Blue Jays Discussion: 2024-25 Off-season: The free agent watch begins (and sometimes old baseball radio broadcasts)

[phillipmike]

If BNS and Shi are right about their latest sentiments, this offseason is going to end up being another nightmare like last year.

(The sound of phillipmike getting out of the shower to find his pitchfork)

 

[tmlfan98]

 

[Cloned]

If you make the Gimenez trade and do not add two big bats it makes no sense.

This is what happens when you don’t fire a bad GM.

Can’t believe Atkins had defenders up until the end of last season.

 

[ChuckNorris4Cup]

This is what happens when you don’t fire a bad GM.

Can’t believe Atkins had defenders up until the end of last season.

How could anyone defend them after the off season they had last year....

 

[Kurtz]

Maybe the plan is to move Bo to 3rd, Gimenez SS and we have a couple of fine internal options for 2B.

 

[PanniniClaus]

Maybe the plan is to move Bo to 3rd, Gimenez SS and we have a couple of fine internal options for 2B.

I'd say Bo would go into Operation Shutdown with that plan. He's going to want to enter Free agency on a high and as a shortstop. We need to hope he's at least motivated enough to give us one good final season.

I don't think the idea is a bad one.. I don't think Bo will go along.

 

[MS]

in isolation the trade is fine. However the team needs offense and they got worse offensively

And it’s spending a huge percentage of their available $$$ on that offensive downgrade while moving out their dirt cheap 2nd best hitter from last year.

I really liked Horwitz and cheering for him was one of the things that kept me engaged in the shitty disaster of a season last year, so from a pure fan perspective I’m also disappointed.

Suspect this deal was made to replace Bichette at SS, whether that’s in 2026 or at the 2025 deadline or now.

 

[Puckstuff]

If you make the Gimenez trade and do not add two big bats it makes no sense.

I think the Jays will go after a DH with upside. It probably won't be someone expensive like Joc or Walker, but someone like Jesse Winker or Paul Goldschmidt could make sense if they come in at a good price. They'll probably need to dig in again to find value if we're following last years script.

 

[Blitzkrug]

(The sound of phillipmike getting out of the shower to find his pitchfork)

This is what I was afraid of when the trade was announced.

Man if that's the best these chucklef***s can do? I wouldn't blame Vlad if he walks next winter.

 

[Seath The Scaleless]

I watched Burnes very closely this past year. He strikeout rate plummeted and he was an extremely mediocre pitcher for the bulk of the summer. Had a good start and had a decent finish to September.

I said in August that I would not want to be the team that overpays him. Here we are.

I'll add that a plummeting K rate will require good D so perhaps there is a connection.

I agree with others that Bo walks as well.

If he signs here, there are two paths for Burnes to become an elite pitcher again:

Pete Walker and the staff work their magic and have Burnes' cutter return to the elite pitch it was a few years ago

And/or

Burnes continues to develop the Sweeper he introduced late in the season last year, which saw some success. This is likely the safer bet

 

[jetsforever]

No issue with the Giménez trade - not the biggest need but Horwitz isn't a big loss for an elite 2B defender with potential for some offence too

Hope we now sign some FA with hitting power and also Burnes

 

[HuGort]

From a personal/financial standpoint? He'd be a fool not to. Just his age alone is going to net him him an extra 150-200 million dollars.

I don't think he'll get Soto money but i could easy see 400 to 500, especially if he's truly back after a bounceback 2024.

All but sure Vlad test free agent market after Soto and Ohtani contracts. He'd be crazy if he didn't. Unless Blue Jays way overpay

 

[BehindTheTimes]

I don’t think there is a realistic way this club can be competitive. I think they need to move Bo/Vlad. After seeing Soto sign that deal I imagine Vlad wants a piece of that pie too.

These idiots squandered a very good core. It’s time to blow it up.

 

[GreytWun]

I don’t think there is a realistic way this club can be competitive. I think they need to move Bo/Vlad. After seeing Soto sign that deal I imagine Vlad wants a piece of that pie too.

These idiots squandered a very good core. It’s time to blow it up.

I agree. These guys are in protect job mode. The desperation is real and bad trades and signings are probably about to occur.

I remember the Tatis deal and thought wow that’s crazy but now it’s an absolute steal for the Padres. Now Vladdy is going to get 100-200 million on top of that deal.

 

[Dough72]

WAR seems like a stat fans in the future will laugh at

 

[Bjindaho]

I don’t think there is a realistic way this club can be competitive. I think they need to move Bo/Vlad. After seeing Soto sign that deal I imagine Vlad wants a piece of that pie too.

These idiots squandered a very good core. It’s time to blow it up.

There is a path, BUT...it involves things that this management doesn't believe in.

Bo should still have crazy trade value (being a young, very good SS) and could theoretically get you something like:
Miller or Knack, Pages plus another piece or two.

 

[Nineteen67]

I don’t think there is a realistic way this club can be competitive. I think they need to move Bo/Vlad. After seeing Soto sign that deal I imagine Vlad wants a piece of that pie too.

These idiots squandered a very good core. It’s time to blow it up.

Yep. What ever happened to all those blue chip minor leaguers they were bragging about several years ago?

WAR seems like a stat fans in the future will laugh at

Once they expose EVERY REPLACEMENT it’ll be even more meaningless.

 

[tmlfan98]

Chilling post. Also Shi says in here that their final offer on Soto may have been significantly below $700 million.

 

[613Leafer]

No issue with the Giménez trade - not the biggest need but Horwitz isn't a big loss for an elite 2B defender with potential for some offence too

Hope we now sign some FA with hitting power and also Burnes

Burnes, Gimenez, hitting power (eg Teo), and a half-decent bullpen would put us in a pretty decent spot I think.

Though ultimately, we cant let Vlad or Bo wall for nothing. So Rogers either needs to pony up big time, pay Vlad/Bo and then also pay big $$ to surround them with a good supporting cast, or you may as well sell Vlad, Bo, Gauzman, Bassit, etc and go through a multi-year rebuild.

Clinging to being a semi-competitive team until guys age out and/or walk in free agency is a good way to end up in a decade long rebuild. So pony up, or rebuild. Don't just kinda tinker and hope for the best.