The Toronto Blue Jays enter spring training in need of a pitcher and that puts the Jeff Samardzija or David Price trades and Ervin Santana back on the table for now, but time is running out as the season gets closer to starting and that could mean desperation on all sides.
The Blue Jays were considered a potential landing spot for all the top free agent pitchers and now they are looking at Santana, as he is the top name left on the market. According to CBS Sports, the Blue Jays and Santana were "close" on a deal in recent weeks, but so far nothing has been completed and one of the main reasons he remained on the market for so long was due to the qualifying offer from the Royals, which would mean the team would have to give up their first round draft pick to sign him.
The Blue Jays were motivated this offseason to make a big deal and not just for a pitcher necessarily, as ESPN.com reported in spring training that earlier in the offseason the team offered a deal to the Texas Rangers for Ian Kinsler, but that was rejected and it included Colby Rasmus and other players. The team was also rumored to be in play for AJ Burnett, Bronson Arroyo and Ubaldo Jimenez, but all those players have now signed deals, with Jimenez going to the Baltimore Orioles this week in a deal that is still not confirmed. The team now goes in looking to improve after having a rough 2013 and that came after the big trades of R.A. Dickey and Jose Reyes and that amounted to another season of missing the playoffs.
Santana is the last man standing among the pitchers on the free agent market and that comes after Masahiro Tanaka and Matt Garza also signed deals and now the Blue Jays may have to get creative. The team could explore a trade for David Price, but that doesn't look like it will go down with the Rays until the season begins and he will be a prime target for teams as the deadline gets closer.
The Blue Jays were rumored as a team that could get in on the Samardzija deal and that could be an option moving on towards the season. The Cubs looked like they were guaranteed to trade him earlier in the offseason, but now that the season is about to start it looks like the 29 year old will remain for now. The Jays have Dickey and Brandon Morrow looking to rebound and Samardzija comes into this season after one of his best last year, as he had over 200 strikeouts and 200 innings pitched and he finished with an 8-13 record and while that isn't great, he played for a bad team in the Cubbies.