There’s not a whole lot going on with the Blue Jays at the moment, but with only the World Series now left to be contested, we’re now as little as a week away from the official beginning of what could be a pivotal offseason for the club — and for the increasingly expensive core of players they’ve built around Vladimir Guerrero and Bo Bichette.
I recognize that investing heavily in the bullpen is a real Colorado Rockies-type move. That being said, it sure has been fun watching some teams with incredible bullpens these past few weeks, and the Jays really could use some more high-octane high-strikeout guys. If you were fully Rockies-pilled, are there any top free agent relivers you would look at?
Will the larger bases change the game significantly? Who on the roster would benefit the most with this change? Would Moreno's arm and pop time be more important?
Did Schnieder ever show remorse/regrets/responsibility for Charlie's firing? He was his 'right hand man'. All I remember reading was it was his dream job, goal, etc to be Manager. Overall I liked the change, but seems like Charlie was 'thrown under the bus'. Not what you would expect from a 'family' culture. Did karma get us?
My lust for Kyle Schwarber is out of control, but assuming I can't use the power of positive thinking to will him onto the roster, what are some other leftie power bats the Jays could realistically* target this offseason? And should they?
(*I say realistically because while I would trade the entire farm system for Ohtani, I think we can all agree that this is highly unlikely.)
I enjoyed listening to the 'positive' and 'negative' podcasts although the negative one was scary. Actually I enjoy all the podcasts! I've got two questions.
1. The Front Office has talked about creating a sustained winning team with 'wave after wave' of talent coming through. Do you see the next wave of talent - and how big is that wave? A Moreno and Tiedemann? Or more than that?
2. If we we are not pursuing big free agents and don't get Stripling back, are we really going to rely on bouncebacks from Berrios and Kikuchi? Is that, uh, wise and sustainable (keeping to that theme) or do we have no other choice given their contracts?
Hey, I’m thinking with the areas of need and lack of major league quality depth, that the Jays should do a McGriff/Tony for Alomar/Carter. I know easier said than done, but given where this team is would this be the next logical step? I see a great fit for a Catcher/Hernandez deal for some combination of players including a young OF and some pitching? Also, what I’d Bo is included and you add an Edman and a Gorman (then move Espi to short)? Honestly this is how I live my life in a dynasty league (always looking for blockbusters), but it just feels like to me that this off-season seems primed for a baseball deal.
Thank you for another season, sir. Your current incarnation is my #1 spot for Jays coverage and I hope you are enjoying it as much as your readers are.
My question is about the magnitude of the Jays off-season moves. Do you think it will be more along the lines of tweaks like Atkins implied, or was that just his standard elusive positioning? If it turns out to be tweaks, what do you think the biggest tweak could be? 5th starter? Upgrade on a non-core regular position player?
Hi Andrew, I sent a tweet about this tagging you a few weeks back, but I remain interested in the "culture" aspect of the Jays' management plan. Most trade ideas floated around, serious or not, involving a big piece for the team involve Lourdes or Teoscar going out, and there's discussion of Cavan Biggio being non-tendered etc. But are we certain that management doesn't essentially view the group (including Bichette, Jansen, Vladdy and others) kind of through a "family" lens? I don't know anything obviously, but I kind of get the feeling from pieces published over the season that they would be much more reluctant than the average team to blow up the "emotional core" of the team here, and it feels like an underexplored angle in thinking about how they'll shape the roster going forward.
Just a random one - what do you think of the sudden emergence of Gibby? Twitter, a podcast, a book...seemingly out of nowhere!
I recognize that investing heavily in the bullpen is a real Colorado Rockies-type move. That being said, it sure has been fun watching some teams with incredible bullpens these past few weeks, and the Jays really could use some more high-octane high-strikeout guys. If you were fully Rockies-pilled, are there any top free agent relivers you would look at?
Will the larger bases change the game significantly? Who on the roster would benefit the most with this change? Would Moreno's arm and pop time be more important?
What needs to be done to capitalize on the 'no shift' 2023 season?
Did Schnieder ever show remorse/regrets/responsibility for Charlie's firing? He was his 'right hand man'. All I remember reading was it was his dream job, goal, etc to be Manager. Overall I liked the change, but seems like Charlie was 'thrown under the bus'. Not what you would expect from a 'family' culture. Did karma get us?
Biggio/Merryweather/Espinal/Kirk/Jansen- we likely only keep three of these players. Which two go?
Two of the Blue Jays clear needs appear to be SP and a LH bat. Is there any trade candidates that would address both?
What do you see as the biggest area of concern, OF, Bullpen or Rotation.....or all three?
Does Schneider's return mean we will see the whole rest of the coaching staff back as well?
My lust for Kyle Schwarber is out of control, but assuming I can't use the power of positive thinking to will him onto the roster, what are some other leftie power bats the Jays could realistically* target this offseason? And should they?
(*I say realistically because while I would trade the entire farm system for Ohtani, I think we can all agree that this is highly unlikely.)
Tiedemann -- overhyped?
I enjoyed listening to the 'positive' and 'negative' podcasts although the negative one was scary. Actually I enjoy all the podcasts! I've got two questions.
1. The Front Office has talked about creating a sustained winning team with 'wave after wave' of talent coming through. Do you see the next wave of talent - and how big is that wave? A Moreno and Tiedemann? Or more than that?
2. If we we are not pursuing big free agents and don't get Stripling back, are we really going to rely on bouncebacks from Berrios and Kikuchi? Is that, uh, wise and sustainable (keeping to that theme) or do we have no other choice given their contracts?
Hey, I’m thinking with the areas of need and lack of major league quality depth, that the Jays should do a McGriff/Tony for Alomar/Carter. I know easier said than done, but given where this team is would this be the next logical step? I see a great fit for a Catcher/Hernandez deal for some combination of players including a young OF and some pitching? Also, what I’d Bo is included and you add an Edman and a Gorman (then move Espi to short)? Honestly this is how I live my life in a dynasty league (always looking for blockbusters), but it just feels like to me that this off-season seems primed for a baseball deal.
Thank you for another season, sir. Your current incarnation is my #1 spot for Jays coverage and I hope you are enjoying it as much as your readers are.
My question is about the magnitude of the Jays off-season moves. Do you think it will be more along the lines of tweaks like Atkins implied, or was that just his standard elusive positioning? If it turns out to be tweaks, what do you think the biggest tweak could be? 5th starter? Upgrade on a non-core regular position player?
Any pure speculation on candidates to assume Schneider's bench coach role? And (truly, unrelated), best manager job fits out there for Gibby?
Hi Andrew, I sent a tweet about this tagging you a few weeks back, but I remain interested in the "culture" aspect of the Jays' management plan. Most trade ideas floated around, serious or not, involving a big piece for the team involve Lourdes or Teoscar going out, and there's discussion of Cavan Biggio being non-tendered etc. But are we certain that management doesn't essentially view the group (including Bichette, Jansen, Vladdy and others) kind of through a "family" lens? I don't know anything obviously, but I kind of get the feeling from pieces published over the season that they would be much more reluctant than the average team to blow up the "emotional core" of the team here, and it feels like an underexplored angle in thinking about how they'll shape the roster going forward.