Report: Blue Jays Offered Extension to Semien, Will Approach Ray in Offseason
The Blue Jays have reportedly attempted to extend All-Star second baseman Marcus Semien during the season, but haven't found any success, sources tell The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal.
Rosenthal's sources also say Toronto's front office plans to approach starting pitcher Robbie Ray with a contract offer during the offseason.
Ray and Semien—both impending free agents—have overwhelmingly outperformed their current one-year deals and are lined up for massive paydays this offseason.
Semien—who signed a one-year, $18-million deal last winter—has been a force at the top of Toronto's lineup all season. The 30-year-old is slashing .266/.332/.526 with a career-high 34 home runs and his 5.7 WAR (per Baseball Reference) is second among MLB position players, trailing only Fernando Tatis Jr. of the Padres.
Rosenthal mentions DJ LeMahieu's six-year, $90-million contract as a comparable for what Semien could earn, though he notes spending could be higher this offseason since the COVID-19 now pandemic poses less of a financial burden to teams.
After a bumpy 2020 season, Ray re-upped with the Blue Jays on a one-year, $8-million pact and promptly turned in a Cy Young-worthy season. The 29-year-old's 2.71 ERA and 6.2 pitching WAR are tops among qualified American League starters. His 202 strikeouts rank second behind Yankees hurler Gerrit Cole.
Rosenthal mentioned Zack Wheeler's five-year, $118-million deal with the Phillies in 2019 and Patrick Corbin's six-year, $140-million contract with the Nationals in 2018 as benchmarks for what Ray could earn.
Ethan Diamandas is a contributing writer who covers the Toronto Blue Jays for Sports Illustrated. He also writes for Yahoo Sports Canada and MLB.com. Follow Ethan on Twitter @EthanDiamandas