2023/24 Blue Jays Off Season Thread

[Roof-Daddy]

Maybe the Jays will miraculously be able to land Ohtani on a mega deal.

That would sure change things in a hurry.

The Jays wouldn't need him to pitch next year anyways, and adding a bat like that to the line up would be a game changer.

[bluejays]

Originally Posted by Roof-Daddy

Maybe the Jays will miraculously be able to land Ohtani on a mega deal.

That would sure change things in a hurry.

The Jays wouldn't need him to pitch next year anyways, and adding a bat like that to the line up would be a game changer.

It indeed would be a game changer and would probably turn around the franchise. Shy of that this is a major uphill battle this offseason. Realistically they needed to produce some prospects to fill gaps naturally. It’s really costing them now as they need to do a lot through free agency.

[Sylvanfan]

Chapman, Keirmeir and Berrios all win gold gloves. From what I've read expect the Yankees to make a strong play for Chapman.

[Kasi]

Sure go ahead NY. Enjoy another oft injured past his prime 3B to replace the one you just cut loose this season. NY is never going to win if they keep going after has beens and paying premium for it.

[bluejays]

I’m sure every person here can picture Chapman in pinstripes. Totally right that they always sign their FA at their peak and overpay. They’ve had hyped up prospects that don’t pan out either. This year alone Bader and Kiner Falefa (sp?). They’re in a similar spot to the Jays in that they’re not bringing enough talent up organically. The difference is they have deeper pockets. Though there are limitations to how much any of these teams will pay more than they already have. At this point it seems the super spenders can’t go much more than they have already.

[bluejays]

Jays sign Green. 2 years, $21M. Seems like a fair deal for all.

[ben voyonsdonc]

They ended up going with option 3 - both sides decline their original options and likely ended up in the best situation. What a fun contract he had!

I hope that they continue to add to the bullpen because, while they were great this year, there is a high chance that the magic will disappear for some of the lower end guys - Cabrera, Richards, etc. Mayza has been an up and down guy throughout his career but he showed a lot this season and hopefully, he figured it out.

The team seems to be pretty dedicated to taking a conservative approach with most of their starting rotation (I guess the Berrios debacle could potentially test the validity of the approach) and requires the bullpen to play a huge role.

I'd pony up for Jordan Hicks. As unpredictable as bullpen arms can be, Hicks' stuff mitigates the risk. His likelihood of turning into a pumpkin is a lot less likely than guys who rely on smoke and mirrors like Adam Cimber or Trevor Richards. He might not close games regularly but could form a bit of a triumvirate with Swanson and Romano to lock down games from the 7th onwards. Combined with Green, that would be a heck of a bullpen for couple of years (Green, Romano, and Swanson are free agents after the 25 season).

They might as well aim to have the best bullpen in the league while they are in the current window which looks to be about two years. It takes strain off of a strong but aging rotation.

[Roof-Daddy]

That's awesome.

The guy has an excellent track record, and once he found his groove he was solid coming back from injury. Two years is perfect IMO.

Makings of a really high end bullpen and starting rotation for next season.

[bluejays]

They truly have to have a best in class bullpen. They’re going to have an uphill battle correcting their batting this off-season. Terrible to say but they can’t afford to deal their prospects and their payroll isn’t increasing so they simply have to sign a few guys and make other deals. I don’t think anyone is ready to be called up, so it really is a situation where there may be a lot of uncertainty as was coming into this season. I really do think they’ll need to go into a slight rebuild after this upcoming season.

[Blaster86]

Their batting could end up getting fixed by a simple change in coaching and adjustments made by the new guy. Baseball is like that sometimes.

[bluejays]

Originally Posted by Blaster86

Their batting could end up getting fixed by a simple change in coaching and adjustments made by the new guy. Baseball is like that sometimes.

I am totally hoping so, based on almost all of them sucking last year. However, I think bad habits are really hard to change. How much time do they have to adjust their swing? It’s a real uphill battle. I keep saying it but after this past year it’s going to be really hard. This past year they were supposed to take this big leap. It’s really set them back on what to do. I doubt management does it but how do you not explore trading Vlad to restock the shelves? He’d still get a lot in return. There are just so many holes to fill that I’m at a loss how they do it without a significant trade to fill numerous holes.

[flambers]

Jays need to target and bring in additional offense.

Sure, some of the hitters had off years, hopefully they bounce back

However last years lineup lacked power, that needs to be addressed

[Roof-Daddy]

Originally Posted by Blaster86

Their batting could end up getting fixed by a simple change in coaching and adjustments made by the new guy. Baseball is like that sometimes.

So many Jays hitters came up way short of projections. A bounce back for some of them could easily be in the cards.

I'd still like to see a solid bat or two brought in though.

[Inferno]

https://twitter.com/user/status/1721649403729936497

[ben voyonsdonc]

The bad news: Little has a 40.50 career ERA.
The good news: that it is over 2/3 of an inning. Former 1st round pick so maybe a reclamation.

[ben voyonsdonc]

Mitch White getting selected to the 40 man is good news. He is protected from rule 5 and hopefully, with an off season where he is healthy, he can continue to build off of some solid outings to end the season.

[Kasi]

It he can keep hitting 95-97 like he did in the last couple months he’s a perfectly fine 5/6 starter. Only real issue is lack of options but if he has that velocity he could be a reliable swingman to give us some depth. The lack of options does hurt flexibility.

[bluejays]

Seems wise to sign relievers first. They’re less in demand and are likely to take what’s given just to not be left standing. Realistically they have room for a two or three more pitchers no? I really think in a year with little resources they should sign Bauer. Pitching shored up heavily at a likely steal of a price. Then of course all the work that needs to be done with the bats.

[Roof-Daddy]

I don't see any way the Jays would sign Bauer, and would he even sign in Toronto anyways?

Too much controversy around Bauer for a corporately owned team I'm thinking.

Hopefully the Jays can land that Japanese sensation Yamamoto who is supposedly good enough to be a top of the rotation starter right out of the gate. That could be found money.

I don't see the Jays signing any relievers in free agency. Other than Hicks, the bullpen is in tact from last season and they have some live arms ready or close to ready in AAA and AA. It also looked like Mitch White found himself late last season, and Cimber might be back to being decent again if he's healthy....and he'd still barely make the MLB bullpen because it's so deep now.

[flamingred89]

There's a very small part of me that wonders if Chapman takes the qualifying offer to bet on himself. His bat got exposed big time and even though he still won the gold glove his defense is in decline. Im sure he'll still get some big offers but definitely not in the realm of what he would've got after April.