The Blue Jays and right-hander Yariel Rodríguez have agreed on a contract, per reporter Francys Romero. The details aren’t known but Romero says that the WME client is expected to have his physical in Toronto in the coming days. It was reported yesterday that the Jays were optimistic about signing the righty but that immigration issues needed to be sorted out. As he’s now apparently headed to Canada, it would appear those issues have been resolved. Toronto has a full 40-man roster and will need to make a corresponding move to make this deal official. Per Romero, the agreement is for four years and $32MM.
Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic confirms that there is an agreement but adds that immigration hurdles remain. Enrique Rojas of ESPN reports (Spanish-language ESPN link and X post) that Rodríguez will actually do his physical in The United States but is waiting for a visa that will allow him to enter that country from the Dominican Republic.
Rodríguez, 27 in March, has been an interesting wild card of this offseason. He had pitched as a starter at the beginning of his career in Cuba but then was moved to the bullpen during a three-year stint in Japan. He then briefly returned to a starting role for Cuba in the 2023 World Baseball Classic, then didn’t return to his club in Japan. He was eventually granted his release and has been holding showcases for MLB clubs.
Players coming to North America from leagues in other countries will often have wide ranges of evaluations from MLB clubs. Given the unusual path of Rodríguez, that variance might be even higher than normal. An optimistic club could look to his youth, past work as a starter and strong results as a reliever in 2022. But on the pessimistic side of things, the righty hasn’t worked as a starter in many years and hardly pitched at all in 2023, which gives him an uncertain path forward. At the start of the offseason, MLBTR predicted that Rodríguez could secure a four-year, $32MM deal.
He began his career in the 2015-16 season of the Cuban National Series when he was just 18 years old. He pitched in 91 games in that league over multiple seasons, starting 72 of those and posting a combined earned run average of 3.30 in 464 1/3 innings. For the 2020 season, he signed with the Chunichi Dragons of Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball. That club kept him in the bullpen over the next three seasons. He tossed 175 1/3 innings in that time with a 3.03 ERA. He struck out 25.4% of opponents while walking 10.4% of them. His 2022 campaign was especially impressive, with a 1.15 ERA in 54 2/3 innings, striking out 27.5% of opponents while walking just 8.3%. He made two starts in the WBC, throwing 7 1/3 innings with 10 Ks but six walks.
Rodríguez got plenty of interest this offseason, with many clubs attending his showcases. The Rays, Red Sox, Padres, Astros, Pirates, Yankees and Reds all were connected to him at various points, with some viewing him as a starter while others considered him a better fit as a reliever. The Jays were one of the clubs that viewed him as a capable starter and they appeared to emerge as the favorite to land him in recent weeks.
The Jays came into the winter with their pitching staff in decent shape while their lineup seemingly needed more attention. But adding some pitching was also still a consideration for the club, as shown by their interest in Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Blake Snell. The Jays have four rotation spots spoken for, with Kevin Gausman, José Berríos, Chris Bassitt and Yusei Kikuchi all still with the club for 2024.
But the final spot in the rotation is a bit more murky. Alek Manoah had a rotation job coming into last year but struggled badly enough that he was twice optioned to the minors. Hyun Jin Ryu returned from his Tommy John surgery rehab midseason and supplanted Manoah in the rotation, but then reached free agency at season’s end. The relationship between Manoah and the Jays may not be perfect after last year’s struggles but he was still considered to have an edge on a rotation spot not too long ago.
Manoah’s name has also been in some trade rumors this winter and it’s possible that bringing Rodríguez aboard makes a deal more likely. But as mentioned, Rodríguez didn’t pitch last year after the WBC and was working as a reliever for the previous three seasons. The Jays likely don’t expect him to suddenly pitch 200 or even 150 innings this year without issue, meaning he might be more of a long-term project. It’s entirely possible that they keep Manoah and then have Rodríguez working multi-inning stints out of the bullpen with an eye on a larger workload in 2025 and beyond.
They also have other potential starters on the roster, such as Mitch White, Bowden Francis and Wes Parsons. Not yet on the roster but in the mix is prospect Ricky Tiedemann, who is on the cusp of the majors after he reached Triple-A last year. However, injuries limited him to just 62 innings for the year, between the minors and then a stint in the Arizona Fall League. Similar to Rodríguez, he will likely have some sort of workload limit in front of him this year.
