Randal Grichuk is a free agent after the White Sox were eliminated Saturday night. The former Blue Jays slugger heads into the winter coming off a strong summer in Chicago.

Cleveland finished off a comeback from a 2-0 series deficit with a 2-0 win at home. The Guardians struck out 21 White Sox hitters, a playoff record, according to ESPN's Jeff Passan.

Gavin Williams was dominant for Stephen Vogt's club, and José Ramirez's two-run homer was all the offence it needed. The Guardians open the ALCS against the Rays tonight at the Trop.

Grichuk went 0-for-1 with a strikeout in the finale. It was a quiet end to a loud regular season.

After signing with Chicago midseason, the 35-year-old hit 15 homers over 101 games.

He also drove in 44 runs for Will Venable's club, which went from MLB's worst team over a three-year stretch to the playoffs.

A Blue Jays reunion makes more sense than it sounds

Jays fans know him well. He spent four seasons in Toronto from 2018 to 2021 and appeared in two playoff games in 2020.

His best year north of the border came in 2019, when he hit 31 home runs and drove in 80.

Toronto traded him to the Rockies in March 2022 for Raimel Tapia and Adrian Pinto.

He's bounced around since then. A 2009 first-round pick, he's played for eight organizations over 13 seasons, including the Yankees earlier this year.

So why bring him back? Toronto finished last in the majors in runs, and he just showed he can still hit.

If the Jays insist on a reunion this winter, make it this one. A cheap one-year bench bat beats spending real money on a declining Kevin Gausman.

He's the reliable old jacket in the back of the closet. Not fashionable, but it still keeps you warm when the weather turns.

The caveat is age and role. At 35, he's a part-time piece, not someone to build a lineup around.

Plenty of teams will notice that batting average. Whether Ross Atkins is one of them will say a lot about how many bats he actually plans to add.