The Blue Jays have designated right-hander Tanner Roark for assignment, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet was among those to report. They reinstated outfielder Teoscar Hernandez from the COVID-19 injured list and optioned fellow outfielder Jonathan Davis in corresponding moves.
This certainly isn’t the outcome Toronto expected when it signed Roark to a two-year, $24MM guarantee entering the 2020 season, but the deal will go down as a major mistake for the club. When the former National and Red joined the Blue Jays, he had five seasons of 165-plus innings on his resume and was at least a useful back-of-the-rotation starter. But Roark has been a liability as a member of the Jays, with whom he has recorded a horrific 6.75 ERA/5.26 SIERA with an 18.3 percent strikeout percentage and a 10.0 walk percentage in 54 2/3 innings. The 34-year-old has also seen his average fastball drop from the 92 mph range to below 91 since he signed with Toronto.
Roark threw just seven innings and made one start over three appearances this year for Toronto, and that small workload is damning when considering the injuries the team has dealt with in its rotation. The Jays will now have a week to trade Roark, pass him through waivers or release him. It seems likely they’ll wind up releasing Roark, who carries no appeal on a $12MM salary.
Hernandez, who hasn’t played since April 8, tested positive for COVID on April 13. He went an underwhelming 6-for-29 (five singles and a home run) with 14 strikeouts against no walks before going on the IL, though Hernandez was one of the majors’ top hitters a season ago. The Blue Jays have gone without Hernandez and center fielder/designated hitter George Springer for the vast majority of the season, but both are now back in their lineup.
Didn’t see that coming good for them
Back to Washington on a minor league deal?
Or Cincy. He pitched well there and they prob have more of a need
I didn’t understand that Roark signing when it happened. I know he was coming off a decent year for him but the offseason before that he was considered a release candidate on a bad contract. It made no sense to give Tanner Roark of all pitchers a multi-year contract worth that much money.
Nah….the Phillies always need washed up pitchers.
Seems like a Francisco Liriano-esque piece for the Astros to stick in a bullpen role going down the stretch. Brad Peacock’s also a good comp.
Hes all yours. Good luck
Do I have an Astros’ profile pic? Is my name Astros29?
You like the Cowboys too, right?
& – of course – hook ’em horns!
Because: Texas.
To be fair, you are responding to someone named Goalieguy
No I think they are responding to the person who lead this thread. Have a nice day
Peacock and Liriano have or at least had way better stuff than Roark. Dude is washed.
Roark is absolutely nothing like Liriano. Liriano could be used as a lefty specialist and had a nasty slider. Roark is complete trash.
Tanner can retire and start his own Fantasy Sports site. Can’t you see it now: “I am Mr. Roark, your host, welcome to Fantasy Baseball”. And he can hire Jose Altuve as his partner too.
Quality post, @mantooth.
Thank god they’ve DFA’d Roark. I’m sure he’s a good guy and all, but ever since they signed him I’ve found myself dreading the games where he’s slated to get the start. I hope he gets picked up somewhere else though and does well.
Admit your mistake and cut bait. Not every team will flush their sunk cost away. Good for Toronto.
I don’t know if it’s fair to call the signing a “mistake.” He had a track record of success and the contract was a bit of an overpay but otherwise reasonable at the time. Saying that it “didn’t work out” is more appropriate.
Roark was a guy in decline struggling to put up below average results when they got him, who I didn’t expect much from. But so was Marco Estrada. Sometimes it works out, sometimes it doesn’t.
Well at this point with less then a year left, knowing he cant even be counted on for 1 IP at a time and needing the roster spot it only makes sense. While i agree with the move i didn’t think they need a 40 man spot to bring Teo back in
Covid IL acts like clearing an active and 40 man spot. they needed one of each here.
He probably ended up getting the COVID in 2020 and went to the Andrelton Simmons School of Conspiracy Theories and just pretended that it didn’t exist.
So you have a conspiracy theory about conspiracy theories? I hope you did that intentionally.
Wasn’t a smart signing for the Jays when it went down. One year too many and a slight overpay. But Jays fans reassured us Roark was the innings eater the team needed.
Hoping for the best for Roark. I would’ve signed that contract too. He and his family are set for life.
You’re so boring
Step 1: say every contract, player, prospect is going to be a huge failure
Step 2: I ToLd YoU aLl, I wAs RiGHT
Premium thread! I get to mute the ‘jimmertee’ account and this troll ‘wereallguests’ account in the same thread.
Look at that shiny 0.00 ERA as a reliever! Other contending teams, you’re not gonna find that on the market, take on his salary and he’s all yours!