There are still a few unanswered questions for the Jays. How Rodríguez looks in spring and then how he proceeds throughout the year will undoubtedly impact the answers to those questions. If he becomes a viable starter going forward, he can help the Jays absorb some upcoming departures. Kikuchi is slated for free agency after 2024, Bassitt after 2025 and Gausman after 2026. If that doesn’t pan out, the club will be hoping for a fallback plan of him settling in as an asset in their bullpen. Relievers Yimi García and Trevor Richards are slated for free agency after 2024 while each of Jordan Romano, Erik Swanson, Chad Green, Tim Mayza and Génesis Cabrera are slated for the open market after 2025.
If the Jays have enough confidence in Rodríguez and the rest of their staff, perhaps they can use it to address their lineup in some way. They lost Matt Chapman, Brandon Belt and Whit Merrifield to free agency a few months ago and have thus far made one addition by signing glove-first utility player Isiah Kiner-Falefa.
The club can still sign free agents, with each of Chapman, Belt and Merrifield still being available, but it’s possible the budget is getting tight. Roster Resource estimates the club’s payroll is at $221MM, just a bit above last year’s $215MM, with their competitive balance tax figure at $231MM. The club’s CEO/president Mark Shapiro had previously indicated this year’s payroll would likely be similar to last year’s. The details of the deal for Rodríguez still aren’t known but the club will be pushed further beyond last year’s payroll. Their CBT number will also surely wind up over the $237MM base threshold.
A trade could allow the club to get another bat or two without having to pay open-market prices for current free agents, but it’s also possible there’s still more spending capacity for a free agent addition. The club has been connected to sluggers like Joc Pederson, Jorge Soler, J.D. Martinez and others.
Future Astro or Dodger.
What are the financials?
What ever happened to Nate Pearson?
He avoided arbitration and is paid $800K.
cbssports.com/fantasy/baseball/news/blue-jays-nate…
Definitely glad the Astros didn’t sign him this time, anyway. He looks like he has great stuff.
But the plane, it’s heading to….
As a Jays fan this joke is getting old…
The plane’s destination has been deferred. There. Just killed two birds with one stone….
Which ones were killed? Blue Jays and..?
Two birds killed? Randy Johnson enters the chat.
Dave Winfield also
Not as old as “deferring all but $1.”
Rodriguez’ plane gets 1 mile with the other 639 miles deferred til 2030. Amirite?
Which isn’t nearly as old as….. “Frazier and Andujar for…,”
Don’t forget Bird.
Actually the plane happened before the deferment, so no it’s not as old.
Just glad the plane finally landed in Canada! A differed payment option available for all the trouble?
Not sure if it differed, and I doubt the payments were deferred.
Coming to Toronto for his physical? From Where?
I hope there is an “ambient temperature” element factored in ….
The DR. About 60 degree Fahrenheit difference.
Yeah everybody in Toronto is in their igloos! So cold!
At least we know how to drive in 1/2″ of snow. Lol!
Curious to see how he does in his first MLB season. Will they try him as a starter or put him in the bullpen. Either way, wish the non-existent Twins would have given this dude a shot…
I assume he will be given a chance to start out of spring, but may be better off in a swing man role for 2024 to build up some innings after missing an entire season. But I guess also depends on how both Manoah and Kikuchi perform
I would guess that Manoah starts in AAA with Rodriguez and Kikuchi occupying the back of the rotation.
Rodriguez is not a starter based on his history of innings pitched.
@hatter, that is just completely untrue. He was a starter until 2020 when they made him reliever in Japan. And even then in 2021 he pitched over 90 innings as a reliever. Absolutely no reason to think he can’t be stretched out. We aren’t talking about Pearson after all
Can something be incompletely untrue?
Yes, cause half truths are a thing pal
Yeah that was a great speech and I don’t disagree that he could be stretched out but there’s a problem with your logic. Have you seen his numbers as a starter? Do you wonder maybe why he lost four starting jobs?
The walks could be better, but I don’t understand what you’re seeing, he’s a mid 3’s era starter his whole career, that’s a mid rotation starter if he can translate that to the majors
I see that he hasn’t thrown over 100 innings since 2018. Quite a ramp-up will be needed to turn him into a starter.
