Toronto Blue Jays
Toronto has made attempts in the past to sign Jay Bruce before and it is expected to be a player this winter for his services. The Cardinals, Giants and Mariners also are seen as teams that will be in the Bruce market after his very productive season in New York and Cleveland. Bruce should be able to get a significant three-year deal based on his performance in 2017, and besides the second half of the year before, he has been a pretty consistent producer throughout his career. The Jays seek an outfielder and have looked into deals for him in the past, while the Mariners and Giants also need an outfielder and the Cardinals could consider one. The Mets and Indians both liked Bruce very much, but his performance could price him out of those teams, who took him on at full salary but on only parts of his previous contract.
Some are suggesting that Jose Bautista may have to take a minor-league deal after a rough year in Toronto, but we don’t think so, not as long as he doesn’t wait around for the perfect deal.