The Blue Jays have already pulled off one trade, acquiring righty Taijuan Walker from the Mariners to bolster their rotation, but it seems they hope to add more players in the remaining three days before Monday afternoon’s trade deadline. “I would expect us to be extremely active,” general manager Ross Atkins told reporters following yesterday’s acquisition of Walker (Twitter link via TSN’s Scott Mitchell). That certainly doesn’t guarantee an additional move or moves, but if the Walker swap proves to be their only addition, it won’t be for lack of trying.
Per Sportsnet’s Ben Nicholson-Smith, Atkins went on to emphasize that his club’s focus will continue to be on pitching and run prevention. Supplementing the lineup sounds like more of a secondary goal at the moment, although Atkins noted the possibility of adding a defensive upgrade who also adds some punch on the offensive side of the coin.
With Walker joining Hyun Jin Ryu, Tanner Roark and Chase Anderson in the Toronto rotation, there’s still space for the Jays to pick up another rotation piece if they desire. They’d hoped top prospect Nate Pearson would step into the rotation and seize a spot, but he struggled in his two final starts before going on the injured list with what was eventually diagnosed as a flexor strain. Whether he’ll return in 2020 isn’t known, and while the Jays have some upper-level depth that could step into that vacant fifth slot, there’s some sense in picking up another more established arm — particularly if said arm is controlled beyond 2020. They’ve been linked to Trevor Williams and Chad Kuhl in Pittsburgh, but they’re just two of many options to explore.
As far as the defense goes, there are myriad possibilities to explore. Simple bench options like Jarrod Dyson or Billy Hamilton could add a late-inning outfield boost to support an already thriving bullpen. A more impactful defender, Andrelton Simmons, is likely available given that the Angels are well out of contention and he, like Walker, is a free agent at season’s end. The Jays are currently without Bo Bichette and could conceivably slide him over to second or third upon returning in that scenario. Help behind the plate could come in the form of Pittsburgh’s Jacob Stallings or a more established all-around presence like Christian Vazquez (if Boston is willing to deal within the division). All of that is speculative, of course; the overall possibilities are expansive.
Whatever route they choose to pursue upgrade, the Blue Jays look to have an increasingly clear path to a postseason berth in this year’s expanded format. At 15-14, they’re in possession of the No. 8 seed in the American League, and the teams most closely trailing them are the Tigers and Orioles — each of whom is likelier to sell assets between now and Monday than to add. Forgive the cliche, but the Jays even control their own destiny to an extent in that regard, as they’re scheduled to open a four-game set against Baltimore tonight that could put further distance between the two teams in the standings. The Tigers, meanwhile open a four-game series against the first-place Twins.
How likely are we to have an active trade deadline this year? Are contending teams willing to part with attractive packages to bring in missing pieces when the post-season is such a crapshoot with twice as many teams making the playoffs? And who wants to take on additional salary from star players remaining under team control given the uncertainties of the postseason and 2021 season?
There will be playoffs, teams are only paying full salaries because of that playoff tv $. Next season is huge ?. Will be busy trade deadline with rentals for sure. Other than that not much. Maybe a few guys with a couple years of arb left. I don’t expect to see mega deals going down.
No time Panik. Change the Font. Let’s not be Drury.
Best comment of the day! Can you fit gavilllio in there as well?
Panik, Font, and Drury for Dylan Bundy and David Fletcher, who says no? /s
Jays obviously – those are three untouchables
i dont know who or what a david fletcher is but im gonna say the jays would jump on that deal in a heartbeat
David Fletcher is one of the most underrated players in the league. Fantastic defense, can play the left side of the infield, good at getting on base and very low strikeout rates. If there’s a knock on him it’s that he doesn’t have a lot of pop in his bat. He’s often compared to David Eckstein. I’d be ecstatic to have him on the Jays.
thanks sounds to me then that the jays have to add at least a top 30 prospects to that package of that hot garbage of a package
Angels asking price is sky high
I disagree. I think David Fletcher is accurately rated.