How much of a ramp up did Lugo need after being a reliever for years?
Exactly, why did Japanese team turn em into reliever ? That’s alota money 4sumwhat spotty track record of performance n health. It’s not like he dominated in NPB or Cuba but they’re paying em like he did.
The Chunichi Dragons decided he overall was best as a reliever, and that was over several years in a lesser league than MLB. It’s been years since he’s carried a starter’s workload. I have no doubt they plan to transition him to a starter, but as the article notes, it may be 2025 before he handles a full workload, and that’s assuming his stuff can play up as a starter in the highest baseball league in the world.
He’s no slam dunk.
Toronto doesn’t need him to be a slam dunk though. The market is wild and he is a low risk/high reward option for the back of the rotation. Manoah is also a wildcard at this point, so they have another option instead of relying on him. If Rodriguez struggles, you put him in the bullpen where you know he’s been successful. Given his age, it’s not crazy to think that he could offer value over the entirety of his contract.
After not starting for 3 yrs plus a year off he will need to build up to a starters innings. Likely a multi inning role and build up to full time starter in 25. .
I’d also consider his BB( totals. 4.3 for his career and the MLB will be rougher.
I agree. He could get piggybacked for the first 8 to 10 starts and then depending on performance and injury they could stretch him out further. No reason to think he can’t pitch 120 plus innings this year
120 innings? I love optimism – but didn’t he sit out 2023 and not pitch any more than 60 innings from 20-22?
Go look at his splits between starting and relief. He should not be given any chance to start at all. He should be the setup man all day. He’s lost his starting job a bunch of times, let’s not make the Jays an experiment.
He was moved to pen when he signed in Japan. What are you talking about
He averaged nearly 5 innings per appearance in both 2020 and 2021 in Japan.
You don’t go from the rotation to the pen several times in your career if you are a good starting pitcher. His numbers in the pen are better by every metric or old guy stat available. Stop making this guy seem better than he is
bt
“His numbers in the pen are better by every metric or old guy stat available”
This is true of almost every pitcher.
I don’t see the Twins giving $8MM a year to someone who they don’t know can start, and may end up as a middle-inning reliever.
where’s robert herjavec?
I think we should ask that question here everyday!
The Shark Tank?
Now watch this guy pull a Shun Yamaguchi and hit a solid 5+ ERA this season.
and they go beast mode the 2nd year? And, in his defense, he was very good from the bullpen the last part of his 1st season.
Who told you Shun went “beast mode” his “second year”? Lol
I’ll give you the bullpen thing though.
apparently I have a reading problem read it as Kikuchi… too freaking cold to read properly, I guess!?!?
Blue Jays making moves.
Too bad someone doesn’t design baseball uniforms as cool as the new Lightning Gasparilla jerseys.
Not a big bat but better than a fart in the wind
How about a fart in a skillet??
Good for TOR. Need to keep pace. NYY have improved. TB and BAL already there
This deal is fine but it doesnt move the needle at all. They need bats, they needed bats last year and so far they have re-signed KK and signed IKF!
Definitely moves the needle by shoring up the rotation. The lineup does need reinforcement though.
Well rotation is already one of the best in the league. It helps a bit, if he pans out. Doubt he sticks as a starter anyways.
They’ll probably package Manoah for a bat if they don’t sign one.
T’he Yankees have obtained Soto, Stroman and are negotiating with Snell. All big moves. You think signing some unknown reliever from Japan keeps pace?
The Yankees still have to hope both Judge and Stanton stay healthy for an entire season.
And Cortes and Rodon and Trevino , their whole lineup is made of glass.
They made an offer to Snell, then signed Stroman. I doubt they are looking at Snell anymore. Must not have liked the response they Gor from Boras.
Yeah add more glass to your lineup. Jankys need to stay away from the always injured players not sign more.
Good for them!
Well Drat!!!! I thought the Orioles were going to get him, but they really have not had any hot rumors about much of anything!!!
I wonder how high they are on him as a starter. If they’re really optimistic, maybe there’s a trade using staring pitching for a bat. But if he’s more of a swingman type and he’s making close to some of the contract predictions, there wouldn’t appear to be much money left for a bat if their statements about payroll being in the same area last year are still the case.
