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Mark Shapiro Discusses Upcoming Blue Jays Offseason

By Darragh McDonald | October 12, 2023 at 1:46pm CDT

The Blue Jays made the playoffs for the third time in the past four years but each trip resulted in a hasty 2-0 playoff sweep. The club’s president/CEO Mark Shapiro spoke to the media today, with Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet among those to relay the information. While Shapiro touched on a number of topics, the key takeaways broadly involve continuity, with the club planning to retain Ross Atkins as general manager and keep the 2024 payroll at a similar level to 2023.

The 2023 Jays club was constructed differently than the 2022 version. Offensive outfielders Teoscar Hernández and Lourdes Gurriel Jr. were traded as glove-first players Kevin Kiermaier and Daulton Varsho were brought in. This had the expected result of the club faring better at run prevention but often struggling to score runs. In 2022, they finished fourth out of the 30 clubs in terms of plating runs but fell to a tie for 14th this year. But in terms of keeping runs off the board, they went from 13th to fifth. The overall effect was close to net neutral, as the club’s win tally fell from 92 to 89 but was still strong enough to get them back to the postseason, with the aforementioned quick exit.

It seems the club is satisfied enough with the regular season results to allow Atkins to continue in his role as general manager, a job he has held since the end of 2015. The club made the playoffs in 2016, advancing as far as the ALCS, before undergoing a quick rebuild with three losing seasons from 2017 to 2019. They started pushing their top prospects to the majors in that time, with Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette the most highly touted.

That led to the club making the playoffs in the shortened 2020 season, narrowly missing in 2021 despite winning 91 games, before getting back to the playoffs in the two most recent years. The lack of postseason success is surely frustrating for some fans, but the regular season results have been quite strong for four straight years in arguably the toughest division in the league, making it fairly logical that the club isn’t leaning towards huge changes.

“Ross needs to get better, but he’s done a good job,” Shapiro said today, adding that offense and baserunning are areas for potential improvement, as well as “communication of transparency” with players and staff.

Adding offense this winter will be a challenge since the free agent class is heavy on pitching and generally lighter on impact bats, but it sounds like the Jays should have some resources to attack the problem. Roster Resource calculates their 2023 payroll at $214MM and their competitive balance tax number at $248MM, their first time paying the luxury tax. There are some notable contracts coming off the books, including those of Hyun Jin Ryu, Matt Chapman, Brandon Belt and Kiermaier, with Whit Merrifield likely to be departing as well since mutual options are rarely picked up by both sides.

RR estimates the club’s 2024 payroll at $115MM right now, though a hefty arbitration class could add about $60MM to that and put them in the $175MM range. If they are willing to spend at similar levels nest year as Shapiro suggested, that should give them roughly $40MM or so to spend, perhaps a bit more if they end up non-tendering a couple of players from their arb class.

That money gives them some the potential to pursue various avenues this winter but, as mentioned, the free agent class skews towards pitching. The Jays are in good position in that department, with Kevin Gausman, Chris Bassitt, José Berríos and Yusei Kikuchi all still under contract next year and the departure of Ryu opening one spot. The giant unknown right now is how much the Jays believe in Alek Manoah’s ability to bounce back next year, though they also have top prospect Ricky Tiedemann knocking on the door of the majors. The bullpen was also a strength this year and the club figures to retain Jordan Romano, Erik Swanson, Tim Mayza, Yimi García, Génesis Cabrera and others.

But more offense is certainly required and the club will have to replace the production of Chapman, Kiermaier, Belt and Merrifield just to break even in that regard. Belt had a wRC+ of 138 this year, though in a part-time/platoon role. The other three finished with a wRC+ between 110 and 93 but each brought some speed and/or defense to the table. The Jays could get some internal help from key prospects like Orelvis Martinez or Addison Barger but it’s fair to expect them to pursue external options as well.

Chapman is the top free agent third baseman and could be brought back to man the hot corner, but they could also pursue someone like Jeimer Candelario at a lower price point. Merrifield is one of the best second baseman available but the club could perhaps give Davis Schneider and Cavan Biggio some run there after some encouraging results this year.

