The Blue Jays are prepared to make impact moves this offseason, but they’re also preaching patience, per Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca. If they do make a move early – beyond what they’ve done so far – GM Ross Atkins thinks it will be a significant one. Per Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca, Atkins said, “If we were to move earlier, the impact would be significant. And that doesn’t take us out of significant impact later.” If you’re sensing a theme, you’re not imagining it: The Jays are dreaming big this winter. One of the biggest names available is catcher J.T. Realmuto. The former Phillie would fit the mold described above, but Atkins also says they are “extremely satisfied” with Toronto’s catching situation. And why shouldn’t they be? With Danny Jansen, Reese McGuire and Alejandro Kirk all contributing at the big-league level, they have affordable depth and upside in the form of Kirk, who hit .375/.400/.583 in a 24-at-bat cup-of-coffee in 2020. Still, that depth can be repurposed to make room for a star like Realmuto, especially in the American League where the DH provides opportunity for diversified playing time.
- Southpaw Brendan McKay remains in Baseball America’s list of top-10 Rays prospects, but J.J. Cooper sounds concerned about McKay’s ability to recover from shoulder surgery on Kyle Glaser’s Baseball America podcast. Cooper notes that Hyun Jin Ryu took about three years to really return to form after a similar surgery. All that said, it’s telling that McKay remains at number six on the list. Until he begins his return and something new emerges, the only confirmed change for McKay is his timeline and his risk profile. The upside that made McKay a top prospect in the first place remains.
- Red Sox Chief Baseball Officer Chaim Bloom was given full discretion to make the final hiring decision for the Red Sox managerial opening this offseason. Bringing back Alex Cora wasn’t money in the bank, as it might seem, writes Alex Speier of the Boston Globe. The assumption would be that Bloom had the final say-so, but given the unique nature of Cora’s return, and the fact that Bloom didn’t hire Cora the first time around, it would be fair to wonder how much ownership weighed in on the decision. The idea to interview Cora at all, however, was Bloom’s, per Dan Shaughnessy of the Boston Globe. Bloom and general manager Brian O’Halloran met with Cora in an “empty hangar on the airport tarmac.” It was an exhausting but thorough interview by the accounts of those involved, and it didn’t seal the deal. That interview simply entered Cora into the field. Bloom and O’Halloran kept ownership and their assistant general managers involved in the process throughout, but ultimately the decision was left to Bloom, who went with Cora over the Phillies’ integrative baseball performance director Sam Fuld. Definitely read Speier’s piece for the full account.
Hopefully he recovers faster then ryu
Jays don’t need Realmuto IMO. If they wanna make a splash they should be looking at Bauer, Springer or Lemahieu.
I would prefer going after JBJ instead of springer and give Bauer that Roger Clemens like deal while the jays still have tons of cheap contracts and won’t get locked into an immovable contract with a springer or JT. They do that and sign Hand all of a sudden they look very scary on paper
I would stay away from bauer. Let someone else deal with his personality. How many playoff and WS wins does he have with CLE and CIN?
Sure but it’s about cashing in on this team right now. Bauer would give us 2 of the top 6 pitchers in the baseball and allow the young guys more time to grow maybe get feet wet in pen instead of right to the rotation.
The same number Trout has. This take makes no sense
Not many pitchers have WS wins.
He wants Arrieta and Hamels to be the big signings!
Bauer got a win against the Yankees in the playoffs 2017.
And pitched more than well enough for a win this year with the Reds.
No wins in WS.
Ryu had 3 playoff wins, none in WS, and got absolutely lit up this year in the playoffs.
I think I’d take my chances on Bauer!
Strongly encourage to search for and read the SI feature on Bauer from Feb 2019, I still have instinct to not like him, but there is a lot more likeability than I would’ve guessed.
JBJ doesn’t have a bat, get Springer if you’re going for an OF
I like the idea of JBJ over Springer. While Springer may have a better bat JBJ is a top OF and would cost half of what Springer will demand, and who knows maybe a change of scenery wakes up that JBJ bat. Look what it did for Jose Bautista when he came over to the Jays after been a relief fielder
I have always liked Springer and DJ. But at over 20mill for each player, less attractive. Sometimes STANDING PAT is the best decision, no? I hope Kirk can play CF.
” I hope Kirk can play CF.” Laugh of the day right there.
if Kirk can throw a knuckleball, I would put him on the mound too.
Vlad to 2B while we’re at it!
