Happy New Year, everyone! I hope everyone out there was able to get something of a break over the last couple of weeks. I know Ross Atkins did! HEYO!
And no, signing a minor league deal with hard-throwing right-handed reliever Julian Fernández doesn't count — though the strikeouts and velocity he brings to the organization are certainly very interesting, even if last year's BB/9 and HR/9 rates (5.1 and 2.4 respectively) are not. A hard-throwing Blue Jays reliever named Julian who gives up too many home runs? What could possibly go wrong?
Anyway! I had something of a break over the last couple weeks myself. And much as Atkins and his Blue Jays still have plenty of work to do before pitchers and catchers report in six weeks, so do I. So, in that spirit, I'll be kicking off 2023 by opening up the ol' mail bag later on this week!
As always, I'll need help with that, so leave me your best questions in the comments on this post!
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I have a feeling the Charlie Montoya ordeal had a traumatizing effect on the front office; much more than what we've read about. The lack of accountability and maturity he might have failed at fostering, and the aftermath of that and the decision to fire him, likely caused the front office dire pressure. Are most of the moves this offseason a result of that and might such a directional change be the right one?
With the jays sacrificing offence for run prevention, have they essentially “stolen from Peter to pay Paul”? Or, does our new outfield provide more value than just defence to give the jays a better shot at winning in 2023?