Varsho could perhaps slide over to take Kiermaier’s spot in center, allowing the club to pursue a bat-first corner outfielder like Michael Conforto or Jorge Soler, or perhaps reuniting with an old friend like Gurriel or Hernández. Belt was in the designated hitter spot most days, so there’s any number of ways the club could go with that spot. Time will tell what specific targets the club has in mind but it seems they will have the ability to reload for what should be another fiercely competitive year in the American League East.

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Toronto Blue Jays Mark Shapiro Ross Atkins

Offseason Outlook: New York Mets
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Offseason Chat Transcript: New York Mets
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68 Comments

  1. Troy Percival's iPad

    2 years ago

    They could non-tender Guerrero. That isn’t worth $20 million

    4
    Reply
    • KyleWHO!?

      2 years ago

      This guy knows ball

      5
      Reply
      • jdgoat

        2 years ago

        Assuming this is sarcastic, so I’m just going to say he definitely is not worth 20 million based on his results. His age and pedigree certainly make it an easy choice to make though.

        5
        Reply
    • Tigers3232

      2 years ago

      Vlad is easily worth that even in a down season. His on field production might not have been worth that this season, however MLB is a business and Vlad is very marketable and brings in revenue.

      Reply
      • neo

        2 years ago

        But how much money is he costing the team with all those Gatorade showers handed out? Ice ain’t cheap these days. Someone has to pay for it!

        He must be costing the team at least $5 million per season with all his shenanigans, pranks, etc. Imagine how much goes on in the clubhouse you don’t see. They have to try to market his fun-loving persona just to break even on him. Harder to market him when the fan base thinks he’s a loser, costing the team wins.

        Reply
        • Tigers3232

          2 years ago

          What else in particular aside from the cost of ice do you think he is doing in the clubhouse??? I know that cost of ice can add up by itself, after 4 or 5 games it equals maybe 1 bleacher ticket….

          Reply
  2. GRE

    2 years ago

    More LIP SERVICE AND B.S. FROM shapiro….THE RIGHT THING TO DO IS RESIGN AND TAKE HIS CARRY ON BAGGAGE atkins WITH HIM !! CLOWNS !!!

    8
    Reply
    • solaris602

      2 years ago

      That’s all you’re ever gonna get from Shapiro. Take it from a life long CLE fan who knows when it comes to this guy, if he can’t convince you, he’ll confuse you. Business doublespeak all day long. If they wanna go all in for 2024, trade Guerrero to SD in a package for Soto. I know they won’t extend him, but you’ll have a year of solid production in RF. 1B is tricky. You can sign Votto after the Reds buy him out, but you need also to acquire a plan B there. Chapman doesn’t deliver enough consistent offense for what he’s gonna want, so the FO needs to do their homework in finding an affordable option who is due for a breakout, and a reunion with Donaldson is not the answer.

      2
      Reply
    • Murphy NFLD

      2 years ago

      I cant say im happy but overall they have made many more good moves then bad 1s. Im sure the card and jays would like a do over on a cards outfielder for jays catcher trade. Its addition by subtraction for the cards as no Contreras amd the jays then get oneil, or nootbar or whatever instead of Varsho. Jays are in a weird place were ots hard to improve or fall back right now as most of there players including almsot all the pitching staff back, they need at least 1 for the grass and dirt. Problem is not much in the market, they need someone who can hit bombs funny enough 2 of there 3 best fits in FA are guys they had traded last offseason. They have 1st, C and SS locked up they have Schneider and Biggio who will be 2B and util players they have 2 good prospects to try at 3B but there best shot is to trade for someone with 2-3 seasons left to take over 3b who could play in the grass on occasion aswell. I think they should lock up Jansen this offseason and have a battle for 1 or 2 spots with Schneider, Biggio, Barger and Orelvis for 2b/3b and util. If the youngsters are good Schneider and Biggio are util/2b if Biggio and Schneider end up being there best options then they have to fill 3b outside the org. Leave DH open they have 2 really great hitting upper minors guys that are 1B, 1 can kinda olay LF the other 3B

      Reply
      • bullred

        2 years ago

        The Jay’s outfield in 2022 produced 55 HR – 205 Rbi’s – 402 hits – 23 sb – and -3 DRS . In 2023 their outfield produced 49 HR – 169 Rbi’s – 372 hits – 50 sb – and 49 DRS. A little less offence but a faster and better defensive outfield. I would take the 2023 outfield every day.