He’s underrated man…. I’m his biggest fan so I should know
Official hot dog of the Seattle Mariners means nothing to you then FletcherFan69?
Imagine watching Fletcher play at Safeco while eating one of those franks though?!
no need to be Ryu(d)!
DFA, DFA, and let’s see DFA
It is kind of amazing that they have found a way to be above .500 with so much dead weight on the roster. Adding to the bullpen would be nice, but picking up one or two useful utility pieces would go a long way. I think the Angels would make a pretty good matchup with one of their middle infielders. The Jays have a lot of MLB ready arms that the Angels desperately need.
La Stella would make a relatively low cost add.
Giles looks very close to being ready… not sure they need another arm if he comes back and pitches as usual.
exactly and DFA font leave bergen up , instant in house upgrade.
Bergen was optioned after their last game
The main point to getting more arms is in case there are more injuries, which is a near-certainty.
“Extremely active” has meant waiver wire and bargain bin shopping with this crew. Don’t expect much.
Simmons doesn’t make sense to me unless Bo is going to miss the rest of the year. Why upgrade your shortstop defense just to play Bichette out of position trying to learn on the fly in September?
What I’d like to see is some way to package a defensive liability like Teoscar Hernandez and maybe somebody positionally-limited like Rowdy and cash or unimportant prospects for a true center fielder who can both hit and field and stick around a few years. Hard to find those, though.
For sure Smuz, lets get rid of the 27 year old who leads the team in just about every offensive catagory because he boots the odd ball, great baseball insight!
I like Teo, but he’s always going to be a low average, high strikeout and error-prone player (and he can’t slug as great as his current season’s small sample size). That’s okay for a mediocre team but a spot for a great team to improve. If they had room for him at DH, that’d be ideal. But they don’t, so he’s an asset that could be used to fill the team’s most crucial defensive hole. (Grich can catch the routine balls but he’s no CF, he looks a lot better in RF.)
Teo doesn’t just boot the odd ball, he’s worth a negative one or two runs WAR per year. Really eats into his offensive value when you have to put him out there every day.
Actually its been more like 400 AB.
He’s been on this trajectory with the bat since June 5th last year when he was recalled.
To get an Even or positive dWar player with his bat and years of control would be EXPENSIVE and are not easy to find.
As for a true CF’er well lets see Grich has 2,165.5 inning at CF and has a long term contract is hitting over .300 and has 8 homers and 5 doubles. I think Centre Field for the Jays has been producing this season and there has not been any lack of range out there
Also to piggybacking on the Teoscar point. The dude not only is producing, but all his underlying metrics support a big time break out. 95% percentile in both exit velo, launch angles, hard hit rate, xwoba. He is legit.
Grichuk is a right fielder. Doesn’t matter how many innings he has in CF. The defense looks way better with him in RF, which in turn makes the pitching better. Up the middle defense is crucial.
only if the net gain defensively from acquiring a CF is more than the loss of the offense from moving Teoscar from RF to DH.
only if the net gain defensively from acquiring a CF is more than the loss of the offense from moving Teoscar from RF to DH and losing Whoever is in the DH spot’s bat
The Rays have like 14 center fielders, maybe they’d trade one.
Tellez and Hernandez have the most raw power on the team and you want to trade them, if they get consisten playing time who knows where they’ll go, Grichuk is going to be our CF he can hit and he has good defence if we keep Hernandez in right field we should be fine. On any other team Tellez would be a stud he just doesn’t get ample playing time here. The amount of offensive talent we have is something we can’t give up. All we need now is pitching and a utility guy
I agree with trading Teoscar, if we get a top flight pitcher back with a bit of control. We may have to sweeten the deal if it’s a tip top guy.
We essentially have 3 x 1b/dh as Teoscar is not good defensively.
