The 2015 Toronto Blue Jays ended the longest playoff drought in the majors with an incredible stretch run spurred by the deadline acquisitions of David Price, Troy Tulowitzki and Ben Revere. The team was 50-51 on July 28 but won 14 of 15 on its way to a 21-6 August in which the Jays outscored their opponents by 87 runs. They ended up winning 93 games and beat the Rangers in the American League Division Series before losing in six games to the Royals in the ALCS. General manager Alex Anthopoulos then left the team, unable to reach a working arrangement with new team president Mark Shapiro, the longtime Indians exec. Tony LaCava is serving as interim GM as the offseason kicks off.
What do they need: The top priority will be the starting rotation, since Price and Marco Estrada are both free agents. Mark Buehrle, who led the team with 15 wins, was initially expected to retire, but now that might not be the case. Either way, he's also a free agent. The rotation will be bolstered by a full season from Marcus Stroman, but re-signing Price or Estrada or both will be paramount. Bullpen depth is an issue, especially if Aaron Sanchez is given another shot at starting.
Otherwise, all the position players return, and don't forget that rookie second baseman Devon Travis was off to a hot start until a shoulder injury shelved him. One possibility is adding a left-handed bat to help balance all the right-handed power of Josh Donaldson, Jose Bautista and Edwin Encarnacion. How would Chris Davis look hitting in the middle of that trio?
Guy on the rise: Roberto Osuna made the jump from Class A to the majors at age 20, pitched his way into the closer role and finished with 20 saves, a 2.71 ERA, 75 strikeouts in 69.2 innings and a .191 average allowed. With a three-pitch arsenal, it's possible Osuna could be given a shot at starting, but in three minor league seasons he was unable to remain healthy, starting just 27 games and pitching 109 innings. He probably remains in relief.
Prospect to anticipate: In acquiring Price and Tulowitzki, Anthopoulos dealt the team's top pitching prospects -- Daniel Norris, Jeff Hoffman and Matt Boyd -- leaving the Jays thin in the upper ranks of the minors. Dalton Pompey started 2015 as the starting center fielder but was soon sent back to the minors. Kevin Pillar now appears entrenched in center field and with Revere in left, Pompey could be a bench guy, return to Triple-A (where he hit .285/.372/.356) or be used as trade bait.
Winter action plan: The first question: How much money do the Blue Jays have to spend? One report said the Blue Jays took in an additional $48 million above projections in ticket and merchandise in August and September thanks to their playoff run. Will that go back into the team? But Toronto Sun writer Bob Elliott tweeted on Tuesday that he's hearing the team's 2016 payroll will be down from 2015's $138 million.
Even then, with only a few openings on the roster to fill, Ewan Ross of Blue Jays Plus estimates there is still about $30 million left to get up to last year's payroll. In other words, plenty of cash to sign Price, or enough to sign Estrada and another starter like Mike Leake. A lot of this depends on their rotation plans. If the rotation is Stroman, Estrada, R.A. Dickey, Sanchez and Drew Hutchison, maybe they don't go all-in on Price.
The Jays also have to balance the future: Bautista and Encarnacion are free agents after 2016 and entering their age-35 and age-33 seasons, respectively. That's why Davis could make sense, not just for 2016, but to hedge against the departure of one of those two. Or maybe it's just an offseason of minor moves: Estrada and some bullpen help. Would that be enough to keep the Jays on top of the AL East?
For more on the Blue Jays, check out the Blue Jays Plus blog.