        Reply
        • its_happening

          2 years ago

          I’ll take Gurriel and Moreno in a walk year over Varsho and his team control every day of the week.

          1
          Reply
        • bullred

          2 years ago

          Hindsight is great but at the time of the trade it was Varsho @ 4.9 War for a prospect that had only obtained .7 War in limited time. Ariz wanted and quite frankly deserved a little more so the Jays flipped a player with an expiring contract and 5 HR on the year (2.2 War ,good but not great player) to obtain what they needed , their centerfielder of the future. Regardless of how people feel about Varsho he will be in center till 2027. You don’t bench 4 War players. I know numbers are scary for some people.

          Reply
        • its_happening

          2 years ago

          It’s not hindsight. You cite WAR like it matters. It doesn’t. Varsho is/was a bad hitter with nice defense and running speed. Stop using a meaningless metric that does not properly articulate the value of a player. Varsho’s WAR in 2023 did not translate into impact play.

          You also don’t give up the number 1 catching prospect and a consensus top 5 or top 8 prospect for a left handed hitter who does not hit. And did not hit in meaningless games Arizona played in 2022.

          Reply
        • bullred

          2 years ago

          War is not meaningless. It is taking all the great things and bad things a player does and puts them in a bowl. The bigger the bowl the better the player. Simple. Don’t fear what a player has accomplished. They’ve earned it. Your only looking at a couple of aspects of Varsho’s overall ability and saying he sucks. Not a mature take.

          Reply
        • bullred

          2 years ago

          Jays will fix him enough to be a .240 av. power hitting centerfielder with out of this world defence. Very valuable.

          Reply
        • its_happening

          2 years ago

          Your comment here is not mature. “The bigger the bowl…”. Yeah, keep eating fruit loops.

          WAR is meaningless because you have theoretical factors, inaccurate defensive metrics AND blatant ignorance of certain stats over others to say they aren’t valued over another. Too much emphasis placed on certain categories over others. Daulton Varsho has proved without a shadow of a doubt that WAR is meaningless. Against decent to good pitching he was exposed for what he is: a liability.

          Reply
        • its_happening

          2 years ago

          That’s not fixing the problem nor does it justify giving up the top catching prospect in baseball plus two good hitting outfielders when addressing team needs!! You’re .240 hitter hits .200 against aces and #2s come playoffs. That’s not good enough especially for that trade.

          Reply
        • bullred

          2 years ago

          You don’t seem to understand War very much by your description and that’s fine. The people that have come up with it never said it is an exact science but it is very useful all the same. Enough that every baseball media site and baseball rag uses it. Keep up the fight!

          Reply
  3. garth16iorg

    2 years ago

    This imbecile and his wooden dummy general manager continue to destroy this franchise. They traded away the offense, gave away a stud prospect in Gabriel Moreno, have drafted poorly and done nothing to beef up the farm system. Shatkins is a cancer.

    6
    Reply
    • tiger9

      2 years ago

      You bet…Shatkins and Shapyro

      Reply
    • bullred

      2 years ago

      Trade helped both teams. Good for Gabby.

      Reply
      • its_happening

        2 years ago

        Helped the Jays take a step backward. Sure.

        Reply
  4. roddy9

    2 years ago

    As long as these 2 are in place it will be good news for the other 14 teams

    2
    Reply
    • bigdaddyt

      2 years ago

      Yup just more mediocrity. Not gonna be the best team or the worst. Won’t win any home run trades, hit on any big prospects or FA signings. Won’t have great team chemistry or coaching just more mediocre. The other AL east teams are gonna keep getting better as the jays stagnate while Shapiro goes guys we tried what more could you possibly want?

