Complete Offseason Guide, Predictions for the Toronto Blue Jays

The Toronto Blue Jays lost to the Cleveland Indians in the American League Championship Series. John Gibbons will be back as manager for the 2017 season. Jose Bautista and Edwin Encarnacion are eligible for free agency. The team president Mark Shapiro believes Gibbon's consistency and toughness will keep him in charge. The Jays are looking for players to replace them.

Toronto Blue Jays have an Opening Day payroll of $107 million for 2017. Josh Donaldson, Marco Estrada, J.A. Happ, Justin Smoak and Melvin Upton Jr. are relatively inexpensive part-time players. San Diego Padres are picking up $12.05 million of Upton's $17.5 million salary in 2017, leaving Toronto on the hook for only $5.

Marcus Stroman is arbitration-eligible for Toronto. He will be a bargain if he agrees to a new deal. Darwin Barney and Ezequiel Carrera are also arbitration eligible. They were vital for the Jays in 2016. The projected salaries for them are based on what the players listed for comparison received.

The Toronto Blue Jays don't figure to keep Bautista and Encarnacion. Bats will sign a three-year contract with the Jays, while Encarancion will take his talents elsewhere. Boston Red Sox are interested in signing both players. Boston has a void left by David Ortiz's retirement. The Red Red's interest in Bauts is a reason why he's more valuable to Toronto than to another team.

The Toronto Blue Jays are looking for a left-handed hitter to replace Edwin Encarnacion. They are also interested in Doug Fister, Colby Lewis and Jake Peavy. Charlie Blackmon, Adam Eaton and Joey Votto are the players they are interested to sign.   The Reds are rumoured to be interested. The Blue Jay's are keen on Vototrpe. He is a first baseman. His contract runs through 2021. It is unclear if he will waive his no-trade protection to join a contending team. Toronto has made it clear to Cincinnati that it would have interest in him.