The Toronto Blue Jays are in need of a closer and there remain a handful of talented names in the free agent pool, despite the fact spring training is just a few weeks away. That’s likely why Toronto manger John Gibbons isn’t panicking as he admitted the team has spoken to free agents Francisco Rodriguez and Rafael Soriano, in addition to speaking about a Jonathan Papelbon trade with the Philadelphia Phillies.
Gibbons acknowledged to @JimBowden_ESPN that #BlueJays have talked about Papelbon, Soriano, K-Rod Makes sense since #Jays aim to be thorough
— Ben Nicholson-Smith (@bnicholsonsmith) February 2, 2015
Understandably, as noted above, the Blue Jays are simply exploring all of their avenues.
More likely than not, Jonathan Papelbon, while likely the most talented of the three, isn’t a likely scenario considering his contract and Philadelphia’s trade demands.
Francisco Rodriguez would be a nice addition, though you wonder how he finished out the 2014 season for the Milwaukee Brewers as he looked extremely gassed come the end of the year. The same can be said for Rafael Soriano, though he has a history of success in the American League East and could be a very solid coup for the Toronto Blue Jays assuming the price is right.
