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Canadian Baseball Crunch: Blue Jays fairly quiet at Winter Meetings

Israel Fehr

MLB's annual Winter Meetings are taking place this week in Nashville. After getting most of their heavy-lifting done early by signing starting pitchers Marco Estrada and J.A. Happ, the Blue Jays weren't expected to be among the more active teams. They did, however, have a couple topics to address, namely what the bullpen will look next season and the long-term futures of Jose Bautista and Edwin Encarnacion in Toronto.

Top relievers off the market

With Darren O'Day (four years, $31 million with Baltimore), Joakim Soria (three years, $25 million with Kansas City), Ryan Madson (three years, $21 million with Oakland), and Mark Lowe (two years, $13 million with Detroit) signing contracts over the last week, the free agent crop of top relievers is already thin. The five best available bullpen arms left from Jeff Passan's free agent rankings are: No. 48 LHP Tony Sipp, No. 53 LHP Antonio Bastardo, No. 64 Tyler Clippard, No. 67 LHP Jerry Blevins, No. 68 Joe Blanton.

The Blue Jays' bullpen is currently occupied by Roberto Osuna, Brett Cecil, Aaron Sanchez, and Aaron Loup and possibly Jesse Chavez should Toronto add another starting pitcher but more depth is definitely still needed.

Bautista, Encarnacion dilemma fast approaching

Barring a blockbuster deal Bautista, 35, and Encarnacion, 33, will in the heart of Toronto's lineup next season. But both are free agents at season's end, and with a report from WEEI in Boston that Encarnacion isn't willing to negotiate a new contract after spring training, talk of what their future is with the Blue Jays has been accelerated.

“We haven’t engaged with anything yet. Those guys are special players and we’re fortunate to have them both and their power," Tony LaCava, senior vice president of baseball operations, told reports in Nashville, according to the Toronto Star. "I mean we’re pretty fortunate to have the type of right-handed power. But that being said, it is a commodity and the market for it continues to rise. At some point, they’re going to be eligible for free agency. To stop them from getting there, you’re going to obviously have to pay the price."

Votto wins Tip O’Neill award

Considering he was a finalist for the National League MVP, it’s no surprise Cincinnati Reds first baseman Joey Votto was named the 2015 recipient of the 2015 Tip O’Neill award. The honour goes to the top Canadian baseball player and it’s the fifth time Votto, who hit. 314 with a .459 OBP, 29 home runs, and 80 RBIs has won the award in the last six years.

"It is very humbling to be recognized again by the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame when there are so many deserving players," Votto said in a statement. "I have to thank the Baseball Hall of Fame for its efforts in promoting the players and our game in Canada."

FIRST TO HOME

First: The latest on the Brett Lawrie trade rumours: Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports the Indians, White Sox, and Tigers have interest in acquiring the 25-year-old infielder from Oakland.

Second: Right-hander Cal Quantrill (Stanford) and shortstop Daniel Pinero (Virginia) give Canada two representatives on Perfect Game's 250 top prospects list for the 2016 MLB draft.

Third: Seattle Mariners prospect Tyler O'Neill is the Randy Echlin Memorial award winner as the Canadian Baseball Network’s top Canadian offensive minor league player. The 20-year-old from Maple Ridge, B.C., had a .874 OPS and 32 home runs in 106 games for Class-A Bakersfield.

Home: The Canadian Baseball Network's award for top minor league pitcher was shared by Phillies left-hander Adam Loewen and Blue Jays left-hander Shane Dawson. Loewen pitched at Double-A and Triple-A before making 20 appearances for Philadelphia late last season while Dawson spent most of the season with Low-A Lansing.

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Israel Fehr is a writer for Yahoo Canada Sports. Email him at israelfehr@yahoo.ca or follow him on Twitter. Follow @israelfehr