2019-20 Offseason Thread

Black Watch · Post #1 » by **Black Watch** » Tue Oct 15, 2019 5:06 am

Exciting postseason baseball going on right now—Expos on their way to the World Series!—but let's not forget about the upcoming offseason and all the wheeling and dealing that comes with it.

According to rosterresource we're going to have one of the lowest payrolls next year (2nd lowest, according to the estimates so far).

These are MLBTR's arb projections:

I expect Maile and travis to be non-tendered, so that would put our payroll at ~$60m.

Let's keep track of all the news here—signings, trades, etc.—and also debate what our offseason needs are.

wamco · Post #2 » by **wamco** » Tue Oct 15, 2019 12:22 pm

5sp, a 1b and a dh. Throw the sp we have at aaa-mlb level into the bullpen

Ado05 · Post #3 » by **Ado05** » Tue Oct 15, 2019 3:34 pm

Imagine paying Drury 2.5 million lol.

phillipmike · Post #4 » by **phillipmike** » Tue Oct 15, 2019 7:14 pm

The Blue Jays may be headed for brighter days next year, now that youngsters like Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Cavan Biggio, and Bo Bichette have arrived on the scene. Could veteran–and franchise icon–Edwin Encarnacion be a steadying presence for that young nucleus in 2020? Kaitlyn McGrath of The Athletic takes a long look at Encarnacion’s fit as a potential Toronto addition, opining that the hulking slugger could be a more-than-viable replacement for the likely-to-depart Justin Smoak. Encarnacion’s steady power (104 home runs since 2017) and on-base skills (13.0% walk rate in same time frame) would certainly help boost Toronto’s young lineup, although, as McGrath notes, GM Ross Atkins previously said the club might prioritize a first base addition that “can play other positions as well“. Encarnacion, who will be 37 at the start of spring training, has a $20MM club option with New York for 2020, although he figures to have his $5MM buyout exercised.

Tanner · Post #5 » by **Tanner** » Tue Oct 15, 2019 8:47 pm

Versatile player who can play 1b and other positions = Brad Miller. All of his statcast numbers went way up in 2019 (.493 xSlg, .373 xOba) in a small sample size. Might have made an adjustment or two since launch angle, barrels, and exit velo went up from his usual.

I'd say needs are SP, CF/RF, 1B, and RP in that order.

Post #6 » by **Schad** » Tue Oct 15, 2019 8:55 pm

Brad Miller's a very solid shout. Cheap and has positional versatility...basically what we wanted from Drury, only he has some demonstrated history of hitting baseballs.

BigLeagueChew · Post #7 » by **BigLeagueChew** » Wed Oct 16, 2019 7:56 pm

yankees in montreal next year

https://nationalpost.com/sports/baseball/they-took-the-montreal-expos-and-are-giving-us-tornto-blue-jays-vs-new-york-yankees-at-olympic-stadium/wcm/807d289f-d861-42a8-bddb-9dc4eb768c75?video_autoplay=true

Lateral Quicks · Post #8 » by **Lateral Quicks** » Thu Oct 17, 2019 12:49 am

As of now, your 2020 Blue Jays...

1B Tellez
2B Biggio
SS Bichette
3B Guerrero
LF Gurriel Jr.
CF Hernandez
RF Grichuk
C Jansen
DH Drury

C McGuire
OF Fisher
OF McKinney
IF Espinal
IF Urena

SP Shoemaker
SP Borucki
SP Waguespack
SP Kay
SP Thornton

RP 7-8 guys - your guess is as good as mine

I would say our most glaring hole among the starting lineup is at 1B/DH. Unless someone breaks through, rotating Fisher, McKinney, Hernandez, and Drury through the DH spot is a recipe for mediocre production or worse. At 1B I still like Tellez, but those K numbers are rather terrifying. Do we give all these guys another chance next year, or is it time to spend a little on the free agent market to supplement what is otherwise a promising young lineup?

As much as I dislike Drury, I think you have to keep him around as veteran depth in the infield. After him it's Espinal and Urena, who are unproven.

