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Rating all of Toronto’s big moves

The Chris Bassitt signing was the Blue Jays' best move of the offseason. (Photo by Adam Hunger/Getty Images)

The Chris Bassitt signing was the Blue Jays’ best move of the offseason. (Photo by Adam Hunger/Getty Images)

Toronto Blue Jays fans expected a busy offseason this winter and they weren’t let down.

After adding the likes of Kevin Gausman and Yusei Kikuchi ahead of the 2022 season, the Jays went in a different direction in 2023. Toronto swapped out a few key pieces of its core via the trade market and injected some veteran talent through free agency.

All told, the 2023 Blue Jays squad looks quite different than it did a year ago. Let’s walk through all the moves and assign a letter grade to each acquisition.

Just over a month after Seattle booted Toronto from the playoffs, the Jays did a deal with the enemy, sending Hernández, a long-tenured fan favourite, to the M’s for prospect Macko and late-inning reliever Swanson.

In a nutshell, this trade doesn’t look great. Hernández is an established clean-up hitter who clubbed 57 homers over the last two seasons with a 130 OPS+, whereas Swanson – a reliever, so inherently less valuable – has been good the last two years (2.33 ERA, 167 ERA+) but less impactful.

This trade was a flop for the Jays if they didn’t replace Hernández’s production in the outfield. Since Toronto added more offence later in the winter, I bumped my grade up a tick.

Grade: B

Like the Hernández trade, where a character shakeup was a factor, Kiermaier’s signing comes with intangible benefits. He’s renowned as a clubhouse leader, and he’s played in the AL East his entire career. The 32-year-old’s defence is the real moneymaker (he has three Gold Gloves), as he’ll assume duties in centre field, shifting George Springer to right.

But can glove and leadership tools make up for below-average hitting? That’s the quandary when evaluating this signing. Since the start of 2018, Kiermaier owns a slash line of .232/.296/.382, plus he’s missed 150 games over the past three seasons due to injuries.

The contract itself involves little commitment from Toronto, but the club is counting on Kiermaier for a full season in centre field – that part is very risky. For that reason, I’m not as high on the Kiermaier signing.

Grade: B-

With Ross Stripling’s departure and Kikuchi’s inconsistency, the Blue Jays desperately needed another starting pitcher. Bassitt was a perfect fit.

The 33-year-old inked a three-year deal (not too hefty of a commitment) with the Jays, bringing boatloads of experience to Toronto’s rotation….

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