2020 Blue Jays Season Thread

[Roof-Daddy]

Aaron Sanchez gets $4 million on a 1 year deal from the Giants.

Never would have guessed that. Apparently he's been getting the FB upwards of 95-98mph in training sessions.

That's a lot of dough, but if his blister issues are a thing of the past it's probably worth a gamble. Especially with an uptick in velocity and MLB apparently deadening the ball a touch as has been reported.

[nik-]

I'll admit that I was shocked that Aaron Sanchez is still only 28. He's 3 years away from a pitcher's typical big money contract.

[JTech780]

I have always been a fan of Sanchez, some of the easiest 98mph I have ever seen, and everything had lots of movement. Just couldn't stay healthy.

[JTech780]

Sounds like the Mets and Taijuan Walker are working on a deal. I wouldn't mind having him back, but at the same time he only averaged 4.1 innings per start with Toronto last year. His ERA was great but it just seemed like he was always pitching himself out of jams. I am not sure that he is much better than guys like Matz, Ray or Roark.

[bluejays]

Tatis Jr signs with Padres for 14 years/ $340 MM seems like an interesting deal. Surely if he took five year deals with his talent he’d get way more money. But for the career certainty and potential future issues related to less revenue, he look the long term deal at a severe discount. Unique.

[Roof-Daddy]

Rosenthal signs with the A's for 1 year / $11 million

Not surprised he didn't end up Jay with that price tag. I am surprised the A's paid that much though.

Didn't make sense for the Jays to throw that much cash at another right handed reliever, but it sure would have been nice to have his experience and ability to miss bats back there to go along with the rest.

[Roof-Daddy]

https://twitter.com/user/status/1362501759667744770

Interesting. Gurriel has been taking reps at 1B and 3B?

Maybe he's going to be a utility guy like Biggio going forward.

[bluejays]

Originally Posted by Roof-Daddy

https://twitter.com/user/status/1362501759667744770

Interesting. Gurriel has been taking reps at 1B and 3B?

Maybe he's going to be a utility guy like Biggio going forward.

I don't like Gurriel at 1st as it seems like a waste of a fit guy. I'm all for him in LF. Personally I want Grichuk gone. I didn't ever like the guy and with the roster looking good I think him and the catchers are the only positions in question. It's somewhat fitting that Montoyo is complicating something that doesn't need to be complicated. Players like when they know where they're going to play. Legit guys playing utility doesn't seem like something that is particularly enjoyable.

[JTech780]

Gurriel came up as an infielder so asking him to take reps at 3rd isn't a big issue. Kind of reminds of times when Bautista would play 3rd.

Managers love versatility, and there seems like there is much more of a push to have that versatility across baseball.

[Roof-Daddy]

Sounds like Walker is signing with the Mets.

So just Odirizzi and I guess Porcello left out there for starting pitchers who project any kind of decent WAR.

We know the Jays were after Odirizzi last off season, then his 2020 was not very good. Small sample though.

Certainly don't want a mutli year deal.

[JTech780]

Apparently earlier in the offseason Odorizzi was looking for 3 years and $45m. That's too much. I get the feeling now that we will be waiting till the deadline to bring in an arm. Hopefully we can stay close enough till then.

[Roof-Daddy]

Originally Posted by JTech780

Apparently earlier in the offseason Odorizzi was looking for 3 years and $45m. That's too much. I get the feeling now that we will be waiting till the deadline to bring in an arm. Hopefully we can stay close enough till then.

Yeah, if the Jays are going with what they've got, hopefully some arms emerge. They have a lot of mud to sling at the wall, some of it has to stick you would think.

People forget that Robbie Ray was a very high end starter from 2017-19. He just walked a touch too many batters, so he tried to tweak his delivery for 2020 and it blew up in his face. Hopefully an off season to go back to what he was doing before will get him back to a 3+ WAR starter. He's only 28 and has elite stuff.

And Pearson has all the tools to be an elite starter too. He just needs experience, and to stay healthy.

If those two things happen, the Jays rotation is in much better shape, and between Matz, Roark, Stripling, Chatwood, Thornton, Kay, Hatch, etc, etc they should be able to find a couple of average at worst starters.

[JTech780]

Originally Posted by Roof-Daddy

Yeah, if the Jays are going with what they've got, hopefully some arms emerge. They have a lot of mud to sling at the wall, some of it has to stick you would think.

People forget that Robbie Ray was a very high end starter from 2017-19. He just walked a touch too many batters, so he tried to tweak his delivery for 2020 and it blew up in his face. Hopefully an off season to go back to what he was doing before will get him back to a 3+ WAR starter. He's only 28 and has elite stuff.

And Pearson has all the tools to be an elite starter too. He just needs experience, and to stay healthy.

If those two things happen, the Jays rotation is in much better shape, and between Matz, Roark, Stripling, Chatwood, Thornton, Kay, Hatch, etc, etc they should be able to find a couple of average at worst starters.

I think Ray and Matz are better than they are getting credit for. Roark I am not so sure. I guess my main concern is that I don't think anyone in this rotation is going to get passed the 6th inning very often and I think that is going to put a lot of pressure on the bullpen. I also think that they would be smart to roll a 6 man rotation, there is a lot of health question marks with this team so going 6 deep will help lessen the load and help make sure you get guys as deep into the season as possible.