Seems like the Jays will have to build him up if they indeed want to make him a starter….he’s not pitched over 100 innings for several years and although he has approached 100 since, has not gone over the century mark…….he may indeed be more valuable as a “stopper” out of the pen or an opener kind of guy with the goal of building up endurance for 2025……
He really hasn’t been a full-time starter since 2019 and has only thrown over 100 innings once (133.1 in 2018), so I’m pretty skeptical of the notion he’s a lock to be a reliable SP in 2024.
I know he took off 2023 to work on his game supposedly, which I assume means stretching back out to be a starter, but Jays’ fans should be wary of thinking he’s going to slot into the rotation without issue right away.
Certainly hope he can if that’s his plan, but just noting there are some red flags there.
Yeah. Mostly just wondering because the reports were that the Jays were one of the teams that viewed him as a starter and presumably their willingness to give him a shot would have been part of him choosing them. Also, the part where the Jays need some help on the offensive side of things and have suggested they aren’t going to increase payroll dramatically. I think they’re already over last year’s payroll.
I’d imagine the general blueprint for the Jays and most other teams trying to stretch a pitcher out to be a starter is to let himfocus in the offseason and spring training as a starter. Then in June-August minimize the workload by skipping starts or moving to middle relief. If things go well to that point put him back in the rotation down the stretch run.
Probably Manoah in a package for a bat if they don’t sign one.
His numbers are garrrrrrrbage as a starter in leagues with a smaller talent pool. He is the literal definition of a failed starter and I don’t see that getting better in the big leagues. That all said, I’m fairly sure the Jays had to make him assurances to come out on top. Prior to today all the marketing on this guy was to do with him being a stud reliever but today all of the sudden, there’s this chance of him cracking the rotation? Let’s hope not.
His numbers aren’t garbage as a starter. He performed at least as well as most SP do in the minor leagues on their way to MLB.
If he was a legit starter at any point, he wouldn’t have been bouncing from the rotation to the pen and back over and over. I’m curious as to why he hasn’t stuck as a starter in his career. That said, if his being there pushes Prince Manoah to grace us with his best effort then so be it. He was sold on us by the media as the best reliever outside of MLB but suddenly as they sign him, the narrative and PR angle changed. That tells me he’s got assurances so let’s see. Given they are going to play Varsho out of position for another full season it wouldn’t shock me if they put this dude in the rotation over someone that made more sense.
He could start now with an eye to having 4-5 inning stints. Like a big opener.
Gausman, Bassitt and Berrios all pitch a lot of innings and will help rest the bullpen. Plus they will likely start the year with Bowden Framcis in the pen who pitched well and can go multiple innings if need be.
Manoah could be moved with Francis, Rodriguez and eventually Tiedemann looking like rotation options this year.
now package Biggio and some young RP’s that Houston really needs for their bullpen, and send them all for a Alex Bregman return
They aren’t getting Bregman unless they pay through the nose.
Biggio is not good.
buddy i think you got hit in the head? r u ok? a trade like this is never going to happen. you might want to go to the hospital to check for a concussion
I doubt Craig even wants Cavan on the Astros
Yea im a Cavan fan and believe he can be a good big league player but theres no way that deal happens lol
We’ll offer Blue jays Polanco or Kepler for some pitching….:)Manoah maybe?
Id love to find the right Kepler trade. Not sure Manoah one for one is the right value. Maybe Manoah and a reliever or two for Kepler and a decent prospect? Kepler is just a year left and if moving on from Manoah, I’d think the Jays would want to diversify the return and add something that helps in the future as well.
I wonder about a cash neutral Bassitt deal for Kepler. Jays send some money along to pay half of Bassitt this year. Gives Twins a year to figure out TV revenues. No real savings for the Twins this year but you get needed rotation innings without adding to this year’s payroll. You have to feel comfortable about next year’s payroll though.
Why on earth would the Jays trade their number 2 starter and why on earth would they need to pay any of that salary down.