Sometimes you need to give up something to get something. The Jays offense will be fine without him. Teoscar’s WAR ranks him tied for 102nd in all of baseball.
If he becomes jose bautista, so be it, but i’d rather have a great pitcher, especially come playoff time.
Couple of comments
1- You are willing to give up on a 27 yr old entering his prime, breaking out offensively , on pace to be a 4 War player , even higher if he’s DH with 3 more yrs of control, for what type of pitcher have an example?
2- Both Grichuk and Teo have -.3 dWar so we should trade both and create massive hole in our everyday line up?
Nowhere did he say Grichuk, so why mention him?
Yes, deal the soon to be 28-year old for a top tier pitcher. Like he said, have to give up something to get something. If not Teoscar, who?
And no, Bautista is still a better defensive OF than Teoscar.
People don’t give up their best hitter when they are trying to compete
And we’ll replace Hernandez with who Fisher? Sure Tetley fix one hole by making an even larger one.
I am the one who mention Grishuk because he’s no better then Hernandez per -Dwar.
But hey let’s dump all our Bats and bring in all Jackie Bradley Jr types. that will work real well .
And he will not be 28 till after the Season so he’s 27 as i accurately stated.
Was Teoscar born in 1992? Yes. October. Therefore, he is soon to be 28. As I accurately stated, and you didn’t capitalize the “I”, which for you is appropriate.
Did you just say RF was a hole? Gee, you said Teoscar is a plus defender based on UZR, no? How is he suddenly a hole in RF? You contradicted yourself.
Unlike you, I am looking toward 2021 and beyond. 2021-2024 is the window of opportunity. If Teoscar, or someone else, opens the door to an impact player of need for that window, be open to it!
Jays will need a RF this offseason anyway if they want to compete. Or move Grichuk to RF and get a CF. Either way. So make a decision; deal Teoscar, deal Tellez or deal Vlad. Vlad isn’t being traded, so now you’re down to two possibilities, and Teoscar is hitting to the point he brings a return.
Nebraska – Jays will have to make a bold move to take a step forward. It could be Teoscar, it could be someone else. Barely seeing other suggestions but a move will eventually be needed. A top SP, 3B and either a RF or CF is on the acquire list.
Bill
You have a habit of twisting other’s comments/statements .
1- As of August 28th 2020- Teo is 27 not 28 as you said.
2- I gave UZR numbers to show he’s been improving in the outfield . He isn’t “AS” bad as he was back in 2018. I DID NOT say he was a plus OF defender- Nor did i say he was better defensively the Jose Bautista who’s number i used to highlight we’ve had OF’s who provided negative defensive value in the past and their bats made up for it. Same same i mention Grichuk today.
You need to stop jumping to conclusions and twisting the intent of other’s comments to fit your narrative and READ what people actually say, not what you THINK they say.
We got to this point because you jumped to conclusions. Saying Teoscar should be the DH because he’s the worst OF I’ve seen in a Jays uniform got the ball rolling. I’d say the word twisting is mutual.
Our convo below is much better. Let’s go with that. I’ll drop this.
cant wait till you get banned bud
I can’t believe it took so long this offseason for a team to sign Walker, coming off TJ or not. That guy has about as much talent as most in the game and knows how to pitch. Was 1 of my favorites to watch back when he was originally with the M’s
Surprises me when teams are more willing to throw millions at junk ballers than better talented power guys like Walker fairly often.
I’m just wondering where the angels fans that thought They were gonna compete. They’re awfully quiet.
I’m right here.. baffled by how bad we are again lol
It doesn’t make sense how bad the Angels are. The team has more talent than the abysmal record.
8 teams don’t deserve a playoff bid in the AL, for sure.
Head over to the rendon and Madden articles and just reply lol to all their comments.