      1
      Reply
      • aragon

        2 years ago

        The angels fans would be delighted for that much success.

        2
        Reply
  5. RyanD44

    2 years ago

    Vlad went from superstar prospect to superstar, and has somehow regressed to barely even being a star. If it wasn’t for his name, people would be a lot less convinced about his potential. He hits the ball hard, but on the ground way too much. I don’t think he’s as “bad” as he was this season, and I don’t think he’s as good as his banner season a couple years ago, I think he’s somewhere in-between.

    6
    Reply
    • mlb1225

      2 years ago

      “If it wasn’t for his name, people would be a lot less convinced about his potential”

      That’s not entierly true. Two years ago, he hit over .300 with an OBP over .400, and SLG% over .600 at 22 years old. He was 10 RBI and .009 points in BA away from winning a Triple Crown. He had one of the best seasons ever for a guy who was 22 years old or younger since intergration, ranking 9th in wRC+, 11th in wOBA, 6th in OPS, and the most home runs. Even as a prospect, he hit over .400 at Double-A. There was a reason why many were convinced of his potential, aside from him being related to a Hall Of Famer.

      4
      Reply
      • bigdaddyt

        2 years ago

        Oh the juiced ball year/minor league park year vladdy was good? Got a minor league slider you can throw within a 2 foot area down and away? Cause about 99% chances are vladdy gonna swing at it

        3
        Reply
        • mlb1225

          2 years ago

          Okay, that still doesn’t change the fact that he had one of the best seasons ever for a major leaguer at age 22 or younger in 2021. That was post-juiced ball. The ball also wasn’t juiced in the league where Vlad hit over .400. The league average BA was .250 while the average OPS was .719. The average ERA was only 4.01. So, no, he did not hit .400 with a juiced baseball.

          3
          Reply
        • JoeBrady

          2 years ago

          mlb12253 hours ago
          Okay, that still doesn’t change the fact that he had one of the best seasons ever for a major leaguer at age 22 or younger in 2021.
          =======================
          Look back at bigdaddy’s comment. He mentioned the minor league park. While Vlad had an overall 1.002 OPS, that included a 1.418 at TD and 1.180 at Shalen. That’s a pretty significant difference.

          1
          Reply
        • mlb1225

          2 years ago

          The point I was trying to make was that in the end, I’d weigh his 2021 season more than what he did at Double-A. Even then, if we are talking about why he was ever seen to have a lot of potential, well if a 1.180 OPS is the counter argument here, then there’s the reason.

          Reply
      • Colter Wood

        2 years ago

        We talking about the year he played the bulk of his home games out of Buffalo?

        Reply
    • Jimmy Trigs

      2 years ago

      I’m just going to leave this here. He is average at best.

      VLAD GUERRERO JR 2023
      .264 .345 .444 .788

      LYLE OVERBAY 2006
      .312 .372 .508 .880

      4
      Reply
      • MoneyBallJustWorks

        2 years ago

        that’s a great way to nitpick

        5
        Reply
      • Tigers3232

        2 years ago

        Probably just a coincidence u chose to pick one of Overbay’s 2 best seasons. And Overbay was anything but average in 2006. He had 46 doubles 22 HRs 92 RBIs with a .312 BA.

        Reply
  6. clrrogers

    2 years ago

    I think they need to start the off-season by signing Cody Bellinger. That will go a long way towards showing they’re serious about meaningfully improving this offense.

    1
    Reply
    • solaris602

      2 years ago

      Way too much risk there. Anyone who knows Shapiro understands he never makes that kind of move.

      2
      Reply
  7. nosake

    2 years ago

    Losing Kiermaier would be a mistake IMO.

    4
    Reply
    • bullred

      2 years ago

      I agree . It was a great feeling having him out in the field.

      Reply
  8. briar-patch thatcher

    2 years ago

    Shapiro says: “Ross needs to get better, but he’s done a good job.”

    That is the Blue Jays front office in a nutshell.

    Pick one, Mark. Or better yet, continue to hedge like your investment strategy.