Even as a 1B, his instinct was to field the balls hit to 2B, so let’s give it a whirl?!
They need a catcher to hit better than Jansen and throw better than Kirk. Catcher is not the first area to target but it’s a position to consider. INF (not 1B) and starting pitching should be the priority.
I think Jansen just needs to swing for contact and manage the pitchers better. But perhaps that’s too tall of an order for him.
I dont get that “everyday catcher” vibe from Kirk.
Springer or bust!
Sorry if I’m a bit skeptical of this reporting coming out of Boston.
The Red Sox leadership has a habit of planting stories in the press when there is blowback from fans and/or the industry.
The more likely reality is that ownership gave Bloom a hard hint that they wanted Cora and Bloom went along.
Boston sports writers are always organizational apologists.
This coming from a NY fan? Give me a break..
While Shaugnessey may be the worst of a pitiful Globe sports reporting lot (and always has been). Saying that Sox reporters are apologists, while have Sherman writing in NY covering up mistakes and scandals for both the Mets and Yanks weekly is pretty rich.
I’m not defending NY writers and some of them are apologists but most of them seem more anti-organization than anything else. And all of us know Sherman is a clown.
Regardless of local shills, anyone who believes Bloom had any real input in the decision to bring back Cora likely believes Houston never cheated in 17.
Joel Sherman is anything but pro Mets or Yankees in his writings……get a grip and stick to the Sox which you profess too know about!
dude, taking shots at Boston sports writers is way too easy. But defending NY sports writers?? Is like boiling the ocean.
I think that statements like this are for the benefit of the hardcore fan base, who really want to believe. It’s going to be really hard to convince me that this wasn’t the plan all along, but they don’t really care what I think. I’m not the target audience for these reports.
The Sox press conference when they mutually parted ways made it clear that if there was a way, he would return. I personally was just hoping 2020 was going to be a success so they couldn’t make the change. After the injuries they had, the moves Bloom made were for the future which cemented how 2020 was going to end and once the Tigers made their move, they realized the time was right for Cora to return. My only hope was the time between those two events as it could have happened immediately thereafter. My feelings might change come opening day but my love for the team and the sport has NEVER been lower.
all 30 teams do that to some extent
Cora was coming back to Boston, it was a given.. He resigned not fired and the interim manager said when offered the job he would only take it based on it being until Cora returned.
Baseball has totally changed and not for the better. 8 men from Chicago were banned for life for cheating, Pete Rose was banned for life for gambling, and now two men Hinch and Cora almost destroyed the game and they got a years suspension. The only way these two should be anywhere near a MLB game is if they bought a ticket. Boston and Detroit have proven they have no class, and that winning means more then integrity.
“Still, that depth can be repurposed to make room for a star like Realmuto, especially in the American League where the DH provides opportunity for diversified playing time.”
The Blue Jays cannot add any more DHs. Vlad Jr and Tellez and Teo have the DH spot thoroughly plugged.
A team whose strongest position of minor league depth is catcher should not be wasting most of their remaining budget on a long term contract for 30-something Realmuto, either. Great player, but very low on the list of priorities the Jays need to address (starting pitching, 3B, bullpen, CF). Unless they think Jansen is such a bad game caller that he caused the bad pitching.
This just feels like a rumor floated by Realmuto’s agent.
My Jays need to think BIG. Trade for Trout. I traded Julien Mayweather for Mike Trout in MLB the Show – straight up.
Crickets.
I promise to try harder next time!
We can assume that forced trades were turned on and budgets off.
How about Merryweather for Josh Donaldson, to fill the third base hole? Technically not unprecedented.
Kevin Pillar for CF. Not unprecedented.
If they sign JBJ I’d sign Pillar. Then non-tender Fisher and deal Grichuk.
I believe EVERYTHING two reporters who work for the Globe (owned by John Henry) write about the Red Sox (owned by John Henry). Truly independent journalism.
Cora and Blum met in “an empty hanger on the airport tarmac” so Bloom could judge Cora’s interest…..it was a tough year in Fenway, they lost all their T-Mobile, e-mail, SKYPE and ZOOM capabilities.
Alex Jones and Q-Anon could come up with something better than this.
I would like the Jays to go hard after Bauer and Lemaheu and then make a trade for a very good CF. Wait until later to add a veteran BP arm or two. Would love to see a lineup of Biggio, Lemaheu, Bichette, Teoscar, Vlad, Gurriel, Rowdy, Grichuk/CF, and Jansen/Kirk.