You seriously think Bassitt wouldn’t get 21 per this off season? Stroman almost made 20 per. 200 innings of 3.60 era ball is a pitcher with definite value
Admittedly, it’s a stretch to find a reason. He’s awful against lefties which is why they wanted to avoid having to use him against the Twins in the postseason last year, but that’s balanced by the high volume of decent work. But if you believe in 27 year old Rodriguez, maybe you feel fine about moving Bassitt for Kepler who I’d much rather have in ‘24 at the same cost and then have the $21m to spend on whatever your 2025 needs happen to be. Bassitt isn’t a bad contract by any means, but it’s not peanuts for a mid rotation guy either. It’d kind of be like the Ray/Haniger type of deal. Neutral this year while meeting a need using surplus, get out of the financial commitment sooner.
Mostly though, even though Bassitt is good, he’s not enjoyable to watch play. I get the sense he really doesn’t like baseball. He’s not a young kid who has the excuse of needing to grow up and mature. The temper tantrums, eye rolling, and constant huffing and puffing are cringy.
Rodriguez is a question mark if he can even start for a full season, why would the jays feel comfortable swapping him for Bassitt. Both Kikuchi and Manoah are on the roster and would present the jays with way less concerns if they were removed. Bassitt would have started game 3 against the Twins, so they trusted him enough to be the starting pitcher in a win or go home game
Yes he did. No better or worse. His WAR converted to dollars on what a player would make in free agency is 21.1mil. 200 innings pitched is a very valuable asset in todays game.
No way really? Is 18.5 less than 21. Good for you. Now notice where I said almost 20 million.
They both started pitching in 2014, have both missed essentially 2 seasons. No clue how Stroman has a longer track record in your eyes
Bassitt career 3.49 era
Stroman career 3.65 era
I guess Bassitt has the better track record
I know right, especially when you start your argument by telling me 18.5 is less than 21 like you were trying to prove a point
Almost (there’s that word again) like I was making a comparison between salaries.
And only one of doesn’t use his reading comprehension very well little guy.
Funny how teams value the guy with “the longer track record” less than the better pitcher
FG projections: ERA, FIP, WAR
Stroman 4.03, 4.18 2.1
Bassit 4.22, 4.40, 2.4
Stroman projected to be a bit better per inning, Bassit to throw more innings. Comparable expected performance
Holy crap you aren’t very smart fella
Trading Bassitt for Kepler would be very foolish.
Stroman also has wanted to play for the NYY his whole life and i Guarantee he took less to go there. Be that by AAV or term he could have gotten more
Bassitt got Cy Young votes lat year and you don’t think he performed to a 21 million salary? Giolito was much worse and got 19 million. Bassitt is a bargain at 21 million.
Jfs92
“Giolito was much worse and got 19 million. Bassitt is a bargain at 21 million.”
Projections from FG
ERA, FIP, WAR
Bassitt 4.22, 4.40, 2.4
Giolito 4.58, 4.47, 2.4
Similar projections. (In terms of overall production. Bassitt better per inning, Giolito more innings) Similar salaries.
It would be Kikuchi for Kepler straight up. They both have one year left.
I was puzzled by that as well. Let’s give Bo as well if we’re trying to be generous.
Bassit is a Cy Young finalist 3 out of the last 4 years. I would rather pay Bassit 21 mil for 200 ings @ 3.60 era then Stroman 18.5 mil for 136 ings @ 3.95 era. There is no comparison.
Bassit was a Cy Young finalist. Do you watch baseball?
Projections are just that, projections. Actual results are more reliable.
jfs93
“Projections are just that, projections. Actual results are more reliable.”
What does that even mean
Yes. Projections are projections. This is 100% true. Good job.
What does “actual results are more reliable” mean?
Projections are sn attempt to forecast the future
Results say what happened in the past
Those are two very different things
Kamkid
You said yourself Kepler has one year left, his value is not as high as you think. He is not a sure fire 30hr 800OPS guy.
Im sorry but in no world are any of the guys mentioned with multiple years of control worth trading for 1 year of Kepler IMO. If Manoah is traded i dont think 4 years of a starting pitcher who has shown he can succeed in the league worth 1 year of Palonco or kepler
This signing makes the Kepler or Polanco trade far more likely. So say Kikuchi to Twins.
That’s more like it than manoah.
Yet another guy “the Pirates were in on”. We’re past the point of comedy in this town. I think they say these things to prompt ticket says with the idea that they’re trying to compete.