    3
    Reply
  9. acoss13

    2 years ago

    Blue Jays fans look upset going by some of the comments, and as a White Sox fan, I wish our team had even an iota of the talent your roster has. You want a bad front office, then look no further than the White Sox.

    8
    Reply
    • bullred

      2 years ago

      Jays fans and media are losing their minds over what in hindsight maybe wasn’t a great move but had nothing to do with creating the runs needed to win anything. Put away your pitchforks and move on. It’s over people. It doesn’t need to get dissected to death. I’m happy it was the Twins that we lost to. Cheers to them but I wish they could have beat Houston and moved on further.

      1
      Reply
  10. sufferforsnakes

    2 years ago

    Make another great trade with my team. We need starters.

    1
    Reply
    • et123123

      2 years ago

      Fine, you can have Manoah.

      1
      Reply
  11. Cora the Destroya

    2 years ago

    How about an ace pitcher? They don’t really have one

    Reply
    • MotownWings

      2 years ago

      Rotation was great for the most part all year. They need to beef up the offence.

      1
      Reply
      • Cora the Destroya

        2 years ago

        I never said it was bad. They just didn’t have an ace.

        Blue Jays have developed great talent but they always seem to go after free agents who come off career years, hoping they repeat the same excellence. It’s like they’re two seasons too late in grabbing the best out of the free agent market.

        1
        Reply
  12. basquiat

    2 years ago

    Nobody spins as well as Mark Shapiro. He can say more nothing with more words than anyone. I dare anybody to translate his double-speak.

    5
    Reply
    • solaris602

      2 years ago

      Like he did in CLE he fills holes with words that are, at the end of the day, non-committal platitudes designed to delude fans into thinking they’re gonna actually address needs this winter. He delivers just enough to stave off disappointment. He is and always will be satisfied with a successful regular season with no design for post season success.

      1
      Reply
  13. desmond

    2 years ago

    The bluejays are what all toronto teams are: place holders. Irrelevant, mediocrity-accepting and yet somehow arrogant. This is what happens when you are merely a corporate entity with priorities other than winning championships which is what rogers & bell media have made their franchises: content for sports media and appealing only to the dimmest of fans who fall for the hype every year.

    2
    Reply
  14. its_happening

    2 years ago

    More stadium renovations which means there will not be a teardown. With roughly $40-million to spend this offseason the Jays will need to have Cavan/Schneider play 2B with holes to address at 3B and OF. They will need a RH outfield bat to play CF to bench Varsho against left handed pitching.

    This could mean trading Tiedemann and more for a 3B, and signing an OF.

    Reply
  15. BetterMuppet:JUDGEorKERMIT?

    2 years ago

    You don’t get rid of a president of baseball or a general manager unless they’ve done something you’d consider egregious

    This team was built to win the division and didn’t, this team was built to win in October, and didn’t.

    It’s easy to break down the pitching decision and of course it’s frustrating but the fact is they only gave up two runs

    They left tons of guys on Base in both games, and, as was the norm, had unfathomable Base running mistakes by their two stars

    This is a really hard position to be in, as the next two years look like, with some money, they could easily replicate the last two years….. but as you’re sensing from Jay’s fans, that’s not enough

    There will be a new 3rd base coach, there will be a new Hitting coach, there will be a character veteran signed, the Jays will be linked to anyone and everyone in the off-season, will probably sign another picture, adding speculation that they can trade from their rotation to get offensive help, and it’s going to be a dramatic winter

    These guys aren’t going anywhere anytime soon, they have turned this team around on the financial side of things, to no longer be a loss leader for Rogers, the renovation phase 1 was pretty awesome, phase 2 is going to absolutely get every drop of blood out of the stone when it comes to Increasing revenues, the people that are spending $3500 apiece for Taylor Swift tickets for the 10-year-olds, are going to have no problem spending $200 for a steak dinner to eat underneath the seats while the game is on ala the maple leafs….

    So while it’s an amazing time to be a Jays fan, who watches every game in 4K, except for the 5 to 10 I make it in for….. it’s also going to be painfully, painfully difficult, as the grim reality is, Bo and Vladi are not what we hoped they would be.