Center filder you dont need to give thats much
Bosox will get rid of pillar for a pack of gum
1 major problem is 3 bases
Drury cant hit an chubby jr is trying at 1
to the MLB owner who trades for Wilmer Fonts, I will personally send you a case
of your favourite scotch !
i dont understand why hes still on the team let alone pitching in high leverage situations
Font and Drury combine for -1.7 War already. They must have pics of a drunken weekend in feb involving charlie and ross.
They must have pictures of Ed Rogers!
I am very happy to see the 2nd best team in NY actually be going for it. Good for them. It would be nice to see if Buffalo can get in the playoffs this season. Look’s like the Rangers are giving up. Just don’t make a trade for Michael Lance Lynn, Buffalo. Because Lance can’t pitch in anywhere in NY. I would say he’s a Sonny Gray Lite.
I don’t see the point of doing any trades if they are going to keep postponing games for NON-BASEBALL related things. Where do these rich athletes get off in thinking they can not do their JOB to force their social and political views upon the BASEBALL audience.. I just know if I don’t go to work so I can voice my social or political viewpoints then I am going to get docked pay and maybe fired. They can do all that on their own time (lots of platforms) Matters not I guess because fans will just boycott like they have started doing to the NBA.
So, in a participatory democracy, just WHO should get involved in driving meaningful change in society? you can be damn sure the ones holding the cards are going to change the game on their own…
Anyone can get “involved” but do it on their own time. These people are getting paid to play baseball which is what the average fan is tuning in to see,. Fans are not tuning in to see which side of a NON-BASEBALL related “situation” these players represent. So like I said they can voice/stand/run for President for whichever side of a situation on their own time and platform.
using that standard… we would only have paid for shills in politics – it would only be open to those working in the field.
the joy of a democracy is everyone has the right to participate. tune them out if you wish, but they have the right to speak.
Well, pretty sure you could get replaced in a week at your job. Try hitting dingers if you want the job security to use it as a platform.
NO. Stealing a platform (which is essentially what the players have done here) to state their viewpoint on a NON-BASEBALL related subject is not appropriate. Do that on their own platform and time.
To use your own argument about them hitting dingers so they can draw the audience, just proves they should use their own platform because everybody will go there to follow them and here what they have to say.. Just not the scheduled baseball platform for hosting baseball games.
What have they stolen? For theft to occur, someone has to have lost something. What was lost?
My ability to watch baseball on August 27th, 2020 was stolen by a bunch of SJW’s posing as baseball players!!!
/s
They have stolen the baseball platform used for playing baseball games and turned it in to a platform to voice their opinion on a situation. Do that on their own time and their own platform.
“Do that on their own time and their own platform.” That’s exactly what they’re doing, bossman. Pay attention and educated yourself.
Excuse me but a platform used for playing a baseball game that said player is getting PAID to do is NOT THEIR platform…..get educated yourself.
Fans are tuning in to watch baseball not to hear what certain players/teams opinion is on any given NON-BASEBALL related situation.
take your political bull to another site bud nobody cares about your personal opinion
They have stolen no platforms. Their respective leagues have willingly (in some cases, eagerly) given them those platforms.
Those leagues did so because they value their players and because they understand demographics.
Their demographics skew older, so your argument about the league knowing the demo is factually incorrect.
They have a platform because the fans have allowed it by paying their salary. No fans, no platform. It’s very simple. We the fans keep baseball afloat and make the players multi-millionaires. They stop having all that and lose the luxuries we have given them if we walk away.
Sorry for blowing a large hole in your take.
They did steal it…..they were not going to play weather the teams let them go or not so the teams were held hostage……..the Blue Jays didn’t say they wouldn’t play last night, Boston did, therefore the Jays have to sit or take the heat for speaking out against Boston not playing.
Either way baseball games should be about playing baseball not protesting NON-Baseball related issues.. Players can do that on their own time and platform.
I couldn’t even watch mlb tonight quick pitch. I just want to see highlights or games. I can care less what a celebrity or athletes opinion is on anything.
