Toronto Blue Jays 2021

[ndrpar]

Well said Pimento. Ryu’s health has always been an issue and banking on him to make every start is unlikely.

Could we see a move away from a traditional 5-man rotation. It used to be 4-man years ago with no pitch counts. Jays seem to be acquiring low cost pitchers who have previously been starters. So are they thinking that if 4 of those guys give you 3 strong innings they can be used again in 3 days as a rotation. Though beyond Ryu I see the rest of their present starters as 4-5 inning guys.

[Pimento Cheese]

Well said Pimento. Ryu’s health has always been an issue and banking on him to make every start is unlikely.

Could we see a move away from a traditional 5-man rotation. It used to be 4-man years ago with no pitch counts. Jays seem to be acquiring low cost pitchers who have previously been starters. So are they thinking that if 4 of those guys give you 3 strong innings they can be used again in 3 days as a rotation. Though beyond Ryu I see the rest of their present starters as 4-5 inning guys.

Good question. A lot of people in baseball are talking about six-man rotations as being a strategy that many teams might begin adopting. I suspect one-ace teams like the Jays might lean towards a modified six-man, in which the ace pitches every 5 days while the other five starters simply rotate around the ace's scheduled games.

I don't know if the Jays will look at this or not, but yeah, they've got a lot of guys with starting experience and starter-type stuff. Stripling, for example, is slated for the bullpen but has plenty of starts under his belt and prior to last year has been quite good.

It's a bit of a bummer, though, that the Jays have improved in so many areas but might be looking at being creative with how they handle starting pitching.

[ndrpar]

Why spend all this $$ on Springer and Semien if your starters are out before the 5th inning. I’m sure their will be an decent add in the next week, otherwise it is a head scratcher for me.

[Arthur Dailey]

Going into this season the Jays had the following areas to address, I believe in the following reverse priority.

1. Relief pitching
2. Centre field
3. 3rd base
4. Starting pitching

• They addressed the relief pitching by adding depth and in Yates hopefully a legit closer.
• They addressed centre field by signing Springer. This should be a considerable upgrade. However the consensus is that the last couple of years of his contract will be something of an albatross as he transitions to a corner outfield spot and then possibly to DH.
• 3rd base was addressed by moving Biggio there. There is some concern regarding his arm strength and 'quickness'. Will he be a seriously minus defender there? Will that impact his bat? His spot at 2b was taken by Semien at one year at $18 million. Semien has potentially a huge upside. But could this area have been addressed at a much lower cost/price?
• There are all kinds of truisms that 'good pitching will beat good hitting'. Or that 'pitching is 75% of baseball'. These may be debatable. What might not be is that the Jays' starting rotation going into this season appears weaker than their starting pitching at the end of last season.

• Ryu: one year older and injury prone
• Pearson: 18 innings pitched last season. Less than 200 for his professional career. Will probably be on a innings count for the season.
• Ray: something of a reclamation project
• Matz: certainly a reclamation project
• Roark: woefully underperformed last season

Are the Jays going for quantity over quality?
Have they decided to try to replicate the Rays and pull their starters early?

On the Jays payroll for this season are:

• Roark $12 million
• Ray $8
• Matz $5.2
• Yamaguchi $3.2
• Stripling $3
• Chatwood $3

That is $34.4 million primarily on potential and/or rebounding

Meanwhile signed this month were

• Paxton 1 year at $8.5
• Walker 2 years at $20
• Shoemaker 1 year at $2

So would the Jays be better off with those free agents at $20.5 for this season?
In fact Semien at $18 costs almost as much as the three of them combined.

[Pimento Cheese]

I would have rather signed Walker and Paxton than Semien. That said, I don't think it's necessarily an even-dollars thing, as the Jays would undoubtedly still be looking to add an infielder if they didn't have Semien. Signing, for example, Kolten Wong would have cost them at least $9 million (that's just to MATCH what he eventually got), and would be multi-year, which the Jays have been avoiding, for the most part, this offseason. But, say, Walker and Wong instead of Semien? I'd do that in a heartbeat.

[Pimento Cheese]

It turns out Walker was less pricey than first reported. Guaranteed $23 million over three years. It breaks down as:

$2 million signing bonus
$8 million 2021
$7 million 2022
$6 million 2023. $3 million buyout.

2023 is a player option. (And that's why it officially gets listed as $23 million guaranteed.)

It's disappointing that we're not in a position to beat that. I like Walker a lot, and I think he's going to prove to be a bargain. I would have loved to have him in a Jays uniform for the next three years.

[Arthur Dailey]

By taking Matz and his contract ($5.2) did the Jays allow the Mets to free up some money for Walker?

[Arthur Dailey]

The Joel Payamps Era appears to be over in Toronto. He has been claimed by the Bosox.

[High cut]

The Joel Payamps Era appears to be over in Toronto. He has been claimed by the Bosox.

Who??

[Mattv88]

Reported that Guerrero has lost 42 pounds this off-season.

[Pimento Cheese]

Reported that Guerrero has lost 42 pounds this off-season.

It shows. I've been following his offseason training videos and watched some of his Winter League play and he looks much more athletic than he did last season. Some of the photos are from the most flattering angles, but if you look at how he looked last season and compare to now, he's definitely done a lot of work. He was in poor shape when they returned for workouts in July -- it was alarming. The big gut is gone, and his butt is not nearly as prominent. (He did not look good in baseball pants last year.)

I think he should lose another ten or twenty pounds, but as long as he doesn't add weight to what he is now, I feel a lot better about him becoming an elite player. He was headed in the wrong direction last summer.

It doesn't sound as though he's destined for third base. Atkins and Montoya said yesterday that he'll mostly be used at first but will get reps at third, and that they want that versatility from him.

[Weirfan]

I bet he gets some time at 3rd in spring training but will be first and dh mostly. He just isn't their best option at 3 and will be a liability there.

Good that he lost all that weight, he was obese and that isnt healthy no matter how young you are and it wan't a good look for an athlete.

[Pingeye2_fan]

Reported that Guerrero has lost 42 pounds this off-season.

Kirk also worked hard and looks slimmer as well. Tough jump from A ball to the show.

[Pimento Cheese]

I bet he gets some time at 3rd in spring training but will be first and dh mostly. He just isn't their best option at 3 and will be a liability there.

Good that he lost all that weight, he was obese and that isnt healthy no matter how young you are and it wan't a good look for an athlete.

Yeah, even in winter ball he looked physically different, but defensively looked like the same guy. Great arm, but questionable footwork and he had trouble with balls hit to his left. And following the Team Guerrero videos this offseason, it seemed like all the videos of Vlad working on defence only showed him taking balls hit straight at him or to his right. Suspicious lack of bragging about balls hit to his left.

[Pimento Cheese]

Blue Jays Radio is essentially dead. Sportsnet has decided to simulcast the TV coverage, so it will be Dan, Buck, and Pat for TV, with radio picking up the feed. Ben Wagner is being kept as part of the broadcast team, though it's not clear in what capacity.

What a shame. Baseball is such a great radio sport. For games Dan calls, it should be fine, as long as he calls it as a radio broadcaster would. (Calling TV vs. radio is different.) But as far as I know he'll likely still be only doing part of the year, with Buck doing play by play on many broadcasts, and radio ... is not a strength.