2019-20 Offseason Thread

[phillipmike]

https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2019/11/offseason-outlook-toronto-blue-jays-11.html

[dagger]

Jose abreu took the Sox QO and Will Smith re-signed with the Braves for 3/$40m plus a fourth year option.

[polo007]

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[Wo1verine]

Blue Jays pass on Odorizzi opportunity, show their restraint once again

Where they go from here is unclear, although Odorizzi’s handling demonstrates that even amid their self-described aggressiveness in the market, their restraint from previous winters remains strong and steady.

Wheeler, Hyun-Jin Ryu, Kyle Gibson, Jordan Lyles, Tanner Roark, Michael Pineda, Wade Miley, Rick Porcello and Dallas Keuchel are among the starters they have some degree of interest in. They’d like to add two starters to join a rotation that currently includes only one lock in Chase Anderson, and they seem intent on playing out a decision on Matt Shoemaker to the Dec. 2 tender deadline for arbitration-eligible players.

The Blue Jays had an opportunity with Odorizzi. They declined to take it. What they do next will determine whether that was a mistake or not.

https://www.sportsnet.ca/baseball/mlb/blue-jays-pass-odorizzi-opportunity-show-restraint/

[Fairview4Life]

So what’s the deal with the Astro’s sign stealing? Is this a huge deal and I just haven’t paid attention?

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[BigLeagueChew]

Definately appears to be something going on there. That was against the White Sox, the team that thought we had the man in white.

[raptorsfan2018]

Blue Jays pass on Odorizzi opportunity, show their restraint once again

Where they go from here is unclear, although Odorizzi’s handling demonstrates that even amid their self-described aggressiveness in the market, their restraint from previous winters remains strong and steady.

Wheeler, Hyun-Jin Ryu, Kyle Gibson, Jordan Lyles, Tanner Roark, Michael Pineda, Wade Miley, Rick Porcello and Dallas Keuchel are among the starters they have some degree of interest in. They’d like to add two starters to join a rotation that currently includes only one lock in Chase Anderson, and they seem intent on playing out a decision on Matt Shoemaker to the Dec. 2 tender deadline for arbitration-eligible players.

The Blue Jays had an opportunity with Odorizzi. They declined to take it. What they do next will determine whether that was a mistake or not.

https://www.sportsnet.ca/baseball/mlb/blue-jays-pass-odorizzi-opportunity-show-restraint/

I'm not connecting the dots here. The Jays don't get the opportunity to sign the player until after he declines the QO. Shi is really sloppy here and just putting words to paper for clicks.

[phillipmike]

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[Schad]

Smith signing early is probably good news for us. Faster the reliever market moves, the more likely it is that we can move Giles over the winter.

Blue Jays pass on Odorizzi opportunity, show their restraint once again

I'd be surprised if we signed an FA eligible for compensation. Our second-highest pick and more than $1m in bonus pool is quite a bit to give up for someone like Odorizzi, who has been pretty inconsistent prior to last year, and given that he accepted the QO after a career year, it's likely that was the general mood of the market.

I had Ryu in my mock offseason, and he makes quite a bit of sense to me. There's plenty of risk, sure, but he's the best pitcher we're likely to get on a term that isn't crazy-long.

[Tanner]

Damn, Ryu was the guy I wanted the Jays to get, but Morosi endorsing him means it won't happen.

[Wo1verine]

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[polo007]

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[polo007]

Blue Jays' interest in Grandal offers glimpse into off-season approach - Sportsnet.ca

“I’m sure a lot of teams have interest in Yasmani Grandal,” GM Ross Atkins said Thursday before leaving the GM Meetings. “You could paint a similar picture that I could paint based on his performance and things that have happened in the past and where he’s been and what he’s done.”

OK, let’s paint it. At the plate, Grandal’s a switch-hitter with a lifetime .348 on-base percentage. He has four consecutive seasons with at least 22 homers, including 28 last year. By FanGraphs’ version of wins above replacement, he has five straight seasons of 4.0-plus WAR. Defensively he’s durable with well-regarded framing skills and the versatility to play first base. He has played for winners, he just turned 31 and he’s not linked to draft-pick compensation.

