract is what you’d expect for a player who will turn 36 years old in May, $12 million with incentives for a single year, per The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal.
Free-agent outfielder Michael Brantley in agreement with Astros on one-year, $12M contract, pending physical, sources tell @TheAthletic. On it: @ByRobertMurray
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) December 18, 2022
To me, Brantley didn’t really fit the Jays roster. He slashed .288/.370/.416 with five homers in 277 plate appearances for a 127 wRC+ in 2022. While he is great with that bat (he was also one of six players with a higher BB% than K%), he only played 249 innings in left field in 2022.
Not just that, but he hasn’t been a plus defender at least since 2019, plus I think the Jays would want to lean more toward a right fielder.
The Astros have apparently also been speaking with free agent right fielder, Michael Conforto according to Michael Schwab, but this tweet was before it was announced that they were signing Brantley.
The Astros are engaged in contract discussions with Michael Conforto, per people familiar with the matter.
I have been told the Astros gave a competitive offer but several teams are interested and nothing is imminent.
— Michael Schwab (@michaelschwab13) December 18, 2022
The bat would have definitely helped, but it seemed to me Brantley would DH more often than not if he were a Blue Jay, and they already have a log jam there. Speaking of which…
The Jays could keep all three catchers:
Per …
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Author: Brennan Delaney / Blue Jays Nation