I forgot Gurriel is on the team. I traded him for Lindor in the Show20. Talk about alternate realities.
I agree with one of those two being the big ticket item this year. I don’t see any team landing 2 of the top free agents this year. If Mets get Realmuto, I could see the Jays being a legitimate front runner for Bauer. LeMahieu plugs in so easily without a lot of disruption so he’s going to be on the radar all off season.
I truthfully just cannot see any of those big name free agents signing with Toronto (are they still playing in Buffalo next season?) I could see Realmuto signing with the Mets, Lemahieu would fit like a glove on the Dodgers, and Bauer seems like a perfect fit for the Angels. But what do I know about baseball lol, I’m probably completely wrong.
Lemahieu fits with just about any team and is the best value of the premium free agents. Would love to see him leading off for the Sox but anticipate him using the 29 other teams to drive up his price and he he’ll resign in the Bronx. Can also see him leave a few bucks on the table to do so. He genuinely seems to love it there.
IMHO DJLM should be a priority for TO
Still not sure I am ready to believe if Toronto will be a big factor in the free agent market without a home. I don’t think top tier free agents will sign up for that nomadic situation unless the money is crazy.
They already pay a Canadian dollar tax to free agents. Also the ugly girl tax. I mean, Toronto ain’t Arkansas with all them hotties down south. If you sign with my Jays, you definitely love baseball.
How nomadic is it really? They’l.l have a home base somewhere for half the games and they’ll be on the road as normal the other half.. It might make a difference for some players, but the Jays don’t need to have crazy money, they just need to have money this year as there are a lot of teams that don’t.
Offer a mere couple million more than anybody else, and there’s very few instances of being turned down. It happens, but I’d estimate 90% of the time the player signs for the best contract offered.
And Buffalo could actually help with free agents who are leery of playing on turf.
Very hard to compare with some states like NY and CA having huge state taxes. FL and Tx not having any. That said, no disrespect meant but if someone loves it where they presently are, an offer from Toronto would have to blow the Yankees offer away. No one is giving him five or six years and for less years he’s not moving.
McGuire looked pretty good against the Yankees.
He was really *whacking*…it with his bat. He also *furiously beat out*…an infield single. Nice piece of hitting.
He *punched out*…a base stealer.
Guys got a pretty fast arm. Good hand speed.
I’m not sure JTR will *rub off* any better on the pitching staff.
It’ll be interesting to see if another team would trade for McGuire to see how he would play *solo*.
We already know he hates playing solo. And he prefers it in a beat up old Acura legend in a south Florida spring training facility parking lot.
I wonder if he’s a good runner. Did he ever get caught…stealing?
Seemed pretty fearless.
From what I could tell he’s the type of guy that’ll pound it out no matter where he is.
Ducky Buckin Fent = Innuendo Man??
WHOA. Correction. I didn’t know he went solo in the parking lot. Damn.
What did J.T. Realmutodo for the Phillies?
I mean seriously
If I am the Blue Jays, just focus on pitching, I think everything else is good
You speak truth here.
He helped the Marlins suck. Then helped the Phillies suck. Shall we make it a trifecta and pay him 20million too?
The Marlins deconstructed their roster during JTR’s time, he was basically abandoned, and the Phillies bullpen was brutal. An aggressive take to frame JTR for those failings. Jays should consider big money, short term on Bauer.
Would rather have Yadi mentoring and splitting time with Jansen. Less money and less years but invaluable contribution to the young guys.
The ultimate steal.
He could kinda mentor Charlie too.
Been making $20m.
Expected $20m, earned $7.5 in 2020.
Think the Cards/Yanks would try to beat a 2 year $34m, (with a 3rd year player/manager player option lol)??
I honestly think it’s Cards, for around 2 years $30m, what do you figure for Yadi?
One year, $16-mil with a $16-mil mutual option (1-mil buyout). That might be enough. Go to $18 if need be.
Once he signs you trade McGuire. Kirk goes to AAA. If Jansen performs you can deal Kirk and groom Moreno. If Jansen doesn’t, Kirk gets his shot.
More Boston spin. John Henry owns the Globe – zero credibility to anything Sox-related attached to same. Henry wanted Betts gone, Henry wanted Cora back. That’s fine, the Cora decision, but don’t talk to Sox fans like they’re morons.
Well said. Given Bloom’s analytical background, none of this garbage coming from The Globe can convince anyone that Bloom would decide to go with Cora over Fuld. Total nincompoops.