    I will continue to check this site daily, and be like a dog on a bone with any Ohtani to Toronto rumours (leaked that he loves the Florida practice facilities, which are far and away best in class, and he has a love for Torontos culture as it relates to the immigrant experience, and recognizes the business potential of marketing himself in three countries)

    Hate it, Love it: Fandom

    4
    Reply
    • Whyme

      2 years ago

      You have to be joking? Raising season ticket prices substantially while moving these same holders locations farther back while producing one of the most unlikable teams in baseball isn’t going to cut it. The entire fan base is angry. Great business model right smh

      Reply
  16. slider32

    2 years ago

    OK, the Jays miss AA and have under performed. They had one of the best teams on paper this year. Now is the time to tweak the roster and hope you made the right moves to put the team over the top, not over haul the team.

    Reply
  17. westcasey

    2 years ago

    step one: offer Kikuchi and Pearson to Mets for McNeil.

    Reply
  18. jimmertee

    2 years ago

    I don’t know why anyone is surprised at the speeches and performance of Shapiro and Atkins. As stated in 2015/2016 when they were hired, the BlueJays will never win with these two leading the organization.

    It will continue to be a mess and these two will continue to say lots of words meaning nothing.

    I will give props to Shapiro for the excellent job he did in Dunedin and Rogers Center renovations and getting the organization through covid. Mark Shapiro is a great administrator but a weak baseball team and talent evaluator. I would vote his removal from all baseball decision-making and have Mark focus on the business side of things kinda like what eventually happened in Cleveland.

    Edward Rogers, are you listening?

    3
    Reply
    • its_happening

      2 years ago

      Rogers is the problem. Have you been paying attention since the hiring of Ricciardi?

      1
      Reply
      • jimmertee

        2 years ago

        For sure, Rogers likes hiring admin who don’t know the game but are good with the money. The only Rogers exception was AA and he was hired to be GM by Beeston in 2010. Rogers couldn’t push Beeston around as much.

        FYI, scouting types, including me, had Moreno as a Star in the making and teams don’t trade those prospects especially if they are catchers. Dumb Dumb Dumb move by the Jays and it was called at the time of the trade.

        1
        Reply
        • its_happening

          2 years ago

          First, let’s not inflate the AA tenure. Up until the Tulo trade he had been rather unsuccessful. He pulled some questionable shenanigans which resulted in mid-performance on the field.

          Moreno. Well, didn’t need a scout to understand that up until his thumb was blown off by a fastball, his 2021 was ridiculous. Athletic, solid defender with an arm of a God. You don’t trade him for a glorified 4th outfielder who’s defense manipulates what we can now toss away as a poor metric to measure good players (WAR).

          Reply
  19. Samuel

    2 years ago

    Mark Shapiro oversaw a rebuild that had to be done as AA “Went All In” as the GM one year and didn’t get to the WS. Shapiro was brought in as President, admonished AA for what he did, and set about disassembling that team and doing a rebuild – something that had to be done. The thing was: It was the people that worked for AA that had scouted and signed Guerrero Jr., Bichette, Jansen Kirk along with a few others. Had they been allowed to continue the Jays may well have acquired and developed a number of other players of that caliber. But AA was insulted by Shapiro’s comments and left – first to the Dodgers them taking over the Braves rebuild where he has excelled.

    Meanwhile Shapiro promoted Atkins, an ex-pitcher of his in Cleveland to be GM. (Shapiro is big on ‘mentoring” people at the ML level that wind up being quite ordinary in their good years.) Since then the Jays have pretty much built a team on the 4 players listed above, and then taking on veteran salaries in trade or FA – salaries their existing teams no longer wanted to be paying because their production didn’t warrant it. It was inevitable that the Jays would hit a wall as teams like the Yankees have. They actually hit the wall in 2022. This year was the next step down. Now the Jays are in a position where they have to get younger, more athletic, and get their payroll down some. A difficult task for an experienced GM, as teams will not give away good young players to take on the likes of the Jays that are expendable, old, declining on the field, and owed larger salaries then they’ll produce. Having watched Mark Shapiro he’s one of those execs – found in any business – that is about his survival first, and will throw whoever he has to under the bus…..although he’ll do it politely – i.e. “Ross has to do better”..

