The Blue Jays should not yet be discounted in the chase for free-agent Melky Cabrera. He might be back in blue.

The fact is, GM Alex Anthopoulos has put a price tag — both years and dollars — on the 30-year-old left fielder and, with the signing of catcher Russell Martin, is content to wait until Cabrera has explored other offers in the marketplace. If he becomes disillusioned with what free agency has to offer — and nobody knows what it is — Cabrera may yet return for a four- or five-year deal.

The Jays have been criticized for allowing Cabrera to go the distance and test the market, after refusing their $15.3-million qualifying offer. The feeling was they should have signed him during the season when they had exclusivity. That criticism even came from inside the clubhouse, from long-time offensive leader Jose Bautista.

But in September, nobody could possibly have had a grasp on what the market would bear, the years and dollars it might take to secure Cabrera. He and fellow free-agent Nelson Cruz are in similar situations, both still free. Thus, Anthopoulos entered the off-season with a number in his head that he believes is fair for Cabrera and is waiting to see if Melky’s representatives find a better one.

Both Cruz and Cabrera have been suspended by MLB for performance-enhancing drug use — Cabrera at the end of 2012, and Cruz among the Biogenesis crowd at the conclusion of 2013. That tends to dampen the market in free agency. There are franchises that might need offensive outfielders but would be scared off by the PED history. Recall Cabrera himself after the 2012 season. The Jays’ offer was the best he received, two years and $16 million, even though his numbers were worthy of the NL batting title.

Cruz had more of an offensive impact as a left fielder/DH with the Orioles in 2014, but Cabrera is four years younger and a switch hitter. The top free-agent hitters on the market include Cruz and Cabrera, plus Hanley Ramirez, Pablo Sandoval and Cuban defector Yasmany Tomas. Among available outfielders are free-agents Colby Rasmus and Alex Rios, plus trade candidates B.J. Upton (Braves), Dexter Fowler (Astros) and one among the Dodgers’ trio of Matt Kemp, Andre Ethier and Carl Crawford.

How many teams are out there looking to sign a troubled player like Cabrera? Rumours of interest have included the White Sox, Mariners, Orioles and maybe the Rangers. Besides, this year’s free-agent focus is mainly centred on bidding for the big three starting pitchers — Max Scherzer, Jon Lester and James Shields — with a second and third layer of starters plus big-armed relievers as fallback.

Cabrera is good — you need to have seen him every day to realize what a solid player he is — and a four- or five-year deal would not be a stretch for the Jays if he stays healthy. The guy is tough and likes to play every day, even if banged up a little. But from the outside, you would see just 88 games in 2013 with various injuries that suggested a body breaking down a year after testing positive for PEDs. In fact, those injuries were related to a life-threatening tumour halfway up his spine, discovered in August and successfully removed, allowing for a healthy 2014 until September.

This past season — even though it was unfortunate to have Melky suffer an injury to his left pinky on Sept. 5, sidelining him for the remainder of the year — may have been a blessing in disguise for the Jays. It allowed them to see young Dalton Pompey in action, plus it prevented Cabrera from reaching the 200-hit level, a plateau that would have surely boosted his asking price.

Why has there been no Jay talk about Cabrera as a free agent? Historically, there is never any discussion from the Jays’ side when it comes to trades or free agents, and it behooves Anthopoulos to play his Melky cards close to the vest so the market does not escalate, keeping him from returning.

As for Cabrera’s representatives, the Legacy Agency, it should be noted that they also handle Jose Reyes, Maicer Izturis, Aaron Sanchez and Marcus Stroman, plus former Jays Vernon Wells and Aaron Hill. The creative Hill contract was actually the first big multi-year deal that Anthopoulos worked on as an assistant GM under J.P. Ricciardi. He has a good relationship with Cabrera’s group.

Can they compete without him? The hard truth is that if the Jays enter the 2015 season with an outfield of Bautista, Pompey, Kevin Pillar, Andy Dirks and John Mayberry Jr. they could not compete. But they need to see what plays out with Cabrera before they explore the trade route. Fear not, they will add an outfielder. Anthopoulos is hoping it will be Cabrera — but on the club’s terms.

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