Toronto Blue Jays MLB Trade Rumors: Jays Interested in Angel Pagan but Deal Is Unlikely
The Toronto Blue Jays have yet to decide who will start at left field next season, but it looks like they are going to let their current crop of outfielders fight for the role.
According to MLB.com's Gregor Chisholm, the Jays were linked with free agent outfielder Angel Pagan recently. However, a deal appears unlikely.
"Toronto is committed to its current group of outfielders who are competing for time, and the organization doesn't want to interrupt that process by offering someone like Pagan a big league deal. Pagan has yet to find the right offer, but he's also not at the stage of his career where he's content to just enter the mix as a depth piece. There has to be more of a guarantee for a possible role, and with Toronto — at least now — that's not possible," Chisholm said in his report.
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Well, the team's going to let Ezequiel Carrera, Melvin Upton Jr., Steve Pearce and Dalton Pompey fight for the starting job. A guaranteed role with the Jays isn't possible right now with those players fighting for minutes, so Pagan will have to look elsewhere.
Pagan would have fit in quite well with the Jays. He will turn 36 in July, but he has remained a productive player. In 129 games last season, Pagan posted a batting average of 0.277, an on-base percentage of 0.331 and a slugging percentage of 0.418. Aside from that, he also had 12 home runs, 55 runs batted in and 15 stolen bases in the 2016 season.
The Washington Nationals were reportedly interested in Pagan as well, but surprisingly, they want to sign him to a minor-league contract.
Pagan played for the San Francisco Giants for five seasons (2012 to 2016) and he has also suited up for the Chicago Cubs and the New York Mets during his 11-year career.