I don’t get being “really active”. I know this years rules might put them in a spot to get to the playoffs, but they clearly aren’t a contender for a WS bid. Small moves like they did so far, sure makes sense. But if I’m a jays fan, I don’t want them to go big in 2020 :/
In a short series anything can happen. They have more than enough offense, and with Ryu they have an ace. A healthy Giles and Bichette, with another solid pitcher and they could do serious damage.
Would love to see the Jays pick up Jackie Bradley jr. might not be hitting well right now but he’s a true center fielder which the jays desperately need.
see above re: Grichuk as a CF
I see them going after a bullpen arm. Maybe Brandon Kintzler or Rafael Montero.
why though, with the solid play of Bass, Dolis, Romano to go along with Yamaguchi and Kay starting to find their game as the long man/spot starter. Giles coming back and if Pearson comes back might end up in the pen. Seems to me at least that the jays have more than enough current bullpen arms the main need right now is another arm in the rotation as if they have another injury to a starter theyre screwed, Also could use a infielder capable of playing a solid shortstop.
Ok, I just always had a thought that the Jays needed bullpen help. So do they need starters, or outfield, or what? I really haven’t followed the Jays closely.
veteran catcher, good utility infielder. defensive cf . (low cost guys)
Controllable SP -Marco Gonzales type. (pricier)
they already gave the utility infielder-Santiago Espinal. Not really sure they need a veteran catcher either… unless he can bring some hitting anility and be used as a PH
Jansen/McGuire combine for -.5 War , We need a Low cost Vet with some any kind of a bad. Castro/Gomes etc , wouldn’t cost much. Vasquez pricier long-term option.
Drury/Panik/Shaw combine for -1.8 War. La Stella be a great low cost fit.
That’s -2.3 War over 29 Games. If we add for example Gomes/.La Stella ‘s +0.9 combined – That’s 3.2 War swing in the next 31 games.
Look at the standings who is 2 games ahead of us 🙂
bat not bad:
Vazquez is pricier but they do have room to spend and would bring much needed offensive power into the bottom of the lineup not to mention his catching skills and a good arm
Jansen offers gold glove caliber defense. McGuire seldom plays. Take the defense and game callung and wait for Jansen bat- he has come up with an offense 1st reputation.
The Jays will live or dye with Mcguire and Jansen this season, both are 25 year olds and neither has a complete season in the books as yet, why would the Jays move on from them? I really expect in the next few weeks we Jansen start to hit and it was only last season when he was in the discussion for a gold glove!
cant go by Jansen’s last yr numbers . This yr he has -.3 dWar that is not a gold glove calibre # ,. And both their game calling has been questionable at times. Send McGuire to alternate or as trade bat and bring in a veteran.
i did not say move on fro, jansen and with the need to add moreno and adams to our 49 man , i can’t see us carry 5 catchers on the 40 this off season.
So you want to get rid of a kid who was a gold glove finalist last season based on dWar after 22 games, okay good baseball instincts there Marko! do some research and tell me his dWar after 22 games in 2019?
JaysFan
Where did i say get rid of Jansen? i said add a veteran. – maybe i need to spell it out . Vet + Jansen
Btw speaking of research JaysFanSince77 . You made the comment neither has a full season. Do you not remember Russell Martin being released so Jansen could become our 2019 Starting catcher? he came up 2018. Do some research please.
We are tied with Oakland for the best pen in baseball. ( without giles playing)
don’t forget Merryweather… he has been dominant so far. sample sample size though…
right at the time all jays fans thought that the donaldson trade was one of the worst in franchise history. still looks bad but Merryweather has been so fun to watch so far i hope he can stay healthy as he was hitting 100 on the radar gun his last game
REALLY??? All Jays fans??? come on Bigdaddy, not everyone thought trading the IL regular Donaldson was a bad move, even for a bucket of balls. by the way, how is that FA signing going for the Twins? .179 BA and another extended stint on the IL……..and he can not blame the Jays medical staff this time!
