The Blue Jays' Most Significant Acquisitions Of Past Winter Meetings

[Bryan Jaeger]

The Winter Meetings will be held in Orlando, Florida, from December 7-10 this offseason. This time period is often when major signings and trades occur, as all 30 MLB teams send representatives, including owners, executives, and managers. Players, their agents, and media also attend. In the past, we've seen athletes at the top of their game change teams, including Garrett Crochet, traded to the Boston Red Sox; Juan Soto, traded to the New York Yankees; Chris Sale, traded to the Red Sox; and Miguel Cabrera, traded to the Detroit Tigers.

The Toronto Blue Jays will likely be a popular name at the meetings, and this could be the time to re-sign Bo Bichette or pursue Kyle Tucker. This will likely be a "one or the other" situation, as adding both would take regular at-bats away from Addison Barger or Ernie Clement, who both proved to be valuable assets down the stretch and in the postseason.

A trade could happen as well, given their surplus of outfielders. So, these four days are when we, as fans, can sit back and react with shock and awe as top-tier talent moves teams, changing the landscape of MLB. Last year during the Winter Meetings, the Blue Jays acquired Andrés Giménez and Nick Sandlin via trade from the Cleveland Guardians. While we prepare for this year's Winter Meetings, let's take a look at some of the more notable Winter Meetings acquisitions the Blue Jays have made in the past.

The most impactful trade the Blue Jays made during this period was acquiring Roberto Alomar and Joe Carter from the San Diego Padres in 1990, sending Fred McGriff and Tony Fernadez to the Padres. Both Alomar and Joe Carter were key cogs in the Blue Jays winning their only two World Series championships in 1992 and 1993. Carter's iconic walk-off home run in Game 6 of the 1993 World Series to clinch the victory was arguably the greatest moment in franchise history. The quote, "Touch 'em all, Joe, you'll never hit a bigger home run in your life," from longtime radio announcer Tom Cheek, will forever live in Blue Jays fans' memories.

In 1996, the Blue Jays made history by signing Roger Clemens to a four-year, $31 million contract, which at the time was the largest contract (money-wise) ever given to a pitcher, and the largest contract in club history. He spent only two of those seasons in Toronto, but he was dominant. He'd have a combined 41-13 record, 2.33 ERA, and a 563:178 strikeout-to-walk ratio over 498 2/3 innings. Clemens won the AL Cy Young Award in both his seasons with the Blue Jays, too. After the 1978 season, the Blue Jays traded Clemens to the Yankees for Homer Bush, Graeme Lloyd, and David Wells.

In 1992, the team bolstered its offense after its first World Series run by adding 36-year-old Paul Molitor on a three-year, $13 million contract. At the time of the signing, Molitor was a five-time All-Star and two-time Silver Slugger winner, all while with the Milwaukee Brewers. That first season in Toronto, he hit .332/.402/.509 with 22 home runs and 111 RBIs.

In the World Series that year, he went 12-24 at the plate with two home runs. He also scored 10 runs and had eight RBIs, leading him to claim the MVP honors. The righty was an All-Star with the Blue Jays in the 1993 and 1994 seasons and claimed another Silver Slugger Award in 1993. He is still one of the most impactful Winter Meetings signings in Blue Jays history.

 

The Blue Jays have had their fair share of failed attempts to acquire top-tier talent during the Winter Meetings, as well. They have several times found themselves among a player's final two or three options, only to be outbid in the end. In 2016, outfielder Dexter Fowler was the Blue Jays' primary target, but the St. Louis Cardinals outbid them. In 2022, the Blue Jays were outbid for arguably their three top targets: Brandon Nimmo (New York Mets), Justin Verlander (Mets), and Taijuan Walker (Philadelphia Phillies).

More recently, the Blue Jays were in the running up to the end to dole out a pair of record-breaking contracts. They were in the mix for Shohei Ohtani during the 2023 Winter Meetings. He visited the team's spring training facility in Dunedin, Florida, but five days later, he signed a then-record $700-million, 10-year contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers. History repeated itself last year, when the Blue Jays were among the final bidders for Soto, but he signed a historic 15-year, $765 million contract with the Mets. Let's hope the phrase "the third time's a charm" plays out this Winter Meetings, as DiamondCentric's top free agent, Kyle Tucker, recently visited the Blue Jays' spring facility.

 

There aren't many needs left for the Blue Jays this offseason, which may lead to a somewhat quiet Winter Meetings for the team. Most recently, the Jays addressed their need for more pitching depth by signing Cody Ponce. However, we the fans will still hope to hear news of Bichette returning to Toronto or another top-tier bat making his way north.

View full article

[Bob Ritchie]

Pat Gillick many times recounted his wife's reaction to the big 1990 trade. Fred McGriff was Doris Gillick's favourite player. Before the deal was announced publicly, Pat called Doris to tell her about the deal, particularly the inclusion of McGriff. Doris, after a long pause, replied, “Why don’t you get home as soon as possible before you screw up the team anymore?”
 

https://www.mlb.com/news/padres-biggest-winter-meetings-moves