The Blue Jays made a major splash during the Winter Meetings this past week, with the Guardians that sent slugger ( ) to Cleveland in exchange for second baseman and right-hander . The club also right-hander on a two-year deal during the meetings to bolster their relief mix. Now that theyve made those additions to the bullpen and infield wrote about the clubs needs going forward into the rest of the offseason, noting that the club is interested in adding an impactful slugger to the middle of the lineup to pair with as well as a starting pitcher who could push into the bullpen for the club. Its hardly a surprise that the club is looking to upgrade the roster in these areas given the players theyve been connected to this winter. In the aftermath of the clubs failed pursuit of , Toronto has been name-checked as a for corner outfield sluggers like and . Nicholson-Smith opines that the outfield appears to be the most logical place for the club to add impact now that the addition of Gimenez has helped to solidify the clubs infield mix, particularly given the fact that center fielder is expected to start the 2025 season on the injured list after undergoing surgery on his Goga Bitadze Jersey rotator cuff back in September. With that said, Nicholson-Smith also suggests that the club could add a more defensively-limited player to their lineup as well after parting ways with a similarly limited player in Horwitz opened up additional DH reps. To that end, Nicholson-Smith reiterates the clubs interest in Hernandez while also floating two other names worth mentioning: free agent DH and Guardians first baseman . Nicholson-Smith lists Pederson alongside Hernandez and among free agents the Jays have spoken to this winter, and he reports that the club is believed to have shown some interest in Naylor during their negotiations with Cleveland surrounding the Gimenez trade. Its the first time that Toronto has been directly connected to Pederson this winter, though it was that the club was reported to have strong interest in the slugger before he ultimately signed with the Diamondbacks later in the winter. The soon to be 33-year-old put up a strong season in Arizona in 2024, slashing .275/.393/.515 with a 151 wRC+ in 449 trips to the plate. While Pedersons ma sive platoon splits make him a somewhat lackluster option against opposing southpaws, the clubs deep group of young right-handed hitters like and could be a natural fit to step into the lineup for him against tough lefties. Naylor, meanwhile, is more of a true everyday player who sports a le s significant platoon split and more defensive value but a le s potent bat overall. The 27-year-old has some experience in the outfield corners but has primarily been a first baseman for the Guardians in recent year. 2024 saw Naylor slash a solid .243/.320/.456 (118 wRC+) that was mostly in line with previous years, as hes a 121 wRC+ hitter overall since becoming a full-time player in 2022. Its unclear if the Jays have interest in Naylor even after completing the Gimenez deal, but he certainly makes sense as a trade candidate for the Guardians given the $12MM salary for the slugger in his final trip through arbitration before he reaches free agency next winter. Cleveland has well-regarded youngster available to step in as the regular first baseman should Naylor be dealt at some point this winter. As for pitching, Nicholson-Smith suggests that while landing Burnes in free agency doesnt seem especially likely, the club pursuing an impact starter cant be ruled out with left-hander s name floated as one po sible option. Its unclear if the club is interested in Manaea specifically, but a pitcher of that caliber could solidify the clubs rotation alongside , , and while pushing Rodriguez to the bullpen after he posted a lackluster 90 ERA+ in 21 starts last year. Attractive as that may seem to Blue Jays fans, Nicholson-Smith cautions that its unclear whether the Jays would have the stomach to make an impact addition both to the rotation and the lineup this winter. RosterResource puts the clubs luxury tax number at just over $228MM, meaning they have around $12MM remaining in the budget before they surpa s the first luxury tax threshold. Even on impact addition seems certain to carry them past that mark, but a second one would run the risk of pushing them into the uncharted territory of surpa sing the second threshold, which sits at $261MM in 2025. Given that, Nicholson-Smith suggests the club may have to choose between targeting an impact slugger and an impact starter before making a lower-level addition to addre s the other need. and are among the veteran sluggers who may be available for relatively cheap in free agency, while back-end starting options who wouldnt break the bank include players like and . Jalen Lecque Jersey