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As I write this we're just one sleep away from opening day! Are you excited Blue Jays fans???
I CAN'T HEAR YOU! ARE YOU EXCITED???
Hmm. Must be a bad connection or something. Anyway! Easy as it would be for me to churn out some typical opening day fare for everybody before Sportsnet's coverage of tomorrow's game kicks off at 3 PM ET—you know, the usual crack-of-the-bat, verdant-field, Boys-of-Summer-are-back, let's-be-optimistic kind of stuff—I'm not sure anybody is the mood for that this time around. I think I'm more optimistic about this team than most, and I can tell you I'm not. Global warming means that it's felt like spring in Southern Ontario for most of the last several weeks already. The Jays are aren’t opening their season on grass but the felt carpet of the Trop, and when they come home it will be to an outstandingly renovated ballpark that will cost a bazillion dollars to go to. And those Boys of Summer didn't exactly give us much pleasure last year—then the guys in charge decided to double down on virtually the same roster.
It could work. But after nearly a half-decade of underachievement with some of the most objectively talented rosters in baseball, and the team's two core players getting dangerously close to free agency, heading into the season with projections giving the team a 49% chance to make the playoffs isn't a place where anybody wants to be. Except, seemingly, the guys in charge. (Surprise me, Jays. Please, for the love of all that's good in the world, surprise me. Surely there's one of those horseshoe-assed seasons like everybody else gets to have in this franchise somewhere, right???)
So, rather than some flowery nonsense, what I'm going to do to help us all get set for the season ahead is take a dip into the ol' mail bag. For one thing, I'd like to take the temperature of the sorts of fans smart and reasonable enough to be reading a site like this. And for another, at least if I put a hard deadline on it I won't take six weeks to get the damn thing posted.
The deadline thing means that I won't likely be as thorough, or able to get to as many questions as I normally do with these things. But I think we can all handle that.
So leave me your best thoughts and questions in the comments on this post!
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Hey Stoeten,
I accidentally got into soccer this offseason, so I've been retroactively fondly remembering DJF / BAD podcasts that were more soccer than Jays. Ah. Bold Euros predictions?
Anyway, I like to think of myself as a fairly even-keeled fan who works hard to keep his inner garbage clown at bay at all times. I've broadly understood the moves the "new" management has done, and the team has been perfectly cromulent to watch. Between the rather dubious Pitching Change to end the season last year, and the offseason this year, how much rope are you willing to give management in 2024? You'll let us know when we can unleash our inner garbage clowns, right?
This Q is related to Simon's. I'm sure you'll get lots.
Why are the Jays treating 3B like it doesn't even matter. Is there some reason why they didn't take a run at JD Davis when he got cut? Heard he did a lot of work to improve his defense, and we all know he can hit better than any option the Jays will roll out there.