After seeing Brett Cecil agree to a surprising four-year, $30.5MM contract with the Cardinals over the weekend, the Blue Jays are turning their focus to other free-agent lefties and have interest in Jerry Blevins, according to Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet (Twitter link). Toronto had reportedly made a three-year offer to Cecil’s camp, though that ultimately didn’t prove sizable enough to get the job done.
Blevins, who turned 33 in September, has spent the past two years with the Mets. A pair of fractures to his non-throwing arm cost him most of the 2015 season, but he rebounded quite nicely in 2016, returning to log a 2.79 ERA with 11.1 K/9, 3.2 BB/9 and a 45.8 percent ground-ball rate in 42 innings of work. The Mets used Blevins sparingly against right-handed hitters this past season, though he held his own against them quite well, yielding just a .182/.266/.345 slash line to opponents that held the platoon advantage. Somewhat curiously, it was lefties who got the better of Blevins in 2016, as they batted .255/.313/.324 in 113 plate appearances against him. That, however, is most likely an aberration, as a look at Blevins’ career splits reveals a .588 OPS from opposing left-handers compared to a .713 mark from righties.
The definitive loss of Cecil leaves the Blue Jays with just Aaron Loup, Matt Dermody, Chad Girodo and Ryan Borucki as left-handed bullpen options on the 40-man roster. Loup has been inconsistent and very homer-prone over the past two seasons, though, while Girodo and Dermody have a combined 13 innings of Major League experience between the two of them. Borucki, meanwhile, was only added to the 40-man roster last week (to protect him from the Rule 5 Draft) and hasn’t pitched a game above Class-A Advanced.
With so much uncertainty in the Jays’ left-handed relief corps, the connection to Blevins is natural. They’ll undoubtedly face some competition for Blevins, who is one of the top remaining left-handed setup options on the market and has already been connected to the Mets on multiple occasions this winter. It also seems likely that other free-agent lefties such as Boone Logan and Mike Dunn would also be on Toronto’s radar, and it wouldn’t come as a surprise if the Jays also tried to add an experienced left-hander to their ‘pen via the trade market.
He’s going to want to be paid as a successful Major Leaguer that rules out Sandy and the Mets from keeping him.
The Mets last year signed Cespedes, De Aza, and Asdrubal Cabrera, traded for Neil Walker and Jay Bruce, so I don’t understand what you really expect Sandy to do otherwise? Are you expecting him to trade for multiple stars without giving up anyone of value? Or are you expecting him to sign guys to big, fat contracts now so you can bash him in a couple of years for making a terrible decision?
He’s just a troll
You are a Troll and Adick.
I have bashed him for years. He is overrated and as bad as the Wilpons. Without him the Mets would have been competive 2-4 years ago.
What severely limited the Mets spending capabilities years ago was the Bernie Madoff Ponzi scheme. Since the Wilpons had some involvement in that (don’t think it was anything actually illegal), people were suing the Wilpons for what essentially amounted to damages. I agree that the Wilpons probably should’ve sold the team at that point, there is nothing any GM/President would’ve been able to do given the circumstances. Also I disagree that the Mets would’ve been competitive all those years ago. 4 years would be pushing to the edge of when Harvey started proving himself as an ace and deGrom, Thor, and Matz have only been additions to that rotation within the past 2-3 years. Before that, who was even in the rotation/bullpen? Johan Santana?
There were a few years where they were competiitive till June/July and if the tightwads had gotten a pitcher it would have been enough to give us a Baseball year that didnt end at the All-star break.
I believe with MLB/ESPN/FOX contracts all teams are making money from April 1.
How any Mets fan could call Sandy overrated is beyond me. He took over a franchise that was A) Broke thanks to our moron owners being duped by Madoff B) Toxic contracts – Santana, Bay and Perez were about $60M per year of dead weight C) An aging, mediocre big league roster D) A farm system that ESPN and Baseball America rated in the bottom five E) A fan base that was in a state of mutiny over the state of the franchise. What that guy has done in the past six years – completely rebuilt the farm, has put together a development staff that has produced an absurdly good pitching staff, completed arguably the greatest trade (Dickey for Thor, d’Arnaud and Becerra) in franchise history, built a team that went to the WS last year, built a team deep enough to make the playoffs despite being decimated at an almost comical level, restored respectability and professionalism after Omar Minaya’s mostly disastrous regime. This guy has been nothing short of a godsend. And the fact that he’s done all that with an utterly incompetent and cheap father and son duo owning the team makes it all the more incredible.
Solid. The problems are largely w. ownership, who were crippled by the Madoff stuff. Sandy’s problem is he can be arrogant and wants to show everyone he is smart. However, he has made some great moves and fostered a winning culture for the Mets. He has always had to stretch $’s and talent to make trades. Too bad he has been very hit and miss with FA signings. Cuddyer is the one that pissed me off the most. Losing a pick, overpaying, AND he sucked.
Signing Blevins and adding either one of Logan or Dunn would be huge additions to the BP. I’d be much more comfortable with Loup down in AAA as depth than to have him be up in the MLB.
I’m hoping to see him back with the Mets.
We need one of Blevins, Logan or Dunn as our primary lefty. I personally think loup can be used as a 7th man in the bullpen who can be a loogy early in the game. Using him as our go to guy though would be disastorous
Trade with the Rockies for McGee and Blackmon. Fills 2 glaring holes
The Rockies might cut McGee. He’s set to earn $6+ mil and they are tight on their payroll. Good luck prying Blackmon away…solid player and their only reasonable trade asset (i.e. guy they would be willing to trade).
ps. I really enjoyed Blevins as a Met, too bad he wasn’t used that great. It was Terryble…typical.
Girodo should be used as the Jay’s Loogy. He has good splits but Gibbons kept trying to get whole innings out of him and he would get hammered against righties.