The Toronto Blue Jays pulled off a shocking trade early on Wednesday morning in which they sent star outfielder Teoscar Hernandez to the Seattle Mariners. The deal was quite surprising, as Hernandez had become a key piece of the Blue Jays lineup in recent seasons. But it looks like the Blue Jays have a plan, and it involves making a run for Brandon Nimmo in free agency.
While everyone's attention is focused on Aaron Judge at the top of the outfielder free agent market, Nimmo looms as maybe the next best outfielder available this offseason. And with more money freed up as a result of dealing Hernandez, it looks like Toronto is making Nimmo their top target in an effort to replace Hernandez's lost production.
“The Blue Jays are showing interest in free agent OF Brandon Nimmo, sources say; the trade of Teoscar Hernández has freed up a spot in the Toronto lineup to add the left-handed bat they’ve lacked.”
As Morosi mentions here, this may be a tactical move for the Blue Jays in an effort to diversify their lineup. Toronto has a ton of big right handed bats in their lineup, and while that is nice to have, it makes them a very one-dimensional team at times. Adding Nimmo, who is a strong left-handed bat, would break things up.
With Judge commanding all the attention at the top of the free agent market, Toronto may be able to sneak in and land Nimmo. Their trade for Hernandez was pretty confusing at first, but it looks like the Blue Jays have a plan, and it will be interesting to see whether or not they are successful in their quest to land Nimmo as a replacement for Hernandez.