Over his first 5 starts this season–his first in a Toronto uniform–righty Matt Shoemaker was one of the best pitchers in the AL East. Though likely benefitting from a .183 BABIP, Shoemaker’s 1.57 ERA across those first 28.2 innings was likely even more than GM Ross Atkins bargained for when the club signed the embattled pitcher to a one-year, incentive-laden $3.5MM contract back in December.
Of course, those five starts were only prelude to yet another unfortunate Shoemaker injury, as the veteran suffered an ACL tear on Apr. 20 that ended his season prematurely. Though 2019 didn’t turn into the fairytale campaign he might have hoped, Shoemaker now tells TSN’s Scott Mitchell that both the pitcher and the Toronto front office seem to have some interest in giving it another go in 2020 (link). “We’ve had some small discussion showing my interest,” Shoemaker told Mitchell, “To be completely honest with you, I’d like to be here and I’d like to be here long term.”
In a subsequent tweet, which is speculation of his own, Mitchell adds that Toronto may be wise to simply offer the 32-year-old Shoemaker another one-year deal in the area of $3.5MM–although he figures that the attachment of a club option for 2021 may be prudent for the Jays this time around (Twitter link). At first glance, that seems like relatively sound reasoning from the Canadian reporter.
After all, it was mostly a litany of previous injuries that suppressed Shoemaker’s value heading into 2018-2019 free agency. In 2016, the righty was hit by a comebacker in the head–an incident which ultimately led to brain surgery. After battling back from that ordeal, Shoemaker was sidetracked by issues with his throwing arm in 2017 and 2018. All told, the righty hasn’t surpassed the 100-inning threshold since 2016–but there’s no arguing with the Michigan native’s track record when he has indeed been healthy enough to toe the rubber.
Through 98 career starts and 573.2 innings, Shoemaker owns 3.81 ERA, 3.93 FIP, 8.06 K/9, and 2.17 BB/9 numbers–more-than-respectable marks for a man who went undrafted in 2008 out of Eastern Michigan University. If Atkins and his cadre are confident enough in Shoemaker’s April showing to believe that his arm issues are truly behind him, it may indeed make sense to run it back one more time in 2020–assuming that rehab on his injured knee continues to progress well.
But he’s not a free agent….?
Non tender candidate due to extensive injury history
He’s set to earn almost no raise on his $3.5M salary as a major league starter if healthy that’s a great deal and likely worth the risk. Not to mention re-signing with the team isn’t up to him… it’s up to the team whether or not they tender him a contract.
Paying anyone around $3.5m for 30ip is ridiculous. “If healthy” is putting it lightly.
Resign: Quit and go somewhere else
Re-sign: Stay with the same team
Even though it bugs me because it’s such a simple concept, you expect to see that from non-professional writers in posts and chats, but you have to expect better from the writers at MLBTR.
Why don’t you just try focusing on the journalism and validity behind the post and less about the verbs. It’s not like you bought access to the post.
@abgb123
Any writer that makes amateurish mistakes like that is undercutting his own work.
The free access is irrelevant. Once you develop a blog post, free or not, a certain competency is a minimal expectation.
Eye roll.
Demand your money back!
“Demand your money back!”
Totally missed the point, huh? Maybe they don’t charge but I am still subjected to the ads that they make their money with.
So you’re saying as long as something is free it can be done in a sub-par fashion? Though the focus of MLBTR is baseball, the vehicle is still writing. Being about sports is no excuse to be ignorant of correct usage.
There is a direct link between baseball and literature. Some great literature is about baseball. The great baseball writer Roger Angell, is the chief fiction editor for the New Yorker magazine..Bernard Malamud, the author of “The Natural” was a Pulitzer and National Book Award winner. Joe Maddon is an avid reader and encourages his players to read, even giving some players a reading list.
If you want to sound like a dumb jock, not that all are, by all means express yourself in any illiterate manner you wish. I personally have higher standards, and if the standards at MLBTR werer to slip significantly I would stop reading it.
Indeed!
Thank you, BRIANS. That is one of my biggest pet peeves. I guess the effort it takes to insert a hyphen is just too much for some folks.
You complainers need
to get a life…..
Yeah, let’s excuse sloppy work. Who cares about standards? I do have a life which includes a great deal of reading, and I appreciate good writing. I don’t expect the writers here to have perfect usage. Split infinitives don’t bother me nor, does ending a sentence with a preposition. But the difference between resign and re-sign is so basic, so easy to get correct, that it should not go by without comment.
26 starts in 3 years. The offers will be pouring in. No wonder he wants to stay!
This article makes it sound like he has the choice to go elsewhere. He’s still under club control for another season, so he has no say in the matter. It’s simply a decision for the Blue Jays to make as to whether to tender him a contract.
