2020 Blue Jays Season Thread

[Parallex]

Originally Posted by Roof-Daddy

1. - CF - Springer
2. - 3B - Biggio
3. - SS - Bichette
4. - RF - Hernandez
5. - 2B - Semien
6. - LF - Gurriel
7. - 1B - Vladdy
8. - DH - Tellez / Grichuk
9. - C - Jansen / Kirk

Yikes.

I'd have Teoscar at DH, Grichuk is a better defender but yeah... the batting order is hella deep.

[Jiggy_12]

Signing free agents like this is the way to go.

Either the team is contending and they help with a playoff push and maybe a deep run, or we are out of it at the deadline and you flip them for assetts.

In a league without a salary cap, it’s the best recipe for maintaining success on an ongoing basis.

[Roof-Daddy]

Originally Posted by Jiggy_12

Signing free agents like this is the way to go.

Either the team is contending and they help with a playoff push and maybe a deep run, or we are out of it at the deadline and you flip them for assetts.

In a league without a salary cap, it’s the best recipe for maintaining success on an ongoing basis.

If Semien has a strong year and the Jays qualify him, if he doesn't re-sign the Jays will get a comp pick when someone else does.

It's like a cherry on top.

[Enoch Root]

now add Bauer and the Jays are seriously legit

[Parallex]

Just need a starting pitcher of #3 or higher quality... and maybe a 2nd lefty for the pen but that's it. Man alive I hope they can get fans back in the Skydome for September. Remember how it blew up for the Jays last run?... now imagine it with all the pent up demand due to COVID.

[Roof-Daddy]

Originally Posted by Parallex

I'd have Teoscar at DH, Grichuk is a better defender but yeah... the batting order is hella deep.

Yeah, if those players are all still here when the season starts, Grichuk will probably get his fair share of starts in the OF.

Every OFer plus Vlad and Tellez will likely get some DH duties from time to time.

[Enoch Root]

Originally Posted by Parallex

I'd have Teoscar at DH, Grichuk is a better defender but yeah... the batting order is hella deep.

But Tellez is a way better bat than Grichuk. And he's a lefty

[Roof-Daddy]

When you think about it, Semien will likely be as good as, or better than Bryant will be in 2021 and for the same term and dollar figure basically. But the Jays didn't have to give up any prospect capital to bring in Semien.

[Jiggy_12]

We are bonafide playoff contenders now and 1, maybe 2 arms away from a legit World Series threat.

Didn’t see this happening so fast

[Jiggy_12]

Our BENCH right now is Kirk, Grichuk & Tellez

LOL ok

[JTech780]

I was kind of hoping for Gregorius, mostly because he is a lefty bat, but Semien is a really nice add. This guy hit 33 bombs in 2019 playing Oakland, I think he will get around that number hitting in the band boxes in the AL East. Not to mention that he will be a big a defensive upgrade on Biggio at 2nd.

The defense is going to be better with Springer and Semien on the field. The offense is going to be even better, this is a deep lineup. Imagine if Jansen finally breaks out offensively.

The biggest question mark is the rotation and as of right now I am not sure it's good enough to be a playoff team. Even if they add Bauer, Gray or Hendricks, they are still short a top 3 arm.

Odorizzi and Walker are good pitchers but they are bottom of the rotation arms. They would add innings, but they are far from front line starters. Paxton had the stuff, but can't stay healthy and who knows how much the injuries have hurt his velocity, I would still take a chance on him.

I feel like Bauer is a long shot at this point.

I would be really happy with a Sonny Gray trade.

[Harry Lime]

Pearson is a #2 starter, but is going to be on a pitch count. If they bring in Paxton and Walker, I'd be pretty happy, and it would be an easy sell for Rogers with the Canadian content.

[bluejays]

There's something great about trades and building the team organically. I still think this team is really a year away from taking off (with younger guys developing), so I'm fine with them not going all in, yet. Now, say they develop way faster than expected and at the deadline you need to add an arm, do it. There was something so special when AA added those extra bodies in 2015 at the deadline. I think next off-season is the one the arms get signed.

[Roof-Daddy]

If the Jays can get Bauer, great, but I have my doubts.

If not though, I really hope they can get Paxton on a 1 year show me deal to see if he can bounce back. He had a rough 2020, but from 2017-19 he was 37-18, racked up 550 strike outs in 447 innings, had almost 10 WAR and a 3.45 ERA. He's only 32 and could easily bounce back.

Roll with a 6 man rotation to spread the innings out.

(L) Ryu
(R) Pearson
(L) Paxton
(R) Stripling
(L) Ray
(R) Roark/Hatch/Merryweather

[JTech780]

I am not there with Pearson yet. Great potential and I think he will be very good, but he isn't there yet. I'd be surprised if he throws more than 125 innings this year. Ideally if this team wants to be a playoff team Pearson is your 3rd or 4th starter.

Stripling and Roark shouldn't be in the rotation. Stripling is a very good long man/spot starter and that's where he is best suited.

[Jiggy_12]

I’d be pretty excited if we could sign one or both of Walker/Tanaka

[Harry Lime]

Pretty sure Tanaka going back to Japan. They will pay him like a superstar there.

Bringing in two of Walker, Ordrizzi or Paxton and then swapping them out with Pearson on a pitch count would be great. Ray and Roark as the bottom of the rotation and Stripling in the pen as the long man. That's a lot of depth all of the sudden.

[Parallex]

Nice potential bonus for the Semien signing that I hadn't thought of... he's never been tagged with a qualifying offer before. So if he hit's more like his 2019 self the Jays can tag him with one and get some negotiating leverage for an extension or get a comp pick back to replace the one we're spending on Springer.

Originally Posted by Harry Lime

Bringing in two of Walker, Ordrizzi or Paxton and then swapping them out with Pearson on a pitch count would be great. Ray and Roark as the bottom of the rotation and Stripling in the pen as the long man. That's a lot of depth all of the sudden.

Piggybacking Pearson with a Walker/Paxton/Odorizzi would be a waste of talent someone would be getting less innings then they should. Chatwood and Stripling are both long-men so one of them would replace Pearson if he were put on a shortened pitch count (80 pitches?).

I think we're getting 1 starter unless someone becomes super cheap. My guess would be Paxton.

Ryu
Pearson
*Free Agent
Ray
Roark

Yates
Romano
Dolis
Merryweather
Borucki
Stripling
Chatwood
Kay (or a free agent lefty)

Bullpen looks good... it'll have to be because the rotation doesn't look designed to eat a lot of innings (so multiple long-men in the pen is probably wise).

[Roof-Daddy]

I'm hoping Mayza comes back strong from his surgery. He's got good stuff and can make people miss as long as he figures out the control issues. He could be a dark horse lefty reliever. He'll likely start in the minors, and you certainly can't bank on him, but it'd be a nice surprise. Most people have forgotten about him.

[Roof-Daddy]

Tanaka signed in Japan.

Hopefully this triggers the starting pitching market finally.