OK, this is getting silly and it is time for a new thread anyways. The team clearly needed offense going into the offseason and what have they added this winter? Defense.
First bringing back a defensive 'wow' in Kevin Kiermaier. Now, signing for 2 years Isiah Kiner-Falefa - 2 years $15 mil is the deal. This puts the Jays just shy of $230 mil in payroll.
IKF has played well at 3B/SS/2B but has a lifetime 81 OPS+ (78 last year) so I'm not seeing anything more than an expensive version of Espinal here. This really is a major head scratcher. Between Espinal-Biggio-Schneider-kids the Jays are stocked with meh at 3B/SS/2B why blow $7.5 mil on a defensive specialist? He cracked 3 bWAR twice (2021/2022) but fWAR sees him as never being a 2 WAR player. I mean, this is a guy who has very little to offer. A spring invite on a minor league contract? Sure. 2 years guaranteed at $7.5 per? No way. I hope the scouts saw something fixable in his swing or something that suggests there is more there because right now I see a lesser version of Espinal when I look at him.
So clearly the Jays are actually doubling down on defense for 2024. This suggests either a hard chase after Chapman (who is amazing at 3B on defense) or thinking IKF can play everyday there thus leaving 2B to Espinal/Biggio while Schneider splits time all over the place ala Merrifield in 2023.
https://www.battersbox.ca/article.php?story=20231227133943674