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

[GreytWun]

Looks like Boston just outbid everyone? I don’t think Jays were offering 40 mil a year or more term. I am fine with this. I just hope they can find another bat somewhere somehow.

No chance that is happening

 

[Suntouchable13]

No chance that is happening

What, that they find another bat? Or maybe they can just re-sign Vladdy? Just a thought.

 

[GreytWun]

What, that they find another bat? Or maybe they can just re-sign Vladdy? Just a thought.

Re-sign Vladdy should be the only priority right now. Spring training is about to start we aren’t going to be trading for an impact bat at this time.

 

[Suntouchable13]

Re-sign Vladdy should be the only priority right now. Spring training is about to start we aren’t going to be trading for an impact bat at this time.

It just seems like we are definitely lacking in the power dept. Bo, Vladdy, and Santa the only 3 legit bats. Everybody else is a bottom of the order bat in a good lineup. Springer, Gimenez, Clement, Kirk, Varsho, are all 7-8-9 hitters, but they will be hitting higher than that in our lineup. Loperfido and Wagner are both projects. What do we have here?

 

[aingefan]

That’s a super player friendly contract for Bregman.
Last rumoured 6 year offer was 156 over 6, I think.
Tidy work there for him.
Should be good for the duration of the deal too at that term.

 

[Discoverer]

It just seems like we are definitely lacking in the power dept. Bo, Vladdy, and Santa the only 3 legit bats. Everybody else is a bottom of the order bat in a good lineup. Springer, Gimenez, Clement, Kirk, Varsho, are all 7-8-9 hitters, but they will be hitting higher than that in our lineup. Loperfido and Wagner are both projects. What do we have here?

I agree on Loperfido, but I don't view Wagner as a "project". He's unproven, but I feel confident you can plug him into a major league lineup and get really solid production. He's basically the equivalent to Horwitz last year.

 

[aingefan]

I agree on Loperfido, but I don't view Wagner as a "project". He's unproven, but I feel confident you can plug him into a major league lineup and get really solid production. He's basically the equivalent to Horwitz last year.

Agreed. Wagner and Roden have good approaches, good hit tools, and good eyes.
Loperfido is the probably the most toolsy guy of the AAA group, and maybe most boom or bust.
Lots of power, but a lot of swing and miss at the mlb level. Not impossible for him to correct.
Guys like Roden and Kasevich could add power with some adjustments. They both hit the ball hard. And OMart has plenty of power if he can continue to control the strike zone.
There might be internal solutions to the 5&6 holes yet - these guys all have good minor league resumes.

 

[The Iceman]

No chance that is happening

I can see a JD Martinez type bat being added which isn't half bad...Weak side DH and a solid bat for late inning ABs off the bench.

 

[Discoverer]

I can see a JD Martinez type bat being added which isn't half bad...Weak side DH and a solid bat for late inning ABs off the bench.

I don't love the idea of signing a guy like Martinez, who's mediocre at best and probably pretty bad, to take playing time away from the group of almost-ready young guys. Having said that, most of those young guys are left-handed bats, and if Martinez can come in and hit exclusively against lefties (which he might still be pretty good at) I would be on board.

I just picture him getting way more playing time than that, and I don't like it.