It seems likely that Rodriguez will be a swingman type. That’ll basically push Mitch White off the roster. He’s had some major league success while in LA. He had a terrible ERA in Toronto but fine enough fielding independent metrics. Injured last year leading to him losing his roster spot. Finished the year in AAA really opening some eyes with stuff gains and great results. The Jays added him back to the roster to prevent him from leaving in free agency. He’d could be worth a shot. Stuff+ likes his slider and his fastball velo improved last year when he went down. He seems to limit hard contact in the air. Do the Pirates need both Edward Olivarez and Connor Joe on their bench? The Jays could use a weak side of the platoon OF like one of them.
Another one Boston let get away
And why would we want him? We need a front-line SP, not a project. I would not expect him to out-perform Pivetta, and I would bet that he doesn’t out-perform Clevinger, and we can get him for only a one-year contract.
Bye Brian Serven, we didn’t even know you
He might clear waivers.
Or they might waive someone else.
Serven has options and the Jays kind of need catching depth. I think they might just DFA an out of options guy like Lopez or Clement.
Lmfaooooo another person the redsox had no chance of signing … I’m sorry but if I’m a free agent and after seeing what they did to mookie, Xander , even had to force the hand of the owners to sign devers.. I wouldn’t sign there either and I am a Redsox fan ….
Sad to see. Henry needs to sell
I thought the goal was to try and improve not just sign players for the sake of it. What current starting pitcher on the Sox is this guy clearly better than?
Well seeing how we legit only really have Bello, and giolito, pivetta .. as our only true starters .. we def can use SP .. and dont give me the houck, and whitlock BS because they belong in the bullpen they both have shown that’s where they belong
Bello, and giolito, pivetta .. as our only true starters ..
=======================
I fail to see how Rodriguez is any more a true starter than Crawford is. Crawford had 23 GS last year, and Rodriguez has not had a start since 2020.
What current starting pitcher on the Sox is this guy clearly better than?
==========================
None. We need at least one more SP, but I don’t want it to be a guy that we cannot be sure we can get 100 IPs out of.
what they did to mookie, Xander
=======================
No FA is going to care that they traded Mookie and let Bogaerts leave as a FA. -0-.
Nice..
Love to see reds make an above market value offer for manoah. Something like india, Petty and maybe a big name like collier gets it done.
I think that’s wayyyyy to much Manoah who sucked last year and has a major attitude problem. If I was a Reds fan I would want absolutely nothing to do with that guy and especially for what you’re suggesting.
I’d pass on that all day. Manoah sucked last year and quit on his team. Not the kind of guy you want in a young clubhouse.
Start him in louisville and let him earn it. He literally has a 100 million dollars on the line
Makes no sense from the Jays perspective. They’re trying to compete right now so prospects, nice as they may be, are not a priority for the Jays. And India is currently on the same level of production as Biggio/Espinal. He doesn’t add to the Jays current roster.
Reds fans, by and large, overestimate India’s trade value. He’s a league average bat with poor defensive skills. He’s a bench piece or a bottom of the lineup roster filler.
You are gauging your opinion on india on what u read and not what u see. He’s always hurt. So that’s the only reason to stay away if u are concerned about his durability. When healthy, he’s prob 2-3 levels higher than biggio or e spinal. He’s a top of the order bat who can hit for power and steal bases. Put him in front of Vlad and bichette and he will be an all star
Arguably the most underrated stadium/sports team/city in all of sports. You can ask anybody. Verducci, Passan, Blum, Axisa, Slusser, etc.
When you post about a pitcher nobody has ever seen it’s negligent not to post details about his arsenal. How fast does he throw? What pitches?
@mlbh
From 2022 data, as he didn’t really play last year, I can provide you this, based on this link:
bo-no05.hatenadiary.org/entry/2022/03/31/201610
If you want to look into it yourself, you’ll need to search for this name: ロドリゲス
Fastball – Average 96 mph – 63% of the time
Slider 85 mph – 5% of the time
Vertical Slider (Type of curveball?) 83 mph – 27% of the time
Splitter 89 mph 2% of the time
Two-seam FB 96 mph 4% of the time
Sorry, it’s not a Virtical Slider, I think it’s a gyroball type of pitch.