I actually don't mind the rotation. It's certainly not world-beating, but there's growth potential and something to build on. Obviously small sample sizes being what they are, not to mention the prospect of injury, another veteran presence or two would not go amiss. Guys who could be pushing or a role later in the year include Pearson, Diaz, Merryweather, and SRF (if he can start finding the zone consistently). I'm not sold on Zeuch. On paper the depth actually looks pretty decent compared to last year, but we've seen how quickly injuries can destroy depth.

The 'pen, I have no idea. Giles could (should?) be traded. Tepera is getting expensive. I could see 2-3 guys back from last year, but which ones? I haven't a clue.

I'd say if we add a couple decent starters (think not the likes of Clayton Richard and Clay Buchholz) and a decent bat at 1B, we have a fair shot at .500 next year.

Wo1verine · Post #9 » by **Wo1verine** » Thu Oct 17, 2019 5:39 am

Starting Pitchers Available:

Spoiler:

Outfielders:

Spoiler:

With the 2nd lowest payroll coming into the free agent period and still not going after top guys like Cole that's disappointing when the core is uber cheap.

When we get to the level where we want to contend what will the excuse be for passing up top tier FAs ? That we have to pay Vlad and Bo etc?

Al_Oliver · Post #10 » by **Al_Oliver** » Thu Oct 17, 2019 2:50 pm

Lateral Quicks wrote:As of now, your 2020 Blue Jays...

1B Tellez
2B Biggio
SS Bichette
3B Guerrero
LF Gurriel Jr.
CF Hernandez
RF Grichuk
C Jansen
DH Drury

C McGuire
OF Fisher
OF McKinney
IF Espinal
IF Urena

SP Shoemaker
SP Borucki
SP Waguespack
SP Kay
SP Thornton

RP 7-8 guys - your guess is as good as mine

I would say our most glaring hole among the starting lineup is at 1B/DH. Unless someone breaks through, rotating Fisher, McKinney, Hernandez, and Drury through the DH spot is a recipe for mediocre production or worse. At 1B I still like Tellez, but those K numbers are rather terrifying. Do we give all these guys another chance next year, or is it time to spend a little on the free agent market to supplement what is otherwise a promising young lineup?

As much as I dislike Drury, I think you have to keep him around as veteran depth in the infield. After him it's Espinal and Urena, who are unproven.

I actually don't mind the rotation. It's certainly not world-beating, but there's growth potential and something to build on. Obviously small sample sizes being what they are, not to mention the prospect of injury, another veteran presence or two would not go amiss. Guys who could be pushing or a role later in the year include Pearson, Diaz, Merryweather, and SRF (if he can start finding the zone consistently). I'm not sold on Zeuch. On paper the depth actually looks pretty decent compared to last year, but we've seen how quickly injuries can destroy depth.

The 'pen, I have no idea. Giles could (should?) be traded. Tepera is getting expensive. I could see 2-3 guys back from last year, but which ones? I haven't a clue.

I'd say if we add a couple decent starters (think not the likes of Clayton Richard and Clay Buchholz) and a decent bat at 1B, we have a fair shot at .500 next year.

Tellez should be in Buffalo not on the Jays... he's not good enough yet or maybe ever

BigLeagueChew · Post #11 » by **BigLeagueChew** » Fri Oct 18, 2019 12:26 am

Wo1verine wrote:
With the 2nd lowest payroll coming into the free agent period and still not going after top guys like Cole that's disappointing when the core is uber cheap.

When we get to the level where we want to contend what will the excuse be for passing up top tier FAs ? That we have to pay Vlad and Bo etc?

Vlad's deal might range in the 7-10M over 6-8 years roughly, if you go by what Jimenez and Acuna signed for. I think the team not being good enough will prevent the team from going after free agents more than anything. Numbers show that the best way to upgrade your team is through trade or your minor league system.

