3 remaining free agents the Blue Jays should sign, 2 to avoid

1) Yariel Rodriguez would be a great fit on the Blue Jays

Enrique Rojas of ESPN reported that the Blue Jays have "taken the lead" in the race for pitcher Yariel Rodriguez. The 26-year-old right-hander has not been nearly as highly-touted as other international free agents like Yamamoto, Shota Imanaga, and Jung Hoo Lee, but he's still an intriguing free agent who would be a really nice fit on this Blue Jays team.

Rodriguez spent the first six seasons of his professional career in Cuba and spent three years in Japan from 2020-2022. He pitched for Team Cuba in the WBC and did not return to Japan afterwards.

The right-hander began his career as a starter in Cuba and then transitioned over to a reliever in Japan. He was stretched back out for the WBC. Rodriguez can excel in either role, and should have an opportunity to each a spot as a starter or a reliever. Rodriguez can compete with Alek Manoah for the fifth starter spot and if he doesn't get it, he'd work quite well as a long reliever in place of Mitch White who had a rough season in 2023. He can also potentially work as a late-game reliever which would be helpful with Toronto potentially losing Jordan Hicks in free agency.

Having a pitcher who can help in a variety of roles would be good for this Blue Jays team, but also means they'll have a lot of competition bidding for his services.