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Three under-the-radar players the Blue Jays can target this season
Baseball

Three under-the-radar players the Blue Jays can target this season

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You have to imagine that the Blue Jays will be hitting base with the most free agents in every facet of the game. In this article, we look at under-the-radar signings for a position player, a reliever, and a starter.

Yoan Moncada

The Blue Jays were linked to Yoán Moncada last offseason, but he ultimately signed with the Los Angeles Angels. When healthy, it was a good season for the third baseman, hitting .234/.336/.448 with 12 home runs in 289 at-bats, with an 11.1 BB% and 26 K%.

It’s not hard to see a team signing Moncada based on the upside he once had. A top prospect at one point, the Cuban had a strong season in 2019, hitting .315/.367/.548 with 25 home runs in 559 plate appearances for a 139 wRC+.

Since then, he played just one full season (2021), during which he posted 120 wRC+ thanks to 14 home runs in 616 at-bats. In the 2020, 2022 and 2023 seasons, Moncada recorded a wRC+ under 100.

Moncada wouldn’t be Bo Bichette’s replacement, but the strength of the bench makes him an intriguing low-end addition.

Lucas Weaver

The Jays could end this season with a new closer, but if they want to improve their center relief, Luke Weaver would be a great option. The 32-year-old Weaver was selected 27th overall in the 2017 draft, but did not really perform well in the first eight seasons of his career in the big league.

In 2023, he had a 6.40 ERA and 5.61 FIP in 123.2 innings pitched between the Cincinnati Reds, Seattle Mariners and New York Yankees. It was with the Yankees where he was re-signed for his career, as he posted a 2.89 ERA and 3.33 FIP in 84 innings pitched, with a 31.1 K% and 7.9 BB% in 2024.

Weaver was the Yankees’ setup man last season, at least in the first half, when he finished with 21 carries. When Devin Williams struggled early in the season, Weaver also collected eight saves in 12 opportunities. Overall, he had a 3.62 ERA and 3.89 FIP in 64.2 innings pitched, going from a multi-inning reliever to a one-inning reliever used for higher leverage, at least in the first half.

The 32-year-old is an extreme flyball thrower, generating a 27.4% groundball rate. Throughout his career, the long ball has been an issue, as he has a 1.37 HR/9 in his career, with a 1.37 HR/9 in 2025. That said, Weaver generates a ton of out-of-zone chases and whiffs. Could be an interesting low leverage guy.

Antonius Kaij

As it stands right now, the Blue Jays don’t have a left-handed starter in their rotation. And they probably won’t unless they trade someone like José Berríos and continue using Eric Lauer as a tall man.
An interesting left-handed starter available on the market is actually a former Blue Jay, Anthony Kay. Kay was acquired by the team ahead of the 2019 deadline along with Simeon Woods Richardson for Marcus Stroman and struggled throughout his big league career before being designated for assignment after the 2022 season.

After another subpar season in the major leagues, Kay went overseas to pitch for the Yokohama DeNA BayStars of Nippon Professional Baseball, winning the Japan Series with the team in 2024.

Kay’s 1.74 ERA and 2.55 FIP in 155 innings pitched were fantastic, even though NPB is currently in a dead-ball era. One of Kay’s biggest issues in the major leagues was his walk rate (12% in 85.1 innings pitched), but he lowered that to 6.8%, while his K% was 21.5%.

The Jays would have to make quite a few outside moves to land Kay, so it seems unlikely. That said, he is one of the more intriguing left-handed starters on the market.

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