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Blue Jays Discussion: Off-Season Pt VII: Things keep happening!

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Biggest questions for AL East teams in 2021
BLUE JAYS
1) How much does Springer change things?
It has been a long, long time since the Blue Jays were the team that got the top free-agent bat on the market, but this is, after all, what they’ve been building toward for the last few years. George Springer gives the Jays, who just broke through and made the playoffs after all, instant credibility, and he also gives them a fantastic hitter atop their lineup, as well as a guy all the young players can pattern themselves after. We’ll see how long he can hang in center field, but right now, for this roster, he’s the perfect fit. Blue Jays fans are going to love him.

2) Is Vlad going to finally bust out?
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is good. He was good his rookie year, and he was a little better last year, But he hasn’t become Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Destroyer of Worlds yet, and that’s still causing a fair share of worry in Toronto. They had, after all, sort of been counting on that. He is somehow only 21 years old -- he is two years younger than Orioles franchise savior Adley Rustchman, who has yet to make his big league debut -- and there keep being little improvements on the edges. Guerrero also played every single game last year. One of these years, and maybe it’s this one, he might just become that MVP everyone expected him to be right out of the gate. If that happens, the Blue Jays’ ceiling just gets higher from here.

3) Is there enough in the rotation?
Blue Jays fans knew they needed some help in the back of their rotation, but all told, Steven Matz might not have been exactly what they had in mind. The Blue Jays have an AL Cy Young Award contender in Hyun Jin Ryu, but he isn’t really a 35-start type of guy. And the Blue Jays don’t have many of those, at all. Right now, this looks like a rotation for a .500 team: Average, fine, but very much prone to breaking down over a full season. Will they look for a midseason addition? What happens if Ryu gets injured? Toronto may have to win a lot of 9-7 games.

4) Hey, where are they playing?
Oh, yeah: That. Last year they played in Buffalo, but, if everything goes the way it’s supposed to, there will be a Minor League season in Buffalo in 2021, so that place is occupied. And I don’t know whether you’ve tried to cross over into Canada in the age of COVID anytime recently, but it’s not so simple, and essentially impossible for a baseball team that just happens to be on a road swing. The most recent reports have the Jays at least starting their season in Dunedin, Fla., not unlike how the Toronto Raptors have been playing their games in Tampa. But the Raptors, a talented team, are clearly suffering from the exchange rate: They’re having their worst season in nearly a decade. Can the Blue Jays avoid the airbnb whiplash?
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phillipmike said:
I can think a few;

Jonathan Davis (turning 29 with Springer, Gurriel, Hernandez, Grichuk, Biggio, and Fisher all ahead of him for at bats.)
Josh Palacios (turning 26 and had a OPS of .787 in AA ball)

And the very unlikely but possible;

Roark, Yamauchi, Waguespack, Zeuch, Tice, or Murphy. Especially considering the expectation is the Jays are likely adding at least 2 more MLB players before opening day.

Either one of them or a trade is brewing.

Though i dont see any of those guys being worse than the new addition.
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I almost (almost) added a "They could DFA Yamaguchi but I don't think they'll give up on him so soon since they owe him this year's salary anyway". Missed opportunity to be sort of almost right about something for once!
 
TheBeastCoast said:
You are sure trying your best to justify it. Imagine if we signed Villar he totally would have been surplus then.
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The Jays will not go into the season with their rotation the way it is, and Biggio penciled as the everyday 3rd baseman. Jays either trade him or Gurriel for an upgrade at SP and 3rd with whom ever is left over playing LF.

My bet is on Biggio due to the great contract Gurriel has for what he produces.

You dont go out and sign Springer and Semien to upgrade your defense to put Biggio at the hot corner as a downgrade. The Jays have been saying it time and time again that they want to improve defense. Biggio at 3rd isnt it.
 
BlueForever75 said:
The Jays will not go into the season with their rotation the way it is, and Biggio penciled as the everyday 3rd baseman. Jays either trade him or Gurriel for an upgrade at SP and 3rd with whom ever is left over playing LF.

My bet is on Biggio due to the great contract Gurriel has for what he produces.

You dont go out and sign Springer and Semien to upgrade your defense to put Biggio at the hot corner as a downgrade. The Jays have been saying it time and time again that they want to improve defense. Biggio at 3rd isnt it.
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Or and I mean this might sound crazy. If Biggio is as bad as people expect...they just move him back to 2nd during the season lol. The entire premise is ridiculous to me honestly.
 
