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

[HuGort]

I like to have it in print

Magazine?

If you are looking for Fantasy purposes, go to Fangraphs and you can navigate between multiple projection models

2025 Projections - ZiPS | FanGraphs Baseball

www.fangraphs.com

If you are looking for a season preview, every sports site will have one soon but the current Jays preview is that the rotation is good, but will likely need a 6th guy to make 10 or more starts, the back end of the pen is much improved but they need better than Little and Nance (unless Little takes a huge jump and Nance's outcomes match his stuff (top 20 pitcher in Stuff+), and the Jays will struggle with sequencing unless they sign another hitter because they will likely hit Springer leadoff).

 

[arthurcason]

 

[LeafsNet]

Knowing the history of trends, I say the Jays will land NONE of them.

 

[shaner8989]

Bregman
Bo
Vlad
Alonso
Santander

Oh my god

 

[al secord]

Bregman
Bo
Vlad
Alonso
Santander

Oh my god

You'd be calling them a f***ing disgrace by May.

 

[phillipmike]

If you can get both, just give Alonso a 4th year and bump up your AAV to Bregman. If you re-sign Bo and, that’s 6 position players locked up for at least 3 years;

C:
1B: Vlad
2B: Gimenez
SS: Bichette
3B: Bregman
LF: Santander
CF:
RF:
DH: Alonso

Still have Kirk and Varsho for 2 years. Springer too. Basically this lineup for 2 years and 6 solid bats for at least 3 years, maybe 4-5 if Santander and Alonso don’t opt out. If they do, then you have more money to spend and probably prospects ready to make an impact.

2025: That’s roughly $330M in payroll this year if there is no money deferred.

That’s 6 legit bats in; Vladdy, Bichette Bregman, Alonso, Santander and Kirk. Maybe Springer can give you a 110 wRC+ with this type of protection and you have 2 young lefty bats with speed in Varsho and Gimenez.

If it works, great you have a playoff team. If it doesn’t, you have mega assets to trade for very good prospects.

2026: Bo and Vladdy at $30M per year. And with Bassitt, Scherzer, Green, and Swanson coming off the books, you can get back down to $280-290M (could be a lot less with deferrals). Hoping one or 2 of Manoah, Tiedemann, Bloss, Yariel and Francis can be a legit #3/4 next year. Maybe spend $6-8M on a Heaney type. If you are willing to spend $300M this year, then why not next year too.

Lineup will be the same. Pen and rotation will need some reinforcements that you hope to get from the minors.

Rotation:
Gausman
Berrios
Manoah
Francis
Yariel/Bloss/Tieddemann

2027: Year after you have the same team but close to $90M coming off in Springer, Gausman, Green, Varsho and Kirk. Got Santander in LF, and hope 2 of Loperfido, Clase, Roden, Schneider, Barger etc. can give you something in the outfield. Back down to $210M

If you are willing to spend $270M again, then you have $60M to find an ace, maybe a back end starter, 2 pen arms and maybe a OF/catcher. More if you have deferrals.

And I’m pretty sure if you get Bregman, Alonso, Vladdy and Bo all signed, there will be heavy deferrals so these numbers will be a lot less and you can spend more.

Just go full video game mode for the next 3 years and make sure the next wave of prospects come in.

 

[CabanaBoy5]

If you can get both, just give Alonso a 4th year and bump up your AAV to Bregman. If you re-sign Bo and, that’s 6 position players locked up for at least 3 years;

C:
1B: Vlad
2B: Gimenez
SS: Bichette
3B: Bregman
LF: Santander
CF:
RF:
DH: Alonso

Still have Kirk and Varsho for 2 years. Springer too. Basically this lineup for 2 years and 6 solid bats for at least 3 years, maybe 4-5 if Santander and Alonso don’t opt out. If they do, then you have more money to spend and probably prospects ready to make an impact.

2025: That’s roughly $330M in payroll this year if there is no money deferred.

That’s 6 legit bats in; Vladdy, Bichette Bregman, Alonso, Santander and Kirk. Maybe Springer can give you a 110 wRC+ with this type of protection and you have 2 young lefty bats with speed in Varsho and Gimenez.

If it works, great you have a playoff team. If it doesn’t, you have mega assets to trade for very good prospects.

2026: Bo and Vladdy at $30M per year. And with Bassitt, Scherzer, Green, and Swanson coming off the books, you can get back down to $280-290M (could be a lot less with deferrals). Hoping one or 2 of Manoah, Tiedemann, Bloss, Yariel and Francis can be a legit #3/4 next year. Maybe spend $6-8M on a Heaney type. If you are willing to spend $300M this year, then why not next year too.

Lineup will be the same. Pen and rotation will need some reinforcements that you hope to get from the minors.

Rotation:
Gausman
Berrios
Manoah
Francis
Yariel/Bloss/Tieddemann

2027: Year after you have the same team but close to $90M coming off in Springer, Gausman, Green, Varsho and Kirk. Got Santander in LF, and hope 2 of Loperfido, Clase, Roden, Schneider, Barger etc. can give you something in the outfield. Back down to $210M

If you are willing to spend $270M again, then you have $60M to find an ace, maybe a back end starter, 2 pen arms and maybe a OF/catcher. More if you have deferrals.

And I’m pretty sure if you get Bregman, Alonso, Vladdy and Bo all signed, there will be heavy deferrals so these numbers will be a lot less and you can spend more.

Just go full video game mode for the next 3 years and make sure the next wave of prospects come in.

Any chance you can be the next GM? Well done.

 

[shaner8989]

You'd be calling them a f***ing disgrace by May.

Likely true if they suck.

 

[dredeye]

I read today that Bregman has a 6yr offer from a team that is not the Astros and my first thought was it's the Jays. The fact that it isn't signed makes me think same as Alonso we are their worst case scenario

 

[hockeywiz542]

Gregor Chisholm: The Jays are back in the game, thanks to the guy cutting the cheques. Fans should cut Edward Rogers some slack

The Toronto Blue Jays had more cash than they let on, and quality free agents without a home have started to take their money.

www.thestar.com

The lineup remains average at best, and would greatly benefit from another bat. And while the 40-year-old Scherzer addresses a lack of depth, an aging rotation is an injury risk.

For $273 million, one would expect more guarantees. But the infusion of cash has at least given them a chance. With Pete Alonso and Alex Bregman still available via free agency, it’s also possible the Jays aren’t done.

There’s one man to thank for this turn of events: Edward Rogers.

Offering praise to the notoriously private billionaire might seem strange. After all, most of us are used to blaming him for high cellphone bills and internet outages. Fans judged him for the departure of former Jays general manager Alex Anthopoulos and his handling of contract talks with Raptors president Masai Ujiri.

But make no mistake, Rogers opening the vault is the only thing that gives the Jays fringe contender status for 2025.

That they can claim to be in the mix after last year’s regression is because of Rogers’ willingness to spend at a time when the Canadian dollar has dipped below 70 cents American.

Edward Rogers, who was booed the last time he appeared at the Rogers Centre, isn’t going to win any popularity contests. But from a sporting perspective, his approval rating should be higher than it is. He spent during the pandemic — when few owners would — and has kept the resources flowing ever since. Beyond demanding additional accountability from the front office, what more could fans want from the man cutting the cheques?

Toronto should be one of the best and most powerful sporting markets in North America. For the first time since the Labatt Breweries days of the 1980s and ’90s, the Jays have an owner who treats it as such.

That still might not result in post-season success, but it has given fans a reason to care again, which is more than could have been said a few months ago.

Now, about that Guerrero contract …