All told, it’s a truly appealing combination. But chances are the Reds, Mets, Astros, Angels, Rays and Brewers all think so, too, and those teams don’t have two catchers of their own available in-house.

Realistically, the chances of the Blue Jays becoming the high bidder on Grandal seem low, but unlikely isn’t impossible. There are also scenarios where they do become motivated to add Grandal.

Hypothetically speaking, the Blue Jays could add pitching at a lower cost than expected. They could then sign Grandal to catch and play first while optioning McGuire to start the season.

Or, if a rival team makes a more enticing offer for one of Toronto’s young catchers, the Blue Jays would be more motivated to replenish catching depth. Perhaps at that point they’d turn to Grandal.

Again, those possibilities now seem remote. Read into the Blue Jays’ interest at your own risk. But like any front office looking for improved offence, they owe it to themselves to explore the possibility, even if it never leads to a deal.

[polo007]

Blue Jays facing tough decisions ahead of Rule 5 protection deadline - Sportsnet.ca

Candidates to be added

IF Santiago Espinal | 25 | 122 games | 7 HR | 27 2B | 12/13 SB | .287/.347/.393 | reached AAA
OF Josh Palacios | 24 | 82 games | 7 HR | 18 2B | 15/20 SB | .266/.371/.416 | reached AA
OF Forrest Wall | 24 on Wednesday | 123 games | 11 HR | 30 2B | 14/22 SB | .268/.351/.422 | reached AAA

All three of these players have gotten serious consideration for 40-man spots in recent months, but it’s not clear if any are locks ahead of Wednesday’s deadline. Of all the decisions facing the Blue Jays front office, these three cases are most likely to be real challenges.

Wall, a former first-round pick who came to Toronto in the Seung-hwan Oh trade, had a solid but unspectacular season in which he reached triple-A. But his double-A teammate, Palacios, is also in the mix for a roster spot after posting a .371 on-base percentage in 82 games with the New Hampshire Fisher Cats.

If the Blue Jays add one position player, it seems likely to be Espinal, who they obtained for 2018 World Series MVP Steve Pearce. Listed at 5-foot-10 and 175 Lbs., Espinal doesn’t hit for much power, but he projects as a capable backup whose bat-to-ball skills give him a lifetime .285 average in the minors.

Baseball America recently listed Palacios and Espinal as players who could draw interest if left unprotected.

Likely to be added

RHP Thomas Hatch | 25 | 4.12 ERA | 135.1 innings | 39 walks | 127 strikeouts | reached AA

The David Phelps trade looks like a good one for the Blue Jays thanks to Hatch, who posted a 2.80 ERA in six starts with the Fisher Cats late last summer. His final outing of the year was his best: a seven-inning effort in which he struck out 11 and walked none.

Expect the Blue Jays to keep stretching Hatch out in 2020, but some believe he could also be a shutdown late-inning reliever. Either way, he should be on the roster by Wednesday evening.

[polo007]

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[Wally West]

Damn, Ryu was the guy I wanted the Jays to get, but Morosi endorsing him means it won't happen.

[Schad]

The Grandal deal is perfectly fair, but as is often the case with moves the White Sox make, it's a question of whether they're the team that ought to be signing that perfectly fair deal. He's likely a major bargain next year, and maybe the year after, but the aging curve for catchers generally isn't kind. The White Sox have improved despite a number of missteps, but are they going to compete before Grandal becomes an okay 1B?

Similarly, I'm surprised there wasn't a competitive team willing to take that massive bargain up front.

[Skin Blues]

He can probably stick at catcher. Other than concussion issues, catchers usually perform well enough to remain at the position into their mid-30s. He'll be 34 when his contact ends. As for whether the White Sox will be any good these next 2 years, I'd probably guess no. But as with the Jays, their hopes really ride on how well their pitching pans out.

[dagger]

When considering the Jays' moves re: future spending on their own prospects and young players, this might be a forerunner of change that suggests more and earlier extensions. Or not.

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