縦スライダー (tate suraidaa)
I was just reportedly in agreement with my girlfriend, until she ditched the relationship
She couldn’t handle it and had to run to a smaller market
It’s me. I’m the smaller market.
You’ve never had a girlfriend, but that’s okay we’re not judging.
screw the BBWAA for what? miss information/fake news reporters like Rosenthal/Morosi/Heyman have no journalistic integrity. Do your job better and spare us with your bias takes
Wooo a reliever
Best guess is that Otto Lopez gets the DFA boot. Clement has more value and they might be able to trade Lopez for something, even if its just cash considerations.
Parsons can be DFA’d so I would think he’d be the obvious choice. I doubt the Blue Jays would want to give up on Lopez unless they acquire more free agents.
@four years and $32MM, Back-of-rotation starter, once-thru-the-order “opener/reliever” or leverage relief …lots of ways to get value at that price.
Good job, Jays!
I agree even if he just ends up as middle relief he wont hurt the team. But the guy likly ends up and a high leverage, multi-inning weapon similar to how Cleveland used Miller a few years back. Im sure he was promised the chance to start next year aswell
32/4 for a middle reliever would be a lot of money for that slot but I don’t disagree that is where he will end up.
I don’t actually know how to feel, please advise me on this if I’m wrong. Here’s what I see here.
He was sold on Jays fans during the rumour process as being the best reliever outside of MLB. His numbers as a reliever are otherworldly so overall I was pretty happy about it all.
Then the day they sign him, you can see the PR and marketing at work with the sudden mention of his “ability to start”. I put that in quotes because he literally has no ability to start. In his career he’s lost his starting rotation spot four times. That is the definition of a failed starter. His numbers as a starter are horrible across the board by every metric.
So they sold his skill level before the signing and then did a bait and switch with the sudden starting potential. Obviously this is just a back up plan for when Manure ultimately craps the bed or is it?
To me, it seems like they had to make him assurances that he would start as their way of coming out on top. Surely no other GM with a brain would consider it. He’s a STUD reliever but yeah let’s put him in the rotation since he showed so much ability to start in an overall inferior league.
If he goes to the pen, the Jays just got better, if he’s starting, it shows the lack of balls in the front office. I hate this team sometimes.
Do you actually know how to interpret stats. A 3.44 era over 22 starts are not horrible numbers. Same season on 2 different teams he had 11 and 10 games started, he had eras of 3.10 and 3.69. That’s 43 starts in one year with a mid 3 era.
How you think that’s horrible is kinda weird
A SP will be asked to start 30 games. 10 nor 11 will work.
Every Jays fan should be concerned with this move if they plan to implement him as a starter. If he’s a bullpen arm, slowly built up, ok.
However, how much money is left for a bat they desperately need? If they deal a SP for a bat this leaves the Jays exposed to an arm that hasn’t proven to carry a huge workload in Rodriguez and little depth beyond that.
Crazy how Jays “fans” are not concerned by this acquisition given their current payroll and lineup.
Except that he started 43 games that year for 3 teams. So it certainly will work.
He also averaged over 5 innings per appearance as a reliever in Japan until 2022
43 games in one year. Wow. Double check that.
He will be capped in case you haven’t paid attention to how the Jays have handled pitchers over the years.
As I said, you should be concerned by this move if you are a real fan.
Age 21, 2018 he started 22 games, and 2018,2019 still age 21, he started 21 games for 2 different teams. For a total of 43 games
2019 is five years ago. 2018 is six years ago. If that’s the best you can do then I’ll say it one more time so it sinks in:
You should be concerned about this move if you are a fan of the Jays. Very concerned.
Traditionally, any real and elite starting talent stays in a rotation not a bullpen. If he’d ever been a legit starter, he would still be one. Sure there are exceptions and maybe he is one of them but to me his value looks to be in the pen. Yes I can interpret stats how about you? What does it say to you when a pitcher has better numbers by every metric in the bullpen vs the rotation? Why would you want to stretch him out when he’s shown several times that his skill set is better suited in the pen? Go fetch me any stat you can that tells me he will be more valuable in the rotation. The only reason he will end up there is because they likely had to assure him of it to sign him.
bt
“What does it say to you when a pitcher has better numbers by every metric in the bullpen vs the rotation? ”
I keep reading stuff like this and…
…it tells me and knowledgable people that this is a normal pitcher who is more effective in short stints than longer ones. Like almost every pitcher.