Ryu
Ray
Pearson
Matz
Roark
Hatch/Kay/Stripling

I think Merriweather and Chatwood are probably best used as 2 inning relievers, especially with their injury histories, I also think they both have plus stuff coming out of the pen.

[Roof-Daddy]

Originally Posted by JTech780

I think Ray and Matz are better than they are getting credit for. Roark I am not so sure. I guess my main concern is that I don't think anyone in this rotation is going to get passed the 6th inning very often and I think that is going to put a lot of pressure on the bullpen. I also think that they would be smart to roll a 6 man rotation, there is a lot of health question marks with this team so going 6 deep will help lessen the load and help make sure you get guys as deep into the season as possible.

Ryu
Ray
Pearson
Matz
Roark
Hatch/Kay/Stripling

I think Merriweather and Chatwood are probably best used as 2 inning relievers, especially with their injury histories, I also think they both have plus stuff coming out of the pen.

The good thing about the pitchers they're going to carry, is that whether they have a 6 man rotation or not they will be technically carrying 7-8 starters at any one time. That should help reduce they load on the bullpen if you have multiple guys in there who are capable of starting and/or pitching multiple innings in relief.

They will also be able to shuttle guys back and forth as Stripling, Pearson, Merryweather, Borucki, Borucki, Kay, Hatch, Thornton and others all have options.

[Roof-Daddy]

Healthy at last, Trent Thornton firmly in mix for Blue Jays pitching staff

The Blue Jays called it inflammation at first, but within a week Thornton was off to be assessed by Dr. James Andrews, who isn’t someone you visit when you’re only experiencing inflammation. A couple days later, Andrews arthroscopically harvested four loose pieces of bone from Thornton’s elbow — two on the smaller side; two the size of molars — and handed them to Thornton’s mother in a little cup.

“They were just hindering my ability to do what I’m capable of. It affected my velocity; it affected all my pitches and how they broke,” Thornton says. “It affected pretty much everything.”

This January, when he finally got back on a mound at Toronto’s player development complex in Dunedin, Fla., Thornton learned what it feels like to pitch unencumbered. His curveball and slider came out with more consistent shape and a sharpness he hadn’t seen in years. His changeup, a pitch he’s struggled to command throughout his career, was landing at the bottom of the zone more than ever. It’s funny what a pitcher can make the baseball do with the ability to fully extend his arm.

As he worked through multiple bullpen sessions over the last several weeks, Thornton’s velocity and fastball life progressively increased. Walker’s has been watching closely, and will continue to when Thornton throws one of the first live bullpens of camp on Monday.

[Samonadreau]

^If Thornton is back in the mix with possibly a breakout season that will be a big break for the Jays.

[Roof-Daddy]

Can The Blue Jays Rotation Exceed Expectations In 2021?

If a majority of this group of were to stay healthy and pitch effectively in MLB, the Jays would have a really good problem. I’m not counting on this, however. Even if only three of them do so, and Ryu stays healthy and effective, that might be enough to for the team to go further than they did in 2020.



29 LHP Robbie Ray has posted double digits in strike outs in each of the last five seasons. His downfall is too many walks. If he can cut down on the free passes, he has a chance to be a very effective pitcher for the Jays. Anything close to the all star form he showed in 2017 would be a huge bonus.



Steven Matz excelled for the Mets in 2015 and 2016. He was inconsistent from 2017-2019 but had a strong second half in 2019. Injuries may have contributed to his sub par season in 2020. The Jays traded for him and are hopeful for a return to form in 2021.



Ross Stripling had solid numbers for the Dodgers for four straight seasons. From 2016-2019, his era and FIP was between 3-4. 2020 was a sub par season for Stripling and the Dodgers traded him to the Jays at the 2020 deadline. A return to his pre-2020 form could be a huge help to the Jays.

[Roof-Daddy]

Position players have reported to camp, I am so excited for this season.

Trying to keep my expectations in check, because while adding Springer and Semien is exciting, this team still has a ways to go. The young position players still have a ton to improve on, and have to prove the steps forward they've taken aren't a fluke and that they can be star or even superstar MLB players.

Scoring runs shouldn't be a problem for this team. Pitching could be an issue, but I think their pitching is/will be more middle of the pack. What concerns me most is the defense. Middle of the road pitching starts to get shelled mercilessly when the D is giving away free outs behind them.

Anyways, my hope for this season is to see them compete for a playoff spot, with the young home grown talent leading the way (along with the two new UFA signings), while the next wave of high end prospects inches closer to their MLB debuts.

Really, really hope to see some pitchers emerge this year too.

Pearson at the MLB level, as well as Hatch, Merryweather etc

...and then guys like Manoah, SWR, Pardinho, Castillo and Allgeyer down in AA and AAA.

[JTech780]

According to this Mather clown, Kyle Seager's option isn't going to get picked up by Seattle. Might be able to pick him up on the cheap. Left handed power bar, good defensively at 3B.

[JTech780]

Chatwood just told the media that the plan for him is to be a late inning high leverage one inning reliever and that's how he is preparing. I guess we can count him out as a starter.

His stuff will play up as a reliever.