Blue Jays Discussion: 2024-25 Off-season: The free agent watch begins (and sometimes old baseball radio broadcasts)
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Hellcat
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I thought we were just going to grow from within?
Less than a 0% chance he comes here.. . if this was the late 80's when the Jays were considered the pinnacle of MLB with the Dominican players, I'd think we have the best chance but those days are gone and now we are just the leverage point for rich teams/agents to use, to get the most bang for their buck / best free agent for their client/team.
Rumors are he is looking for Othani-lite type numbers, this team needs catching, 3B, 2B, RF, CF (no Varsho is not the answer, maybe Loperfido becomes that guy but he is not there now, might be a better LF? Loperfido and Varsho have the same problem, they can't hit for shit), complete overhaul of the bull pen, a lead off guy (no Springer is no longer that guy) and a legit 1A starting pitcher. With so much to do, does it make sense to burry all that cash into a 3/4 hitter when we already have inconsistent Vlad, he's like a Leap year, once every 4 years he shows up? I'd rather see them invest in pitching, starting and bull pen, and a more balanced line up. I've never agreed with one player making a disproportionate amount into one player, I get that he is an elite elite hitter but you are one serious injury away from a lost season.
Suntouchable13
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This drama sucks, but I guess some people like it during the slow MLB off season which is fine. I just need to know who he signs with, the rest is just noise at the end of the day. Hopefully we get to that day when he actually signs with someone fairly soon.
Uh... no.
They need a decent backup for Kirk. I'm not convinced Heineman is the answer, but it's not a priority since they have a very good starter.
Varsho is the best defensive OF in baseball and was a league average hitter last year. He absolutely is the answer in CF.
They have the pieces to cobble together a strong 3B/2B with some combination of Clement, Horwitz, Schneider and maybe a bit of Vlad at 3B. Addressing one of those positions would be nice, but they absolutely don't need both.
They have options, but corner OF is probably the biggest concern with Springer's decline and Schneider's regression.
What they really need is at least one middle-of-the-order bat and probably a second strong offensive upgrade. They have enough versatility on the roster that position should be secondary.
Suntouchable13
Registered User
tmlfan98
No More Excuses #MarnerOut
No
If he signs a 1 year deal, I would, but the only 1 year deal he would go for is a longterm deal with a player opt-out. He is a timebomb longterm (he will fall off a cliff and it could be as soon as this year).
I like Burnes, but only if you aren't paying for 3 years ago Burnes (he's closer to a Gausman when we signed him than the Cole he was 3 years ago).
Fried depends on money. I actually like him as much as I like Burnes (with the bonus caveat that he's a lefty), but again the money could be a miss.
Patmac40
BESTPOSTERINTHEGAME
What the hell are you talking about? We don't need to upgrade over the best defensive CF in the league, nor one of the best two-way catchers in the league. Varsho might not hit for average but he has a really intriguing power profile. Hell, he could hit for .160 and still be very valuable. There's not nearly as many holes as you're suggesting.
Hellcat
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Do you know what they call an elite fielder who can't hit? A late inning defensive utility replacement.
He is literally one of the worse hitters in MLB.
Starry Knight
Tele-Wyatt
He was literally a league average hitter last season.
Hellcat
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.225 was average?
Take a look at his percentile rankings and tell me he was average: https://baseballsavant.mlb.com/savant-player/daulton-varsho-662139?stats=statcast-r-hitting-mlb
Starry Knight
Tele-Wyatt
Yes. A 99 wRC+ last season is quite average for a hitter.
Hellcat
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You think that what you just outlaid is a World Series champion lineup? They can compete with the Yankees, Phillies, Braves, Dodgers, Baltimore?
Varsho is an elite fielder with horrid Batting: https://baseballsavant.mlb.com/savant-player/daulton-varsho-662139?stats=statcast-r-hitting-mlb
He is a bench player on an WS caliber team. Dont forget our former CF, who we played over Varsho in CF, didn't even make the Dodgers WS final roster.
Hellcat
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You're telling me a xBA of 1 is average? xSLG of 4 is average? xwOBA of 2 is average? He is literally on the last page of qualified hitters on mlb.com, he is 127th of 129 hitters. https://www.mlb.com/stats/batting-average?page=6
No I dont want to buy any swamp land in Florida.
Every single one of those teams other than the Yankees played an inferior player in CF most games (Judge was NYY's primary CF)
Suntouchable13
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I am! I have been on it since the start of last season. It just doesn't seem like the As wanna move him.
Hellcat
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No, I am suggesting that every other team you listed employed an inferior player as their primary CF. Judge was the runaway MVP and best player in the AL.
Judge only started in CF because their best CF (Grisham) couldn't hit anything. Even a semi-competent hitting CF means that Judge and Soto are the corner OF.
Kurtz
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The average OPS for an MLB CF was .708 in 2024. Varsho was at .700.
We have lots of holes on our team, but CF is not one.
trellaine201
Registered User
Why not sign Soto for two years at bonkers money. He would still be at an age for a large salary.
