TORONTO -- It’s been a busy January for the Blue Jays and, while there’s still work to do, this roster has taken significant strides with Spring Training fast approaching.

George Springer’s six-year deal for a club record $150 million is the headliner of the offseason for the Blue Jays, who have also added left-hander Steven Matz, right-hander Tyler Chatwood and a potential high-end closer in right-hander Kirby Yates. The club has also reached an agreement with infielder Marcus Semien on a one-year deal worth $18 million, which the club announced Saturday.

Looking ahead, here are your questions for this week’s inbox:

With Masahiro Tanaka signing in Japan, who is the Blue Jays next logical option as a free agent starter? Are they still in on the Trevor Bauer sweepstakes?
-- James T.

A pitcher of Tanaka’s caliber is what makes sense for the Blue Jays right now. The Matz addition deepens Toronto’s rotation, but it still needs another starter in the top half to pitch behind Hyun Jin Ryu and in front of No. 1 prospect Nate Pearson. By the postseason, the Blue Jays need a rotation that can be held up alongside the true contenders, so there’s still some work to do.

Jake Odorizzi is a pitcher the Blue Jays have liked at multiple points in the past and his durability would be attractive to them, but coming off three seasons with a cumulative 4.11 ERA for the Twins, is that a significant enough upgrade? There’s a crowded group of free agent starters around Odorizzi, including Canadian lefty James Paxton and right-hander Taijuan Walker. Bauer seems unlikely at this point, but this will remain a priority.

Is there any sense saving money for next winter? Blue Jays could go after someone like Corey Seager or Trevor Story or one of the big pitchers to put them over the top.
-- Karl M.

Next year’s free agent class is stacked. The coming year holds revenue uncertainties amid the COVID-19 pandemic, too, so any club that positions themselves to spend next offseason could be looking at some major opportunities. The Blue Jays will keep that in mind, of course, and I think this acts as a good example of the long-term picture.

In a perfect world, the Blue Jays find a frontline starter tomorrow. In reality, there’s no problem with taking some payroll into the regular season and seeing which opportunities arise, especially near the Trade Deadline. Keep in mind that the Blue Jays will have the contracts of Tanner Roark ($12M), Robbie Ray ($8M) and Marcus Semien ($18M) coming off the books in 2022, among others, so they should have the ability to take on contracts.

Been seeing many folks claiming that Cavan Biggio doesn't have the reflexes or arm to play 3B. Having said that, in his 10 games played at the position what was your take on his abilities? And would a full Spring Training, and dedicated time at 3B help his defense improve?
-- Greg R.

Cavan Biggio’s arm would be the No. 1 question at third base, but the Blue Jays trust his baseball instincts to help him overcome some challenges at new positions.

"We would be 100% confident that he could become an average third baseman to above-average, if that's the position he's playing on a regular basis,” general manager Ross Atkins said last week.

That being said, Biggio could be incredibly valuable as a utility player given his ability to play across the infield and outfield. Even if that role isn’t defined as a “starter”, there are still ways for the Blue Jays to get Biggio in the lineup more often than not by cycling him through several positions. As the Blue Jays have more opportunities to add over the next 18 months and top prospects Austin Martin and Jordan Groshans Jordan Groshans make their push, that could be where he finally ends up.

Regardless of how this shakes out, the Blue Jays need an answer that improves their defense. After watching the Rays make their run in 2020, it's clear that limiting fundamental mistakes will be one of the most important factors to Toronto taking that next step.

My question revolves around Julian Merryweather. Electric arm touches 100mph and seems healthy. Word is Jays are looking at him starting, and it seems whenever he gets stretched out he has an injury setback, isn’t he like the perfect middle reliever good for 2-3 innings and maybe late game guy.
-- Enio P.

Julian Merryweather averaged 96.7 mph on his fastball in 2020 and, while the Blue Jays want to give him the opportunity to start, there’s a fine argument to be made for the multi-inning role. The same temptation will be there for Anthony Kay, Thomas Hatch, Trent Thornton, Ross Stripling, T.J. Zeuch and others. It’s a crowded depth group and, while depth is great, the talent needs to be maximized at the Major League level.

With Merryweather more than any other, though, this could be a situation they feel out through Spring Training. The right-hander isn’t about to go out and chew through 200-plus innings, given that he’s thrown just 19 innings since 2017 after undergoing Tommy John surgery. The talent is there, though, and he should be on your short list of pitchers to track in Spring Training.

Hi Keegan. Short of starting pitching where do you see the biggest area of possible improvement for the Blue Jays?
-- Selwyn (@Selwyn42550990)

The bench. That’s not an exciting answer, but it will matter over the course of 162 games. The Blue Jays should be fine in terms out outfield and catching depth, but there’s room for a veteran infielder and a bench bat. The Blue Jays like Santiago Espinal, who is young and versatile, and Rowdy Tellez currently holds the clearest path to DH reps. If there’s a way to improve the defense and add some pop off the bench, though, that’s attractive.