Submit your questions for next week's mail bag!
Plus some quick thoughts on a busy couple days of news from around the league
MLB’s offseason and spring training are both in full swing, as the league has been finally awaked from its 99 days of lockout slumber. I teased the idea of doing a mail bag a couple weeks back, but suddenly it started to seem that the league and players might actually be getting close to working out a deal get the season started, which they eventually, of course, did. That potential piece got lost in the tumult of late night rumours and delayed deadlines which ultimately led to the abbreviated spring we’re now in the middle of. A ton is going on all at once, so let’s talk about it!
Some topics to consider:
• The Blue Jays are playing baseball games again, and for once nearly the full slate of spring training contests will be televised on Sportsnet — starting here on Saturday with the Jays facing the Phillies in Clearwater, before we get our first chance to hear the Sportsnet crew on Sunday from Dunedin with the Pirates in town.
Look at this schedule!
• Speaking of the Phillies, they were the talk of the sport for about a minute on Friday night, after GM Dave Dombrowski gave the middle finger to the concept of defence by signing slugger Nick Castellanos — once his charge in a previous life, back in Detroit — to a five-year, $100 million deal. That pact came fresh on the heels of a deal with another OF/DH type, Kyle Schwarber. And yet the Phillies may still be the third best team in the NL East!
• Philadelphia definitely isn’t the team to beat in that division, as former Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos has built a hell of a team in Atlanta — where he of course just won the World Series back in October. The departure of Freddie Freeman to the Dodgers (another NL juggernaut) was especially odd, but in moving on from their star first baseman the Braves have only gotten better, adding reliever Kenley Jansen on a one-year, $16 million deal that was announced Friday. A lot of teams, the Jays included, could and probably should have been in on him at this point. True, the 34-year-old is going to fall off a cliff at some point, but I’ve thought that for years now and it hasn’t materialized. Plus, there’s no such thing as a bad one-year contract, and the Braves have a loaded bullpen otherwise. A scary team with Ronald Acuña Jr. now healthy!
• Of course, the funniest transaction of late is the one that saw free agent shortstop Carlos Correa sign with the Twins on a three-year, $105.3 million deal that includes an opt out after each of the first two seasons. It’ll almost certainly end up being only a one-year pact, but I don’t think Twins fans will be complaining about that. The fan base that will be complaining? The Yankees. The only reason that the Twins were able to make this deal (or so it seems) is because the Yankees did them a favour last week by taking more than $40 million off their hands in the form of Josh Donaldson’s contract. There’s nothing wrong with having Donaldson on your team, obviously, but Correa/Urshela/Sánchez is probably a better trio to have than Donaldson/Kiner-Falefa/Rortvedt.
• The Yankees may have even bigger problems than that, with news that a private employer mandate that will remain in effect in the city —despite new mayor Eric Adams repealing one that covered gyms, dining, and entertainment — ruling their unvaccinated players ineligible to play home games (in addition to the ones in Toronto they’ll also be ineligible for. This was a shock to the team, apparently, despite the mandate being issued way back on December 27. Lol. Lmao. Hey, but Trevor “98 wRC+ outside of Coors” Story is still out there!
• The Blue Jays have, of course, made some news of their own this week with the acquisition of third baseman Matt Chapman — a player worth being very excited about, not only because of his glove, but because he’s healthy now for the first time since 2019, when he posted a 125 wRC+ on his way to a second straight 6+ fWAR season. Still, it feels like one more big piece would really finish this roster off nicely. And with the Twins moving clearly ahead of the Guardians now, with the White Sox still division favourites and the Tigers and Royals up-and-coming, maybe there’s a chance Cleveland re-thinks their keep-José-Ramírez strategy. I know that if I was Ross Atkins I’d certainly have already made a call!
• One place the Jays can feel very good about right now is in the rotation. José Berríos had a rough, and brief, start against the Orioles on Friday, but said after the game that he felt good — which, really, is the most important thing. The Jays had Hyun Jin Ryu throwing here on Saturday, with Kevin Gausman expected to do so tomorrow, followed by Alek Manoah on Monday, then Yusei Kikuchi on Tuesday. A preview of how the rotation is going to line up going into the season? Perhaps. You could certainly do worse!
• And, of course, it being spring, it’s a great time to keep an eye on the organization’s top prospects. Jordan Groshans was 1-for-3 with a first inning double and a run scored on Friday. Saturday it will be Orelvis Martinez’s turn — plus a few more familiar names, too.
Anywho! On Monday or Tuesday I’ll be posting a fresh mail bag, and will need questions for that. So leave me your best Q’s in the comments below and I’ll provide a bunch of A’s sometime in the near future.
Of course, as always, the ability to post comments around here is for paid subscribers only. So if you want to ask a question you'll have to subscribe or upgrade.
Yes, this is a way to hopefully entice as many folks as I can to upgrade to a paid subscription. And, yes, I'm sorry about that.
And either way, enjoy the game, everyone! Televised baseball is back, and the Blue Jays are one of the most fun teams on the planet. Savour it it all, I say!
⚾ Be sure to follow me on Twitter // Follow the Batflip on Facebook // Want to support without going through Substack? You could always send cash to stoeten@gmail.com on Paypal or via Interac e-Transfer. I assure you I won’t say no. ⚾
I have exciting news to share: You can now read THE BATFLIP in the new Substack app for iPhone.
With the app, you’ll have a dedicated Inbox for my Substack and any others you subscribe to. New posts will never get lost in your email filters, or stuck in spam. Longer posts will never cut-off by your email app. Comments and rich media will all work seamlessly. Overall, it’s a big upgrade to the reading experience.
The Substack app is currently available for iOS. If you don’t have an Apple device, you can join the Android waitlist here.
How desperate should the Jays be to add a good LHH now? I would really like them to get one but if there's not much out there, maybe they'd be better off making this a summer issue.
Does it really matter if jays are all right handed? These people have been earning their keep off mostly righties since they were kids.