Seriously though how bad do you have to be that your released from a team that currently has two healthy starting pitchers. Hopefully he can bounce back somewhere else, but hopefully that somewhere is as far away from Buffalo/Dunedin/Toronto as possible.
What would the Jays be willing to offer for Tyler Anderson?
@Ross Atkins, is that you?
It’s because we wouldn’t let him pitch more than 4 innings… wait it’s because he can’t pitch.
Remember, he’s “like a diesel truck.” On the mound.
Finally.
Been calling for this for a year. What takes Shapiro and Atkins so long to make good decisions?
Because they ponied up 24 mil for two seasons and had to at least give him a shot with track record… Every smart major league team would have done the same. Money was too high unfortunately
I know, right? Shapiro and Atkins assure me they read ALL your comments.
Oh look, it’s this troll. First chance to Mute. Adios troll.
You make a post about muting someone and he’s the troll?
It speaks volumes that TOR makes this move considering their starting staff was shaky even before any injuries factored in.
Roark won’t stay a free agent for long if he does hit the market. A guy who can work as a starter or a reliever who will only have to be paid the prorated league minimum will get signed fairly quick i imagine
Interesting timing but ultimately the right move.
Nothing interesting about the timing. Could’ve been done a week ago, “interesting timing”. Could’ve been done when Ryu returns, “interesting timing”. If it were interesting you would have elaborated.
Why do you feel the need to jump all over people if they have an opinion that differs from yours. Are you like this in real life? ( You must be a very lonely sad person )
A person with half a brain would know what Dusty was talking about.
Good move but about a month late.
Welcome to the Phillies Tanner.
Maybe the Jays are planning to sign Anibal Sanchez
Woild live them to am i think the jays are Sanchez’ best option when considering playoff chance and the opportunity to start along with the jays going after him a few years back. I believe tho he will most likely go to the fish
Would love for them to sign him and i think the jays are Sanchez’ best option when considering playoff chance and the opportunity to start along with the jays going after him a few years back. I believe tho he will most likely go to the fish
I’ve really talked myself into Anibal Sanchez. If nothing else, he gives them something other than A LHP in the rotation, who won’t cost a lot and can be released if it doesn’t work out. The plan or need to have 2 or 3 bullpen games every couple of weeks just won’t be sustainable for the whole season.
This is why some of us were hesitant to cede the ALE to the NYY & TO. Their rotation outside of Ryu is suspect.
Everyone’s rotation in the ALE is suspect.
But agreed on anointing any one a clear cut winner. It’s a 4 team race. Luck and health is going to be a big factor
Joe ya need to tell that to Matz and Ray, looking really good behind Ryu
Phillies may consider him in a trade matching saleries.
This front office is on strike 2 trying to fill the back end of our rotation.
Strike 1-Jaime Garcia
Strike 2-Roark
I think the total of both contracts is over $40 million!
Garcia only made $10M.
What? no love for the VERY cheap signing of Ray? When you dig in the dumpster you miss more often than you hit- but it is a beautiful thing when you hit gold.
Appears to possibly be a classic case of getting paid and quit working hard at your craft.
Not uncommon, in many industries actually…
An extremely presumptuous take. Sometimes players just can’t succeed any more. To attack their commitment and character is insulting.
Professional athletes also test off the charts when it comes their competitive levels. Makes sense. To be the best in the world of athletics requires both skill and an exceptional competitive drive to reach the top of their sport. The poster here is telling us nothing about Roark, but he is telling us quite a bit about his personality and how he’d react if he got paid.
Another free agent signing by Atkins, where the jays end up eating the salary. Can’t sign a guy to play for two years for us? Imagine the Springer deal couple years from now. Atkins has a knack for giving guys free retiring money.
A bit of a lesson learn in this case. Back of the rotation starters over 30 with alot of innings on the arm should be buyers beware , a dice roll as to when they will hit the wall and fall of a cliff. In other words not worth multiple years over 10m AAV.
Clearly the signing was a mistake – too much money for a guy whose calling card is simply eating innings. Had one arguably solid year in WAS. At least TOR pulled the chain when it was clear Roarke is toast instead of placing him on the IL with a phantom injury.
It seems to me it would make sense for the Jays to offer to pay as much of his salary as necessary to make a trade rather than just let him walk and eat the remaining money to get nothing in return. Given the way front office analytics departments are enamored of spin rates, the Jays should be able to persuade some front office in need of a fifth starter to take a flier on Roark. His changeup ranks in the sixth tier in StatCast’s Active Spin Leaderboard and his slider ranks 15th. Better to get back even a low-ranked lottery pick than nothing at all, right?