I guess if we passed on many big name free agents their is always next years dip at free agency. here's a look at free agents in 2020-2021:

Notable free agents for 2020-21
Catcher: J.T. Realmuto, Mike Zunino, Yadier Molina
First base: C.J. Cron, Yuli Gurriel, Ryan Zimmerman
Second base: Starlin Castro, Jason Kipnis, Cesar Hernandez, Marwin Gonzalez, DJ LeMahieu, Daniel Murphy (mutual option)
Third base: Justin Turner, Zack Cozart, Jake Lamb
Shortstop: Andrelton Simmons, Jonathan Villar, Marcus Semien, Jurickson Profar
Outfield: Mookie Betts, George Springer, Yoenis Cespedes, David Peralta, Michael Brantley, Joc Pederson, Jackie Bradley Jr., Jay Bruce, Giancarlo Stanton (opt-out)
DH: Edwin Encarnacion
Starting pitchers: Trevor Bauer, Robbie Ray, James Paxton, Masahiro Tanaka, Jake Arrieta, Marcus Stroman, Jose Quintana
Relievers: Blake Treinen, Jeremy Jeffress, Alex Colome, Brandon Morrow, Andrew Miller (club option)

Then 2021-22:

Catcher: Salvador Perez, Wilson Ramos, Yan Gomes
First base: Freddie Freeman, Anthony Rizzo, Brandon Belt, Matt Carpenter (vesting option)
Second base: Javier Baez, Kolten Wong, Dee Gordon
Third base: Arenado (opt-out), Kris Bryant, Eduardo Escobar, Travis Shaw, Miguel Sano
Shortstop: Francisco Lindor, Carlos Correa, Corey Seager, Trevor Story
Outfield: Michael Conforto, Tommy Pham, Michael Brantley, Starling Marte, Kyle Schwarber, Byron Buxton, Christian Yelich (club option), Andrew McCutchen (club option)
Designated hitter: Khris Davis
Starting pitchers: Noah Syndergaard, Clayton Kershaw, Corey Kluber, Max Scherzer, Justin Verlander, Zack Greinke, Chris Archer, Mike Foltynewicz
Relievers: Aroldis Chapman, Kenley Jansen, Brad Hand, Jeurys Familia, Corey Knebel, Archie Bradley, Raisel Iglesias, Roberto Osuna, Zack Britton (club option)

Not many names you can rely on for longevity but some good ones, that 2021-2022 class of free agents looks like a full all star team.

Ado05 · Post #12 » by **Ado05** » Fri Oct 18, 2019 1:05 am

In 2020 and 2021, they should be throwing some big money around.

This offseason, sign/trade for a couple of decent starters, get a 1B and maybe a CF'er (both being stop gaps) and call it a day. I think thats pretty reasonable.

Hoopstarr · Post #13 » by **Hoopstarr** » Fri Oct 18, 2019 2:43 am

One of Odorizzi/Wheeler/Pineda, Billy Hamilton, and Zimmerman seems doable. Only the starter long term.

Skin Blues · Post #14 » by **Skin Blues** » Fri Oct 18, 2019 6:35 pm

Billy Hamilton is coming off of a season where he was a 4th outfielder, and eventually DFA'd by the Royals, of all teams. If he could share a roster spot with Teoscar Hernandez, with Billy only playing the outfield while Teoscar takes all the at-bats, then we might be getting somewhere!

Black Watch · Post #15 » by **Black Watch** » Sun Oct 20, 2019 4:56 am

Highest priority this offseason is extending Mark Shapiro.
Medium priority is SPs.
Lowest priority is the OF.

polo007 · Post #16 » by **polo007** » Tue Oct 22, 2019 6:41 pm

Read on Twitter

Lateral Quicks · Post #17 » by **Lateral Quicks** » Wed Oct 23, 2019 12:47 am

polo007 wrote:

Read on Twitter

That would be awful.

Post #18 » by **Schad** » Wed Oct 23, 2019 1:05 am

The source, Adan Lesther, is per his Twitter profile, a PR guy for Ozuna. No one's paying him $160m over 7...even in 2005 or something, no one's giving him those years for his age 29-35 seasons.

Tanner · Post #19 » by **Tanner** » Wed Oct 23, 2019 4:34 am

No one is paying Ozuna $160m. He won't even get half of that.

Black Watch · Post #20 » by **Black Watch** » Wed Oct 23, 2019 5:30 am

polo007 wrote:

Read on Twitter

In his dreams!