I hope this isn’t the big offseason pitching move the front office makes for next year that the fanbase is calling for.
Agreed… but he still could be a good guy to have next year.
I’d take Keuchel at 3 year/40M or so, Shoemaker at $3.5m with an option and Buchholz again for $1.5m or so. Let them start the season with Borucki and Thornton. Lots of young arms to fill out the bullpen or rotation in case of injuries and underperformance.
I kinda like we’re there headed. between Shoemaker , Borucki (health concerns) then Waguespack, Thornton , Zeuch, Kay an hopefully Person a couple months in the season.
I like were they are headed, but yea if they want to push to be competitive next year I’d guess they will need abother top pitcher an you will probably want to keep Giles too That’s something it dosent seem like they will do. but if he has low value really you may as well keep him an just see were he an your team is at the deadline.
If you get a good deal this summer an want to do it, sure you can but I don’t see a good offer coming
Giles’s value is much higher now than what it could be next year if he’s roughed up in April. Deal him as soon as possible. The starting pitchers you mentioned aren’t good enough to make a competitive push. They’d need at least three top pitchers which would defeat the purpose of bringing back Shoemaker.
What the hell give him a chance for the 3.5 mil. Jays management thru away far more then that this season on players who did nothing on the team Tulowski 50,il release, Martin 20 mil dealt to Dodgers, Pillar to the Giants and the Jays picked up all those slaries or most of what was owed. Then you have Norris, Richards, and Jackson.
The big thing is the team need some players who have been around for number of years like a Buchholtz or Shoemaker who can talk to the kids.
Boston is hurting right now they have no pitching in their farm and they are bleeding money, offer to take Price off their hands with them paying 16 mil of his existing contract per season. They might just jump at the chance and Price always liked pitching in the dome. Worse cast you move him to the bull pen.
This front office did not acquire Tulo nor sign Martin.
No they didn’t acquire them but they gave them away and picked up the last years of their salaries. Although Tulo didn’t work out with the Yankee’s he sit gets the 50 million the Jays owe him and the Dodger as a happy as hell with Martin, he playing well for them and Jays a picking up the last year of his contract. The same with Pillar at the Giants. All I’m saying is that for 3.5 million Shoemaker might be worth resigning for on more year.
Don’t forget Morales and the 10 mil the Jay’s are paying.
Interested in re-signing? Well, duh. I’ll bet he’d be interested in signing with anyone at this point.
I’m not suggesting Shoemaker is going to be the 2nd coming of Doc Halliday or Dave Steib, the Jays look to have some promising young arms but they take time and mentoring to develop, so for 3.5 mil it might just be worth a shot along with Buchholz.
Don’t forget Morales and the 10 mil the Jay’s are paying.
Pick between Shoemaker or Buchholz, not both.
Thornton, Borucki (if healthy), Pearson, Kay, Zeuch, Reid-Foley, Waguespack, even Thomas Hatch, Perez, Diaz and Pannone should be given the opportunity to take 4 other spots with the rest in AAA along with Sopko.
Also would be looking to deal Giles. Who knows if he can duplicate his 2019 season. Jays don’t need to take that chance. They’ve been burned by waiting on a deal in recent memory (Smoak, Donaldson).
For what Shoemaker and Buchholz would cost they could afford them both even if they worked out of the pen. And it would give you two potential starters in the event of injuries and they would be valuable simple for their mentoring value.
I like Thorton, Zeuch, Waguespack, Borucki, and Pannone, not so sure about Reid-Foley, but they are all young and need to be pitching in the majors to get the experience that comes with time. Remember Doc went back down to the Florida leagues to re-invent himself into the great pitcher he was.
Yes I remember Halladay being sent to Single-A. Back when the Jays actually had a first class organization with an ability to build and rebuild players. That is why, at one point, they produced the most MLB players. Those days are long over.
The financial aspect isn’t the issue; it’s about how many spots a team should give vets versus youth. Of all the players you like, ONE might actually become something. That’s is what Toronto needs to find out. The more vets the sign the less likely they’ll find that one.
I just saw the Braves have cinched the NL east and going to the post-season for the second year in a row. Maybe Jays ownership should look for a GM like the Braves have.
Oh wait a minute they did have a GM like that and he was the guy that took the Jays to the post season two years in a row and then left when they hired Dumb (aka Shapiro) and Dumber (aka Atkins) who in three short years have taken the team to a position of almost getting to that 100 mark.
Congradulation Alex and good luck in the post season.
I haven’t heard much from the vociferously vitriolic anti-AA clowns lately, where’s #scoutseyes!
What does AA have to do with anything?