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TheBeastCoast said:
Or and I mean this might sound crazy. If Biggio is as bad as people expect...they just move him back to 2nd during the season lol. The entire premise is ridiculous to me honestly.
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Yeah, no possible way Semien plays 3B eventually and Biggio stays at 2B.
 
Cor said:
Yeah, no possible way Semien plays 3B eventually and Biggio stays at 2B.
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Hence the reason that the Jays may be still looking at possible ways to upgrade their defense at 3rd rather then wait mid season where the cost will go up substantially when teams know the Jays are looking for that 3rd baseman.

The off season is when deals need to be made. Mid season or deadline you will always pay a premium. Teams are still trying to shed payroll, Jays should be taking advantage of that.

It may not be Biggio that is dealt but there are definite discussions still ongoing and with the surplus of OF and Biggio currently the defacto 3rd baseman and utility player on their roster. Both he and Gurriel seem like the asks teams will have for any possible deals. Both controlled, young and MLB ready. Could be Biggio or Gurriel, but I wouldnt be surprised if one is dealt in some deal.
 
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BlueForever75 said:
The Jays will not go into the season with their rotation the way it is, and Biggio penciled as the everyday 3rd baseman. Jays either trade him or Gurriel for an upgrade at SP and 3rd with whom ever is left over playing LF.

My bet is on Biggio due to the great contract Gurriel has for what he produces.

You dont go out and sign Springer and Semien to upgrade your defense to put Biggio at the hot corner as a downgrade. The Jays have been saying it time and time again that they want to improve defense. Biggio at 3rd isnt it.
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You don't go out and sign Semien for 1 year in order to trade Craig Biggio with years of control.
 
They probably realize next year is more likely to be a true world series contender than this year. See what Biggio can do at 3B instead of trading prospects for someone like Bryant.

Too bad we couldn't have gotten Semien on a 2 year deal. Probably Semien wants to cash more after the pandemic and Jays want to take a run at one of those 5 star shortstop next year.
 
BigBlu said:
You don't go out and sign Semien for 1 year in order to trade Craig Biggio with years of control.
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You do if you have a plan to make your overall team better. Remember you have prospects coming up in the next year or two that may displace Biggio anyhow. There isnt any reason to believe that Semien is only in Toronto for one season. If he comes out balls a blazing, it wouldnt surprise me to see him signed long term mid season. Being in Toronto and in clubhouse gives the Jays an opportunity to have control on negotiations until next off season.

Lots can happen over the next 12 months.
 
BlueForever75 said:
You do if you have a plan to make your overall team better. Remember you have prospects coming up in the next year or two that may displace Biggio anyhow. There isnt any reason to believe that Semien is only in Toronto for one season. If he comes out balls a blazing, it wouldnt surprise me to see him signed long term mid season. Being in Toronto and in clubhouse gives the Jays an opportunity to have control on negotiations until next off season.

Lots can happen over the next 12 months.
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Would you have any concern in trading one of the few left handed bats that you have in the line-up? Not that it's a huge factor anymore, but you also have the flexibility to put Biggio anywhere in the field.

He's also an anywhere in the line-up hitter if needed. Great OBP.

Is it simply a value trade at this point?
 
Blue Jays 2021 prospect rankings: Keith Law on Toronto's top 20
A few years ago, the Jays’ front office proclaimed it had a top-five farm system in baseball, perhaps even top-three, based on some internal projections nobody ever saw. It wasn’t true then, but it sure as hell would be true now. This system has improved exponentially in the last two years, with a pair of strong drafts, some smart trades and one of the game’s most effective international scouting departments. The Jays have pitching depth and they have a ton of catchers and shortstops, the two positions where you most want to have prospect capital.
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1. RHP Nate Pearson
2. SS Austin Martin
3. RHP Alek Manoah
4. C Alejandro Kirk
5. SS Orelvis Martinez
6. 3B Jordan Groshans
7. C Gabriel Moreno
8. RHP Simeon Woods Richardson
9. 2B/SS Miguel Hiraldo
10. RHP CJ Van Eyk
11. RHP Adam Kloffenstein
12. SS Estiven Machado
13. OF Dasan Brown
14. RHP Eric Pardinho
15. RHP Yosver Zulueta
16. RHP Patrick Murphy
17. SS Rikelvin De Castro
18. SS Leo Jimenez
19. IF Otto Lopez
20. C Riley Adams
[TBODY] [/TBODY]
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Oh Keith
 
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