The time to trade Donaldson was a year earlier or the offseason before. It was a bad trade from a timing standpoint, and the Blue Jays would be in an incredible position had they pulled the trigger on the rumored deal with St Louis. That trade would have dwarfed the Merryweather deal, and THAT is why Jays fans are miffed.
Does this mean they’re keeping Giles???
yes- worth more to the jays then they could get by trading him.
Even if Giles comes back this year, his best bet may be resign to a 1 yr, 8-10 mil offer for 2021 with the hopes of staying healthy and showing the league he is ready to go. Then getting his multi-year deal in a non-covid offseason.
Steve
Yes that’s exactly my thinking. He likes the Jays so even with all our young Bull Pen arms i think it be worth it for us signing him in that 8-10 range. Worth the shot that he’s worth alot more at next years deadline.
Minor, Choo, PTBNL for Tellez, and Manoah.
Pretty good trade but I would like to see tellez stay his offensive power is really really good
2 struggling FA for a yng power bat with 4 yrs of control and our #5 prospect????
Personally I feel like Manoah is untouchable. Like most of their young pitchers in their system they should be untouchable. Until jays are a perennial contender. My opinion at least
Totally agree especially Manoah and SWR
All-out push for that 8-seed. Is it necessary?
Andrelton Simmons makes no sense for this team in this particular position. If they were a first place team and one of the favorites to win, absolutely. Jays aren’t in that position, yet. The Walker acquisition was fine. We do not know if there will be harm in that trade. The Blue Jays are an emerging team. They have no emerged. The big deals should come in the offseason and continue to trust the process. Qualifying for the postseason is an added bonus and great exposure for the young guys. Just not at the expense of future trades they should start making this offseason.
I agree with you to an extent . I am totally against a shove all in Price type of deal , we can improve significantly around the edges without a huge prospect payout.
Disagree with you completely on Hernandez – you do not trade an asset like that right at the start of a breakout when he is still establishing value.
You talk alot about long term – Well consider this .Other then Martin and Possibly Kirk late next yr. the next wave of our position players are 2-3 yrs out.
So if you dump Teo for a pitcher who replaces him?
Our Top pitching prospects are much closer to making an impact then our position prospects are ( other then the 2 i mentioned ) Pearson/SWR/Manoah.
I’d do the following – Let things play out from a 1B/DH perspective the rest of this year.
Let’s see if Rowdy can keep adding to his value. Then in the offseason access who is more valuable – Teo or Rowdy both from a trade/keep perspective . Both will have much more value in the off season .
You want to sell on an asset near peak value not when it’s just beginning to appreciate.
Look, I think originally you misconstrued what I said about Teoscar. Yes, I think if a team calls the Blue Jays with a blowaway offer you pull the trigger. However, I said they need to make Teoscar the DH. That said, that means a decision on Tellez because Vlad isn’t going back to 3B. Without huge value, hard to deal Tellez for much return. So we are back to square one.
Who replaces Teoscar in RF depends on the offseason; Biggio has been great at 2B in my opinion, but he can move to the OF. Bichette has expressed consideration for the OF also. Do the Jays get an OF like Springer or Pederson? Or an INF like Didi, Semien or Simmons? That’s a debate for another time.
Rowdy can only add to his value if he plays. Jays haven’t played him nearly enough in my opinion. Play him, stop hitting Shaw 3-hole and have Gurriel protect him in the order. Let him play.
The impact pitchers will replace Roark and others down the road. Kloffenstein is a guy I would include in your cluster. Hypothetically, if Teoscar was dealt for a top starter to compliment Ryu, Pearson, Roark and a pitcher to be named later in 2021, that’s a damn good rotation. Then the young cavalry arrives and you have great situation.
Hitting situation would be solved if Vlad lost weight and improved at 3B.
Yes- a blow away offer for sure – applies to anyone other then Biggio/Vlad/Bichette.
But i think rival Gm’s are going to under value Teo/Tellez compared to
current+future value.
