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simon's avatar

How useful is 2015 as a comparison? It’s easy to see a stacked offensive team that’s significantly underperforming its run differential, just waiting to be unlocked by a few aggressive roster upgrades. But it’s also easy to want every year to be 2015.

Also, in retrospect, who won the argument (such as it was) between AA and Shapiro about Alex cleaning out the farm system at the deadline in 2015? I realize process and outcome are to some extent separate issues, but looking at the 2015 Blue Jays Transactions page on BBRef, I think the only guys they gave up who accumulated more than one WAR in the intervening half-decade are Matt Boyd (8.2), Daniel Norris (5.2), and Miguel Castro (3.1). Besides those guys, it seems like everyone else who got shipped out has been a bit of a bust: Jeff Hoffman (-1.4), Dawel Lugo (-1.1), Jairo Labourt (0.1), Nick Wells and Alberto Tirado (neither made the majors), Jimmy Cordero (0.2, and he apparently pitched 1.1 innings for the Jays in 2019), Jesus Tinoco (0.4), Rob Rasmussen (-1.1), etc. Jake Brentz finally made the majors this season and has been worth 0.9 WAR already, so I’m not sure how to count him. It also may bear noting that for everything that went out of the farm system, that was the year they signed Vladdy, which certainly goes some way towards evening out the ledger.

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Lewis's avatar

Hi Andrew, Hatch being in BUF is a bit confusing especially before the two bullpen trades. Do you think that they are keeping him stretched out as a SP because: 1) Manoah may need a break due to his innings and Hatch could slide in nicely 2) As an SP he's a more valuable trade chip 3) They truly see him as a SP in 2022 and beyond or 4) maybe a combination of all those or other reasons? Thanks Jeff

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