The World Series will be won no later than Wednesday night in Kansas City. That much we know for sure. What happens after is anyone’s guess, though there will be precious little time for the Giants and Royals to either mourn or celebrate as baseball’s free agency opens the day after the season’s final pitch.

Granted, there is a five-day “cooling off” period before players can sign with a new team and Major League Baseball’s off-season isn’t as frenetically urgent as the NHL’s free agency period. But the rumour mill will churn fast and furious over the next few months, which figure to be busy for the Blue Jays, who have holes to fill in the outfield, at second base and in the bullpen.

General manager Alex Anthopoulos said last month he was “excited” about this off-season more than any other because of the “flexibility” afforded by increased roster turnover. More than half of the Jays’ 2014 opening-day roster could be replaced. So Anthopoulos has his work cut out for him, beginning with re-signing outfielder Melky Cabrera.

Outfield

Within the next few days, the Jays will extend Cabrera — who, offensively, was among the 20 best outfielders last season — a one-year qualifying offer of $15.3 million, which he will promptly decline. This ensures that if Cabrera signs with another team, the Jays will at least receive a first-round draft pick as compensation. But the Jays will aggressively try to retain the 30-year-old Dominican, whom they signed to a bargain two-year deal in 2012 following his 50-game suspension for using performance-enhancing drugs.

Cabrera benefits from a thin outfield market this off-season, but his defensive shortcomings, injury history and past drug use will prevent him from cashing in on a monster deal. The Jays will try to sign him for three years at around $15 million per year and Cabrera will likely seek five years at the same annual value. The winning bid will likely fall somewhere in between.

With Colby Rasmus departing and the Jays planning to go with some combination of Anthony Gose, Kevin Pillar and Dalton Pompey in centre field next year, they need a steady veteran in the corner spot opposite Jose Bautista. If Cabrera proves too rich for their blood, one possible replacement is the Orioles’ Nick Markakis, Baltimore’s longtime leadoff hitter who owns a .290 career batting average. Another interesting candidate is recent Cuban defector Yasmany Tomas, who shares an agent with Jose Bautista. But the market for Tomas is expected to be robust, with the 24-year-old potentially commanding upwards of $100 million over seven years.

Infield

Adam Lind, the Jays’ veteran first baseman and designated hitter, has already become the subject of the most heated trade rumours of the off-season. The 31-year-old is among the best hitters in the majors against right-handed pitching, but he’s useless against lefties, while offering little defensively and on the basepaths. With that said, the Jays are expected to pick up his $7.5-million option for the upcoming season. Whether they then trade him to reallocate that money elsewhere remains to be seen. But his production, however flawed, will be hard to replace.

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The Jays did make a small move on Tuesday, claiming underachieving former first-round pick Justin Smoak off waivers from Seattle. There was speculation that the move paved the way for Lind to be dealt, but at this stage, Smoak seems little more than minor-league depth and a potential reclamation project. Whatever happens with Lind, the Jays’ bigger hole is at second base, where they have played 14 different players since Aaron Hill was traded. Among free-agent middle infielders is Asdrubal Cabrera, the former Indians’ shortstop who played second last season for the Washington Nationals down the stretch. While Ben Zobrist, Tampa’s veteran utility man, could be on the trading block once the Rays pick up his $7.5-million option.

Bullpen

Left-handers Brett Cecil and Aaron Loup are the only locks to return to the Jays’ bullpen, which was among the worst in baseball last season and is due for a dramatic overhaul. Dustin McGowan could theoretically return if his $4-million club option is picked up, though that is unlikely. Aaron Sanchez may start the year in the bullpen, but is rightly valued much more as a starter. Chad Jenkins and Todd Redmond could compete for the long reliever role, while young hurlers Sean Nolin, Kendall Graveman and Daniel Norris could potentially fill some of the gaps. But the Jays will need to add two or three veteran relievers — particularly hard-throwing right-handers, given the implosions of Sergio Santos and Steve Delabar — to use in late-inning, high-leverage situations. With Casey Janssen departing, they will also need a new closer. The biggest name free-agent righties — all of whom could potentially close — are the Cardinals’ Pat Neshek, Boston’s Burke Badenhop, Oakland’s Luke Gregerson, the Yankees’ David Robertson and Luke Hochevar, who is coming off Tommy John surgery.

Starting rotation

In contrast with recent years, starting pitching is not a major need for the Jays this off-season. R.A. Dickey and Mark Buehrle are set to return with a trio of young right-handers, Drew Hutchison, Marcus Stroman and Aaron Sanchez. The Jays hold a $6.7-million club option on lanky lefty J.A. Happ, who is also expected to return, which could push Sanchez into the bullpen temporarily. Daniel Norris, the 21-year-old lefty who will likely start the season in the minors, is also waiting in the wings. The Jays may try to deal Buehrle, the veteran southpaw who’s owed $19 million this year. But no team will take him without the Jays eating at least one-third of his salary, at which point it might not be worth it to lose Buehrle’s innings. Indeed, Anthopoulos said at his year-end press conference he preferred to “horde” the club’s starting depth. “You can always put guys in the bullpen. The worst thing to have to try to find in season is starting depth. No one trades it.”

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