General Blue Jays Thread: 2024 Off-Season

[JTT]

What do you mean by a significant bat? Who are you going to replace? How much are you willing to pay?

If it’s Varsho, then fine. His bat has been terrible, but he has contributed about 1 war, so the replacement has to be better than that. The question then returns to at what cost, sine there are so many buyers and few sellers.

In my opinion, this is a pretty well built team that for whatever reason isn’t performing well with runners in scoring position which should, by law of averages, improve. I do think that we need a complementary right handed outfield bat. Ideally, that would be a rental player or perhaps a turn around possibility like Dylan Carlson (would also fit as a nice Kiermayer replacement).

Other than that, I’m happy to wait out the deadline, save for possibly moving some non prospect, well performing, triple A guys that we have no room for on the 40 man roster.

[dagger]

What do you mean by a significant bat? Who are you going to replace? How much are you willing to pay?

If it’s Varsho, then fine. His bat has been terrible, but he has contributed about 1 war, so the replacement has to be better than that. The question then returns to at what cost, sine there are so many buyers and few sellers.

In my opinion, this is a pretty well built team that for whatever reason isn’t performing well with runners in scoring position which should, by law of averages, improve. I do think that we need a complementary right handed outfield bat. Ideally, that would be a rental player or perhaps a turn around possibility like Dylan Carlson (would also fit as a nice Kiermayer replacement).

Other than that, I’m happy to wait out the deadline, save for possibly moving some non prospect, well performing, triple A guys that we have no room for on the 40 man roster.

The second base situation seems like it might offer some deadline intrigue. Most of the 2B guys we might seek as upgrades are on good teams and unlikely to be available. If there isn't a trade to be done there, there might not be any harm in dumping Espinal for someone like Davis Schneider who is having himself a season at BUF and can't be any worse than Espinal and Biggio at the plate. His current line is .273/.416/.549/.965 with 20 homers and 58 RBIs. (I suspect the organization would prefer to keep Barger and Martinez in the every day lineup at BUF; Schneider was a 28th round pick so the team isn't as vested in him).

[JTT]

Dumping Espinal is tough though, since he’s the reserve shortstop. Schneider can’t fill that job. The two positions that do seem replaceable are the eighth reliever (White) and the last position bat (luplow, Lukes, Clement etc.) Personally,if they don’t fill that spot from the outside I’d love to see Clements get an opportunity there. Now, if he did, that might make Espinal expendable.

As for White, one would presume that spot is taken by Ryu unless they move Manoah back to the minors. I’ll be curious to see if they go with a six man rotation then or move Manoah or Kikuchi to the bullpen. And what happens if Chad Green gets ready?

[Mehar]

A guy like Cavan Biggio could be of interest to another rebuilding team, due to his versatility and being under team control for two more years. He has been a terrible hitter for 3 years, but maybe another team thinks a change of scenery would be helpful for him.

[polo007]

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I'm really routing for this guy. 35 and just starting to earn a living. A lot of guys would have quit by now.

[Cyrus]

So do you think jays make a "big" sort of everyday player addition? Whether it's an outfielder or additional starting pitching or do you think it'll just be depth guys, some bench player, some 6th or 7th type starting pitching or depth reliever?

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[Cyrus]

Yimi Garcia’s appearance in the Blue Jays’ 3-2 loss to the Angels today marked the right-hander’s 49th game of the season, and his 110th game of his two seasons with Toronto. As a result, Garcia triggered a vesting option in his contract that now guarantees him a $6MM salary in 2024. The Jays had previously held a $5MM club option on Garcia for 2024, with a $1MM buyout.

https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2023/07/yimi-garcia-reaches-vesting-threshold-guarantees-2024-salary.html

Yimi guarantees himself a 6 mill deal for next year.

[Parataxis]

I hope that JR Jackson is going to be okay.

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[polo007]

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Keith Law On Jordan Hicks Coming To Toronto & The Jays' Deadline Plans

The Bob McCown Podcast

July 31, 2023

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Trade deadline plans up in the air after Blue Jays' Bichette hurt in loss to Orioles - Sportsnet.ca

TORONTO – Into the home stretch before Tuesday’s 6 p.m. ET trade deadline and hot in pursuit of at least one bat, the Toronto Blue Jays must now consider another pivotal variable after Bo Bichette hurt his right knee running the bases and left Monday’s 4-2 loss to the Baltimore Orioles.

The club attributed the all-star shortstop’s departure to “discomfort,” a diagnosis termed just vaguely enough to keep everyone guessing about what it really means. Given Bichette’s steely determination and relentless work ethic, anything bad enough to force him from a game will be deeply troubling for a team that hours earlier welcomed Jordan Hicks to the bullpen.

Afterward, Blue Jays manager John Schneider said the team "probably will know more tomorrow."

Having already paid a significant price for one of the game’s hardest throwers, the Blue Jays have hunting for an offensive piece to augment a group that feels one bat light. A reunion with Teoscar Hernandez and the suddenly selling Seattle Mariners is believed to be among the options on their list while infielder Tim Anderson of the tearing down Chicago White Sox is another possibility to at least be under some consideration.

But with Bichette having walked off the field after rounding first on a single to right, stopping on his way to second and pulling up grabbing at his right knee in the third inning, a reprioritization of their needs in the final hours of trading season may well be necessary.

Anderson, who comes with a $14-million club option for next year, isn’t the only short-term option available. St. Louis Cardinals shortstop Paul DeJong is another option – he comes with club options of $12.5 million for 2024 and $15 million for 2025 – and intriguingly, Blue Jays GM Ross Atkins said during the talks about Hicks, “we did exchange bigger concepts and talked about several of their players – that's usually the case.”

Whether that’s DeJong or other potential fits like outfielders Tyler O’Neill or Dylan Carlson wasn’t immediately clear, but it’s pretty clear the Blue Jays need to keep bolstering the roster to fully leverage the group currently in place.

Even after parting with double-A starters Sem Robberse and Adam Kloffenstein, Atkins insisted the Blue Jays “are in a strong position” in terms of prospect capital and added that he and his staff “do see opportunities” for additional trades.

Bichette’s status is an unwelcomed addition into the mix.

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