    As I wrote under another Jays article recently: The Orioles are going to get nothing but better for at least the next 3 years. The Rays are good and their farm system too is loaded. Bloom did some nice things with his staff to find quality young players with upside at the major league and minor league levels. Even the Yankees have a number of youngsters that have started to come up, although they seem to be pretty overrated by the national baseball media. That leaves the Jays as the team in the AL East with far and away the least potential upside for players on their 40 man roster and in the minors.

    I don’t know what the Jays will do this offseason, or the other AL East teams. But I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Jays in last place a year from now.

    1
    Reply
    • jimmertee

      2 years ago

      I like this take.

      Reply
    • its_happening

      2 years ago

      They have to either go full rebuild or spend way beyond the threshold. They will do neither. Last place is within reason for the Jays if they suffer injuries on the mound.

      Reply
  20. MLBTR Keeps Getting Worse

    2 years ago

    “That money gives them some the potential to pursue various avenues this winter but, as mentioned, the free agent class skews towards pitching.”

    No. This is not how you use commas. It should never be after “but” or “and.” In fact, it’s not necessary at all.

    “That money gives them some the potential to pursue various avenues this winter but as mentioned, the free agent class skews towards pitching.”

    FFS learn how to write, people.

    Reply
    • KingKat

      2 years ago

      The location of the comma has nothing to do with the word “but”. The two commas essentially act as a parentheses around “as mentioned” and align with the natural pauses you would insert in your speech. That’s why the sentence you are criticizing actually reads much better than your correction.

      1
      Reply
  21. Shady1771

    2 years ago

    I like a lot of the comments here. Shapkins duo need to go. They both sound like politicians! Talking out of the sides of their mouths.

    The not naming difficult players comment was interesting to me. If I was a betting man I would hazard a guess at Manoah and possibly Vladdy. Vladdy’s antics on and off the field suggest that he has ADHD. When he’s DH or was on a day off he literally cannot sit still in the dugout. He constantly bothers other players and can’t seem to stop. This dumping ice water on the players being interviewed is beyond old. Every time they win?! Really?! He still has to shhh when he rounds 3rd base after hitting a home run to silence those speaking ill of him which reminds me of a child. Move on from that and get over yourself. All professional athletes are criticized for their mistakes. It’s the nature of the sport. I would honestly trade Vladdy and Manoah and keep Bo. Bo is calm, collected and more of a professional athlete than either one of them.

    I’m a huge fan of the Jays but man they were really tough to watch this year. I don’t watch hockey and always look forward to spring training when the boys of summer start playing again but hopefully the Jays can shape up and acquire some consistent talent in the winter prior to March 2024!

    1
    Reply
  22. BlueJ’sAllDay

    2 years ago

    Pulling Berrios was such a ridiculous decision and all I would have liked to hear from Ross or Mark is that this decision may not have been a good one. It clearly wasn’t. No other team would have or has ever done something equivalent to that before. It is the type of move you plan for if your starter runs into early trouble and Jose clearly didn’t. Such a deflating move to make which changes the balance of momentum to the other team. It’s crystal clear for someone who has played high level sports. Berrios actually deserves an apology in my opinion. He’s pitching the game of his life and you pull that crap on him? Not ok Jays management and I’ve lost a lot of respect for everyone involved with this club. Still hoping the right things will be said and the right moves will be made to get me enthusiastic about this team again. You’re so concerned about lefty matchups later in the game? Why are we pulling crap moves like this because we are worried about Max Kepler? These lefty hitters we’re so concerned about are scrubs. There was never a need to do this. WTFU

    Reply
  23. expos771

    2 years ago

    I hate those 2 in 2016 I still hate those 2 in 2023
    We had tough year don’t forget 2017/18/19 was horrible

    Shapiro is very good manipulator and liar he should whit Trudeau not in baseball team

    Reply
  24. User 1580013680

    2 years ago

    Hopefully he’s not part of the plans

    Reply

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