Let’s be realistic folks, the Jays only have one elite pitcher in the rotation in RYU.
Roark is done, Pearson needs another year, Ray is #4 as is Kay if he is pitching well. Thornton, YamaGuchi, Stripling are poor depth. Borucki could be good if they stretch him out. Hatch needs another year, but I would try him in the rotation anyway.
This rotation is terrible. the BlueJays need very good starting pitching long before anything else. And yes the Jays absolutely need a quality CFer and 3B. One of those needs to be an elite player, a leader type.
This team is a long way from winning anything. Barring a $200M budget change, or a miracle from two of the rookie pitchers, there will be no playoffs in 2021.
Great comment regarding rumors in which they are involved in every free agent imaginable out there, while the fan base brags about how “stacked” they are around the diamond1
Boston is a SP and a Springer away from pushing the Jays back to 4th place in 2021. Baltimore is trending in the right direction also. Now is the time to go all out for the big names.
I think the Yankees, Red Sox, Orioles, Jays, Rays each could use multiple strong SP right now.
Rays can probably get away with using Fleming and maybe try Honeywell if they don’t get Morton back. But maybe only in the regular season.
Yankees can probably get away with bringing back Happ, Tanaka, Paxton. But maybe only in the regular season.
Red Sox have strong reinforcements coming, but need a couple arms to get them through early.
Orioles aren’t far behind the Jays for sure. Both starting to make this AL East a real battle again.
Red Sox/Jays/Orioles could beef up their bullpens and make a run at the division if the Yanks/Rays don’t fill the holes in their rotations.
Landing two top starters is likely a goal of all of these teams.
And most of the teams in other divisions.
My top picks would be Bauer, Morton, Tanaka, Paxton, Wainwright.
Then maybe Odorizzi, Richards, Kluber, Walker, Smyly/Hamels/Arrieta/Leake/Shoemaker things get grim before 10 really.
I probably missed someone solid. Quick list.
Hoping for two.
Go Jays.
Your intel on the yankees is lacking. Unless my intel on the Yanks is lacking. No way they bring paxton back. JA Happ’s face is on cashman’s dart board right now. Tanaka is possible on a lesser deal but they need to move on from all three pitchers. The Jays need to steer clear of these guys too. Pitching is pretty weak this off-season with a lot of older expensive pitchers available. To me, Springer is a sure thing.
This is why I said Yankees could use multiple strong SP.
If all the dates for the ball stand them up, and they’re left with the same guys they had last year, they would survive on offense and bullpen depth was the point I was aiming at.
If Bauer and Morton choose elsewhere, then Tanaka and Paxton start to look quite attractive to any team still in need.
Happ will only look attractive to a team that suffers an injury late in spring is my expectation.
What makes Springer a sure thing? Do the Jays have some magic up their sleeves that his other suitors don’t?
My only guess with him growing up in the middle of Red Sox/Yankees regions that he’d lean to one of them. Or Mets. If all these teams don’t bid, then the Jays could stand out from the rest of the pack. Is Houston going to let him go that easy? Their payroll is pretty packed elsewhere, so they’re probably out.
I think Kim is a sure thing because of Ryu.
I think Wainwright and Molina are sure things to remain in StL.
Other than that, I don’t see a lot of free agent signings that seem like sure things to me.
Filthy, I’m looking at your list and wondering if the Jays miss out on the top priorities on that list why they would bother going that deep into the free agent pool. Surely the trade market could produce something that would top those guys and the Jays have pieces to make trades. What would German Marquez cost? There’s a #2 on a team that seems poised for a rebuild. Joe Musgrove has also been a fairly sturdy guy. Lynn is also there but only one year left and I’d rather not have to remake the rotation again next year. If you can’t get anything at the top of the free agent market done or a decent trade, I’d rather not pay $10m+ for a guy who could easily be outperformed by Trent Thornton or TJ Zeuch. Put your money towards scoring more runs in that case.
100% agree, I think the lower options can be signed by other teams and the best ones can become trade deadline targets.
I don’t think Marquez would be cheap. He’s probably their ace. Avg 6IP a start and ERA under 4 on the Rockies. He might cost more than Lindor.
Musgrove and Lynn seem like they’d be the next tier cheaper. But still not cheap.
Manaea is another that I could see moved as his arb salary increases. Closer to Marquez cost I figure.
.
Little more affordable from the Rox, in my mind, would be Jon Gray. Rumours of being non-tender candidate.