I’ve thought the same if Vlad could get fit and go back to 3rd . Even wondered if in the off season if Hernandez might make a 3rd base project before sending him straight to DH.
IMO trading Hernandez, and then filling the OF hole with a aging OF on a big contract like Springer would be a massive mistake.
The glaring weakness for us in the bottom third of the line up with can be patched up cheaply for the remainder of the yr and playoffs.
Heck addition by subtraction when it comes to Drury/Panik/Font and Shaw would have us tied /a game up
on Yanks right now.
To solve all these problems imo is to either work w Vlad on going back to 3rd which I doubt it, or work w Hernandez to help him play RF better. Tellez needs to be our DH day in day out, he’d have better numbers but he doesn’t get a chance to play
I didn’t care for the Shaw acquisition when it happened and still don’t like it now. Jansen still isn’t hitting. Someone mentioned Vazquez, and I’m sure Boston will want Jansen and if I am Toronto I deal McGuire.
The OF stuff was just off the top of my head. A stronger outfield D will be a huge benefit to the pitchers and the depth of the team. I do not believe Teoscar will be good enough to be out there. DH would be a perfect spot. I am sure you are right, and Teoscar’s value will not be that high for other GMs.
Also keep in-mind the FA pitchers are meh.
I took another glance at the standings. Maybe I’m overlooking 2020 a bit. Standings, as you said, are close.
JaysFan, I think Tellez can be the 1B and I would work with Vlad at 3B. I think most of his problems stem from weight and mobility.
I’m unsure about you guys and if you look into analytics and such, I usually judge with what I see personally; Teo has bad plays and such in RF but his tools are outstanding. Running throwing and hitting are amazing I don’t like the idea of a toolsy athletic player DHing. Again not into the analytics or numbers but Jose Bautista transitioned to RF from third. He became a great outfielder and he was a lot less athletic than Teo is (IMO) like Tellez needing reps at the plate Teo needs reps in the outfield before you totally give up on him. We aren’t a perennial contender YET do give him a chance until he plays himself out of the spot. I’m not arguing with anyone, I’m not impressed with his miscues out there I think he needs reps in OF like Tellez needs at bats before they make a final decision.
Rhymo
I agree on his athleticism .
Maybe a reverse move then that of Bautista might work . Go OF>3B
He has the arm, speed maybe the guy just can’t get good reads from the OF and takes the bad routes as a result.
Marko- I think Teo tried wearing glasses last year in CF to try and get better reads on fly balls I’m not sure if that’s the reason why he wore them or not but you may be very right about poor reads.
I thought I also read that he tried taking groundball reps at first base in spring training or the offseason? Not sure if true or not but if he did and not much mention of it may have resulted in poor progression in that part.
Rhymo I think that was just a rumor, but putting him at 1B wouldn’t fix much as the Vlad/Tellez logjam persists. Teoscar’s reads and his throwing accuracy is a problem. Is he better than he was in 2017/18? Sure. But he’s still not where the team needs him to be.
Which brings us back to the Vlad 3B scenario. It’s a conundrum.
Guys
Here’s some food for thought and by no means am i a scientific expert but i did play some organized ball – baseball and football when younger.
OF- See ball- catch ball-throw ball.
3 things come into play. An outfielder needs to quickly calculate to put him self in the right position to make a catch.
1-Launch angle- ( effects how far a ball will travel and how long you have to get there )
2-Exit velocity ( Acceleration-again how far will the ball travel and how long you have )
3-Direction- which way is the ball travelling.
These 3 impact the route a outfielder will take . Not all are naturally gifted with those skills. I know for me i had speed but the launch angle always got me in trouble.
A OF has short time to think of these and calculate the proper route.
Infielder
Launch angle has less of an impact other then on routine pop ups. Direction and exit velocity are the keys and an infielders reaction time ) comes more into play.
I was a much better 2b/3b then any of the OF spots.