The way I see it is that he is a Martinez type. The Jays need someone that can step in if Manoah goes sideways. And even if Manoah is perfectly fine, TO is unlikely to be as healthy has they were last year. Everyone needs a #6.
A #6 not at $8-mil per year. But yes all teams need a 6th.
Pretty close, imo. Pivetta for the RS, Martinez for the Reds. King, even though is likely a FT starter now. I think teams are going to gravitate towards high-end #6’s. Not enough teams get 140 starts from their rotation.
Pivetta might be your #2 the way it’s going.
Shut up. True, but you know, shut up:)
Just kidding, but part of being a RS fan is keeping the faith. But I specifically want Pivetta to remain our #6 just so we can avoid at least a little of the issues we had the past two years.
Im willing to bet that he was promised the chance to start but next season and IMO he piggy backs off/opens for Manoah if he isnt traded now that this move has happened. The jays still dont use Yariel as a starter in that case its Francis or white or whoever. But i have to agree its not the big bat DH or LHP smashing OF bat they need
We noted on our Top 50 back in early November that Rodriguez was a potential starter, noting that scouts who spoke to MLBTR backed up that sentiment. The potential for him to start is neither sone manufactured PR spin from the Jays nor a new idea.
The question is tho Steve do you believe he starts this year? I’d say likely not but used as a multi-inning relief weapon similar to how miller was used when he was in Cleveland and then in 25 he starts. He never pitched last year and pitched less then 180 in the 3 years before
If he starts, they made him assurances. I have read everything I could find about him and almost all of it pointed to his value as a reliever but early media from Jays outlets didn’t mention rotation at all until today. He’s earned nothing as a starter at any point so if he starts for the Jays without earning the spot glaringly in ST then yes, he was given assurances as their way of winning the bid. Nice of you to assume you are the only baseball page I read though.
Lol yikes
His weight on Baseball Reference is off by at least 50 lbs
Its not the 4th/Platoon OF and/or big bat DH the team needs. That being said in a worst case scenario and this guy ends up as just middle relief 8M would be in the neighborhood of the going rate for that. This guy likly ends up and a high leverage reliever tho. Im willing to bet that he would piggy back or open with Manoah if he isn’t traded now due to this deal. Smart money would be Yariel is a multi inning relief weapon this year and gets stretched out next year and that likly was part of the agreement with a signing team. It wouldn’t be wise to expect tgis guy to pitch 150+ innings this year after no action last season and only 175 innings over the 3 years before. It a good move for sure and hopefully this opens up the gates for the jays to make the other 2-4 moves they need to make in my eyes
Farhan was too busy shopping at the Salvation Army.
$8 million AAV seems to imply “Starter”, would be awful exensive for a non-Closer Reliever.
$8 million for a non-closer reliever is pretty normal these days, actually. Emilio Pagan got two years, $16 million this offseason. Rafael Montero got 3 years, $35 million or so last offseason. Kendall Graveman, Chris Martin, and Taylor Rogers all got $8 million AAV or more.
Do the Jays need to sign anyone else? Or are they fortified now?
Not quite fortified yet Trumbo. I need to eat my Wheaties then I’ll be fortified.
LOL!!
Not even close we need 2 big bats preferably 3
Great prediction on the salary! Congratulations!
He might be a good piggybacking option to go with Tiedemann. Each one could throw 3-4 innings. That would allow both of them to build up their arms for starting a full season without risk of injury.
Jfs92
“without risk of injury”
Decreased risk of injury
If they pick up Soler, he might be the cherry on top. He could probably hit 50 homeruns next season playing half his games at Rogers. So being a Mariners fan, I would not be enthused if they landed Soler. (But I would be happy for BJ fans.)
Geez this took forever….
This will look like a good signing next year when we need to replace Kikuchi in the rotation. For now he’s a nice piece in the pen.
#Wagner4HOF
Another pitcher.
Good, the BJ’s are on track to lose the most 1-0 and 2-0 games in mlb history, because no opposing pitcher is losing any sleep about facing their lineup.