Has shown ability. Major wild card getting out of Coors. Guys like Ubaldo and Chatwood didn’t blossom after leave Coors like many expected.
Lynn and Musgrove do have some appeal, but they aren’t a lot better than the fringe FA options right now.
A trade like the DBacks getting Gallen for stud SS prospect would be a sweet possibility.
All about whether the cojones exist to trade off the young talent.
There are weapons in the system to be used.
These weapons can also be waited on.
Phillies probably wish they didn’t trade Sixto when they thought their window had arrived.
Trading for Price didn’t really hurt the Jays ultimately.
Seeing Cleveland, LAD, TB type teams regularly replacing their departing vets with pre-arb quality is a path that my brain wants to see the Jays take.
My gut wants to make all the trades and spend all the money.
If I were king, I’d lean to sign injury prone upside pitchers like Kluber/Richards since there are still a lot of young arms that could use the audition.
Save chips in case Scherzer hits the summer market.
Or look for a trade where they gain a Sixto level arm that just isn’t quite ready.
Cards are going to be less sad about trading Randy once Liberatore arrives is my feeling.
Perhaps SWR is the Sixto level arm?
Patience is hard!
That’s only your opinion…
Let’s add Morton ($10m), Paxton (14m), and Odorizzi (13/m) and that’s $37 million… Add JBJ at $8m in CF, DJLM at 2B for $17m and you’re at $162 million with $38 million to spare … That makes our batting order
Biggio (3B), DJLM (2B), Bichette (SS), Tellez (1B), Vladdy (DH), Guerielle (LF), Hernandez (RF),
JBJ (CF), and Janson (C)… Not too bad, with starting rotation of Ryu, Morton, Paxson, Odorizzi, and Ray with tons of back-up when stretched out . Pearson, Hatch, Kay, and Zeuch … Thats a decent start for the AL East…
Your numbers are way off. Replace Odorizzi with Tanaka also. If you’re going to field a winning team do it right.
Not sure where you get 162 Million and 38 mil to spare? as it stands today the Jays have 71 Million committed to the active payroll, Your add-ons would put the team at 132 mil in active payroll. You can not really say the team has X amount of dollars to spare when you do not know what the 2021 budget is yet if the budget tops out at say 140 mil then the team would only have 8 mil to spare, as i really do not believe they will be going any where near the luxury tax line
Rumour was the Blue Jays made an “almost deal”, and smart money says it was one of the guys accepting the QO. Safe to assume it wasn’t Stroman.
Why are they going after Gausman? He’s not good enough for a multi-year deal or a loss of a draft pick or good enough to push the Jays closer to the top of the AL East.
If true, blowing $8-mil on Ray and potentially $15-mil per year for Gausman. This should concern the Blue Jay fans. Now before you argue Ryu’s contract I should remind you BJ Ryan was amazing in his first year with the Jays.
A sidebar: Jays could have had Gausman two years ago.
Gausman was looking like one of the better available arms is the scary part.
Atkins seems like the type that is just sending out cheap offers just in case.
Maybe a 2year deal for $24m and the 2nd year is an option?
Enough temptation to guard against injury on that 2nd year option, but low enough to push him to the QO.
The $8m is a cheap offer that was probably sent to Walker and Shoemaker as well. Ray accepted. Believable?
Talentless or not, he’s a lefty that isn’t ancient or regularly injured, expecting to see Minor and Quintana land similar contracts to Ray. Slim pickins.
The QO and some of the arbitration amounts should keep the market somewhat in check is my feeling so far.
Coming out of some albatross years with Martin and Tulo on the books makes it less concerning that money spent on pitching could end up as BJ Ryan cases. Nice to see the focus seems to be on trying to constantly improve the pitching options. Ready for the inevitable injuries.
Ray is the type of signing you do if you are a crap team waiting for your young arms for a year. Not signing if you are looking to win. It was a thoughtless signing regardless. Had they waited a few weeks they could have signed Ray for half that amount, if not less.
Jays ARE waiting for their young arms though?
And very well could be a crap team.
Strong chance you are correct that Ray is like a Mat Latos redux, but he’s one of the more attractive dates in the Lowered Expectations FA pitching world.
Is Ray worse than Happ or Porcello or Arrieta or Minor or Quintana? I’m expecting they will all earn around $6-8m range.
Fair to say he’s got similar upside for the 2021 season than these guys? Or at least one of them? How far off am I?