For me infield was more reactionary movement added by muscle memory ( infield drills over and over )
. An athletic guy like Teo might make a terrific 3rd baseman. He should have the range with his speed and he has a strong enough arm for sure.
Some players are more natural fit when its pure reaction time and then hands.
There is one more element; left side and right side.
Some guys felt more comfortable on the left side of second base, and vice versa. Gurriel’s play at 2B last season looked bad. His arm is great. His athleticism is great. But he was never comfortable there. Some players feel more comfortable on one side of the field, watching the ball come off the bat, and the angles.
Tony Fernandez is another example. Better 3B than 2B, from a fan perspective. And he was a great shortstop.
Athletically one would think Teoscar could play the infield. But, I think the better option is Vlad slimming down. He has a rocket arm too. Unlike Teoscar, Vlad has infield experience. Would I have Teoscar take some groundballs in practice? Yep.
Very valid ! When he was hired Charlie was praised for the ability to think outside the box, let him show it with these guys rather then head scratching bull pen usage .
Heck next time we have a blow out.
Vlad- 3rd , Teo-1st , give Fisher AB’s and OF reps see what he can do with it. Let the guys get live game reps .
Tellez needs regular at bats and playing in 4/5 games to establish value like we spoke of before.
I still cant wrap my head around Font- the guy is -.6 War !! That’s an insane # after only 29 games. Yet they transfer Bergen and now SRF to alternate and keep Font.
Even last yr Font was serviceable only as an opener but as a pure reliever he wasn’t much. Even if he is out of options ( not sure ) we have so many more guys that are better he is blocking .
Bringing in Font a few nights ago was a head scratcher. Up by a few, Cole is available and he was brought in anyway. Now, I get that the idea was to get through the 6th inning. But, first sign of trouble they had to get to the next arm quick. With a 60 game schedule and an 8th seed, if the Jays are going for that playoff spot they have to treat every game like that, as though it’s a division lead in August.
Nonetheless I agree about Font. Never cared for him. I would have been fine with Bergen staying.
Agree 100% with the blowout idea. And with Drury now optioned an hour ago I hope that leads to more at bats for Tellez against lefties. He did hit lefties ok last season.
Kudos on a real baseball conversation.
Solid takes fellas.
Active sellers? Because they should not be buying anymore rentals.
With respect to Shaw, this is just gut feeling and out of left field but i sense that Shaw has “packed it in”
When we were 7-11 he was doing decently .
Then when we start climbing the standings he fell of a cliff.
1- His summer comments about bubble in Toronto shows some discontent about the whole situation.
2-His absence from the team for personal reasons.
(late july )
3- Players opting out don’t get paid/ those who get released do.
It’s almost like he was going about his business when it looked like end of Sept it be all over with and he could go back to his family but when it started to look like the Jays could get into the playoffs and “possibly” extend by as much as a month he decided to mail it in and hope he gets released with pay.
There may be some family issue weighing heavily on him .
Crazy i know but possible?
Possible. I think he’s playing as best he can and this is what he has left in the tank. Although he does not look like he’s in the best shape, which adds to your point.
Classic Costanza move.
One hot month vs another cold month away from being out of the game altogether?
Tough to imagine someone mailing it in with that kind of a lottery ticket available.
Personal reason absences and/or any mental health related issues can be enigmatic and make logic somewhat disappear. Tough to speculate.
Zobrist case last year gives me even more reason to never doubt anything.
This year is full of tongue biting, eye rolling exhaustion almost all of the time, so that could be a factor for anybody.
Managing a knee issue according to the official record, could be that simple.
Wily vets that stick around like Asdrubal Cabrera or Brad Miller are the reason that I maintain a glimmer of hope for Shaw. He’s shown what he can do at his best, and still has a little bit of hill left before he’s fully over. Opportunity is there. Health needs to cooperate.
Sometimes it’s enough to be looking exasperated simply by not being able to find your swing.
Magnified as a pro I’d imagine.