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Toronto Blue Jays Linked to Blake Snell, Corbin Burnes and Max Fried in Free Agency

While the Blue Jays are focusing on Juan Soto right now in the offseason, they are also being connected to the top arms on the market.

Brady Farkas

Baltimore Orioles pitcher Corbin Burnes (39) throws a third inning pitch against the Detroit Tigers at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on Sept 20.
Baltimore Orioles pitcher Corbin Burnes (39) throws a third inning pitch against the Detroit Tigers at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on Sept 20. / Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images
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For the Toronto Blue Jays this offseason, all the attention is on Juan Soto. However, the team has been connected to several other top free agents including Max Fried, Corbin Burnes and Blake Snell.

On the surface, the Jays don't need a starter as they have Chris Bassitt, Kevin Gausman, Jose Berrios, Yariel Rodriguez and Bowden Francis as rotation options. However, they may elect to move Rodriguez to the bullpen, which would give the rotation some more flexibility.

Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic wrote more about the Jays interest in the top arms. "X" user Ben Turner posted the content from Rosenthal's most recent article:

The 30-year-old Fried will pitch next season at the age of 31. He's coming off a year in which he made 29 starts for Atlanta, going 11-10 with a 3.25 ERA. An eight-year veteran, he helped the Braves win the World Series in 2021. He is also a two-time All-Star and a three-time Gold Glover.

The 30-year-old Burnes just went 15-9 with a 2.92 ERA for the Baltimore Orioles. A four-time All-Star and a former Cy Young winner, he's spent six years with the Milwaukee Brewers and one year with the Orioles. He's predicted to get somehwere in the neighborhood of $200 million.

Finally, Snell is maybe the most interesting of the group in that he's the biggest wild card.

He's coming off a year in which he went 5-3 with a 3.12 ERA for the San Francisco Giants. Unfortunately, after signing late in the offseason last year, Snell required multiple stints on the injured list. Rosenthal indicates he wants to sign earlier in this offseason.

A nine-year veteran of the Tampa Bay Rays, San Diego Padres and Giants, Snell is 76-58 lifetime with a 3.19 ERA. He is a one-time All-Star and a two-time Cy Young winner who is known for his gaudy strikeout numbers. He's also known for high walk totals and throws a ton of pitches.

About to turn 32 years old, Snell could be had on a cheaper deal than either Fried or Burnes.

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Brady Farkas
BRADY FARKAS

Brady Farkas is a baseball writer for Fastball on Sports Illustrated/FanNation and the host of 'The Payoff Pitch' podcast which can be found on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Videos on baseball also posted to YouTube. Brady has spent nearly a decade in sports talk radio and is a graduate of Oswego State University. You can follow him on Twitter @WDEVRadioBrady. 

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