Surprise me with a thoughtful reply maybe. The board already knows these thoughts you keep repeating, wondering about some of these comparables so that we can at least track a player to see what type of contract might have received on the open market. .
Like if Minor signs for $4m, then I will bow to your knowledge, otherwise I will keep calling out the exaggerations.
There are about 50 pitching holes around the league and about 10 names that don’t have too large of warts.
Some teams are going to be bidding up the trashpile.
Expecting one or two from the dud pile will have average or better season.
.
Innings pitched by guys that aren’t named Font or Yamaguchi is a nice thought.
Yankees used Happ last year, I think the Jays can survive using Ray as long as they invest properly in the bullpen!
Some lefties figure it out later in career too.
Those pitchers will be lucky to break $6-mil. They just might thanks to Ray. Regardless, contenders don’t settle for Ray.
we need to leave AA in Atlanta but bring the pitching scouting dept to Toronto. How do the braves pluck pitching prospects out of thin air all the time? Crazy.
They weren’t drafted or developed by AA and his team.
It’s nice landing in a spot where there’s already a Fried, Anderson and Soroka in the mix!
These guys are tending to land on their feet when given the chance so the team clearly has some solid instruction at the Major League level. A tendency to roster veteran catchers could be a factor. Lot of praise for Tomlin as a bit of a pitching guru was nice to read. Could be another factor.
But what about Touki Toussaint and some of the others? Luck still has to be the biggest factor with finding pitching that will stick.
As much as I appreciate Cora being back, the Red Sox played dirty. Roenicke wasn’t a great manager, but the way they treated the guy was terrible. They fired him to rehire Cora. Basically used him like a doormat.
I see the Jays making at the most 3 big splashes this offseason, those would be LeMahieu, Bauer and Springer. If they miss out on LeMahieu they go after The Korean Kid Kim, If they miss out on Springer i think they keep the outfield as is with maybe a lower tier signing maybe to a minor league deal, if missing out on Bauer they will likely pursue one of Odorizzi, Paxton or Walker and try for a trade for Lynn (who is only owed 9.5 Mil on his current contract). With an active payroll at 71 Mil before non-tendering Shaw and his projected 4.8 mil contract leaves the active payroll at roughly 66 Mil. If the Budget comes out to be roughly in the range of 140 Mil that would leave 74 Mil for the additions above. (the active payroll numbers are via spotrac)
They need a second SP before a second bat.
I have them for a 2nd pitcher trade for Lynn and sign one of Walker, Paxton or Odorizzi
I’d rather have Tanaka over all of them. Wouldn’t mind a flier on Kluber or Aaron Sanchez. Both are better than Thornton, Ray and Roark when healthy. Cool with Paxton also. I’d avoid Odorizzi.
Aaron Sanchez and Robbie Ray in the same rotation? Stripling would pitch 200 innings of long relief if that were the case.
Nobody said Sanchez would win a rotation spot, as the rest of the guys aren’t guaranteed one either. Sanchez in the bullpen is something you would not entertain? Also, bullpen will be used a ton again. Did you not see what the Jays did to Shoemaker?
A lot of competition in Blue Jays camp. I’m not sure Sanchez would look there for a shot to crack a roster. There must be a few teams that are pretty thin at the upper minors level he would look to first. Maybe even NPB or KBO for a guaranteed contract?
Mr. Blister? Rather have Rich Hill, he at least showed that a small ability to overcome those injuries.
Sanchez bullpen would be slick.
Hope he’s willing at this point, for his sake.
Better arms that I’d rather see signed for Jays bullpen, but wouldn’t hate if he was cheap enough.
Bullpen shift should’ve been tried with Rich Harden. Might’ve extended his career like Brandon Morrow!
Sometimes the pitcher is too stubborn or already too broken I suppose.
Please…if Ray gets $8-mil then Sanchez can snag $1-mil with incentives pending that he makes an MLB roster. Even if Sanchez settled on a minor league contract it is worth pursuing. Expect the Jays, if they make a splash, to grab 1 pitcher. They will need some contingencies.
That’d be cheap enough for me to not hate it.
On a minor league deal, I’d probably even like it.
Maybe I shouldn’t say better arms that I’d rather see signed. Sanchez has an electric arm. If I’m leaning toward add a high risk arm like Kluber/Richards/Paxton, even Shoemaker, then why not Sanchez. Fits my billing.
My instinct feels like if he shows any signs of health by spring that the Angels or some team like the Orioles would roll his dice for $2-3m.