Offseason Roster Thread (2020-2021)

[Eat My Shatkins]

Trade for Lindor, extend him.

Sign Bauer

Sign Kluber or Archer as a reclamation project

Sign JBJ

 

That'd be a pretty sweet off season.

 

3B - Biggio

2B - Bichette

SS - Lindor

DH - Hernandez

LF - Gurriel

1B - Vladdy

RF - Grichuk

CF - JBJ

C - Jansen / Kirk

 

I don't know where you fit Tellez in here. Trade bait? Comes off the bench? Depth?

 

SP - Ryu

SP - Bauer

SP - Pearson

SP - Kluber/Archer

SP - Stripling

 

Roark, Merryweather, Hatch, Kay, Zeuch.....

 

CP - Romano

RP - Dolis

RP - Cole

RP - Borucki

RP - Yamaguchi

 

 

Maybe you throw a little money into the pen as well by signing a big name high leverage arm. Not sure if you want to just hand the closer role to Romano out right. Jays FO seems pretty good at finding some nice relief arms from the bargain bin too.

[saskjayfan]

Trade for Lindor, extend him.

Sign Bauer

Sign Kluber or Archer as a reclamation project

Sign JBJ

 

That'd be a pretty sweet off season.

 

3B - Biggio

2B - Bichette

SS - Lindor

DH - Hernandez

LF - Gurriel

1B - Vladdy

RF - Grichuk

CF - JBJ

C - Jansen / Kirk

 

I don't know where you fit Tellez in here. Trade bait? Comes off the bench? Depth?

 

SP - Ryu

SP - Bauer

SP - Pearson

SP - Kluber/Archer

SP - Stripling

 

Roark, Merryweather, Hatch, Kay, Zeuch.....

 

CP - Romano

RP - Dolis

RP - Cole

RP - Borucki

RP - Yamaguchi

 

 

Maybe you throw a little money into the pen as well by signing a big name high leverage arm. Not sure if you want to just hand the closer role to Romano out right. Jays FO seems pretty good at finding some nice relief arms from the bargain bin too.

 

In this scenario I'd rather trade grichuk and save the money and use Rowdy/Vlad as 1st base and DH. You spent a fair amount of cash there....about 75 mil...save some cash on grichuk and sign Trev rosenthal. You can't make all those moves and not address the bullpen.

[Brownie19]

In this scenario I'd rather trade grichuk and save the money and use Rowdy/Vlad as 1st base and DH. You spent a fair amount of cash there....about 75 mil...save some cash on grichuk and sign Trev rosenthal. You can't make all those moves and not address the bullpen.

 

You really have no problem getting Tellez at bats as Grichuk doesn't have to play RF fulltime. Grichuk and Tellez would essentially platoon.

[jerb]

 

Andy Martino

@martinonyc

 

Teams perceived by rivals as likely to spend significantly this offseason: Blue Jays, White Sox, Giants, Mets

[Brownie19]

Can someone explain why the Giants would spend significantly this offseason? That team is horrendous on paper.

[Brownie19]

You can turn unspent money into organizational assets.

 

They're also not THAT bad. They were 6th in position player WAR without Posey.

 

That's because literally everyone on their team overperformed last year.

 

 

Fair point about spending and then trading it for long term assets, but post COVID it seems unlikely many owners will be looking to do that.

[Orgfiller]

Can someone explain why the Giants would spend significantly this offseason? That team is horrendous on paper.

 

They have a ton of money and one of the top executives in the league. You go all in on Bauer, Springer + other free agents and suddenly you're competitive for the one of the last wildcard positions. They also have a lot of money coming off the books following the 2021 season in Brandon Crawford, Posey (has 2022 club option), Brandon Belt and Johnny Cueto (2022 club option). Why wait for the 2021 free agency class if you can pick up some of the elite talent in this one could be the thinking here.

 

They have some players with sneaky upside in Yas, Alex Dickerson and Mauricio Dubon and their top positional player prospect Joey Bart is close to being MLB ready.

Edited November 5, 2020 by Orgfiller

[Brownie19]

They have a ton of money and one of the top executives in the league. You go all in on Bauer, Springer + other free agents and suddenly you're competitive for the one of the last wildcard positions. They also have a lot of money coming off the books following the 2021 season in Brandon Crawford, Posey (has 2022 club option), Brandon Belt and Johnny Cueto (2022 club option). Why wait for the 2021 free agency class if you can pick up some of the elite talent in this one could be the thinking here.

 

They have some players with sneaky upside in Yas, Alex Dickerson and Mauricio Dubon and their top positional player prospect Joey Bart is close to being MLB ready.

 

I guess having a lot of money to spend is the first step, their building blocks seem non-existent (yes they've had some waiver wire success, but you're not building around Yas, Dickerson and Dubon) and they don't have this incredible farm system that's about to dumps lots of talent onto the ML roster.

 

I guess they can try to buy a winning team through Free Agency, but history suggest that's often unsuccessful.

 

Seems odd - usually it's teams that have that solid base there, with a stocked farm system who see a window to contend and use free agency to put them over the top. I just don't see the Giants being anywhere near that. I just see a horrible roster that should probably be selling high on Yas, Dickerson and Dubon to try and rebuild. Maybe add some short term FA's that you could sell at the trade deadline to add talent. Maybe it's just me though.

[glory]

[Spanky99]

 

Yeah, Heyman mentioned it in that podcast today, please land him.

 

14:00 minute mark... he speaks on Toronto.

[Grant77]

Ross Atkins today:

 

"I feel good about acquiring another free agent -- I can tell you that -- in the starting pitcher market. That doesn't mean it will happen, but I feel like we have a chance to do it"

[Spanky99]

Already active on free agent front, Jays GM Atkins may look to add another starter

 

Mon., November 9, 2020, 6:43 p.m. EST·3 min read

 

The Toronto Blue Jays were the first team to strike on the free-agent front this off-season. Productive interactions at this week's general manager meetings could set them up for some potential trades too.

 

Four days of meetings - held virtually this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic - began Monday. Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins said he's planning to continue his proactive approach ahead of the 2021 season.

 

"From the beginning of the last off-season, we've worked hard to make this team better and we're in a position to do that again," Atkins said. "So we're going to continue to think about that from every approach and every angle that we can do it."

 

The Blue Jays agreed to terms on a one-year deal with left-handed starter Robbie Ray on Saturday. Ray, acquired last August in a trade with Arizona, became the first of 181 free agents to get a new contract.

 

"He has done nothing but impress us from Day 1," Atkins told reporters during a 35-minute video call.

 

Ray will help shore up a rotation that was thinned after Matt Shoemaker and Taijuan Walker became free agents. The Blue Jays declined the option on Chase Anderson's contract, leaving a starting five - at the moment - that will likely include ace Hyun-Jin Ryu, Ray, Nate Pearson, Ross Stripling and Tanner Roark.

 

While upgrading team defence is also a priority, Atkins is optimistic that he'll be able to add more depth to the rotation.

 

"I feel good about acquiring another free agent, I can tell you that, in the starting pitcher market," he said. "It doesn't mean it'll happen but I feel like we have a chance to do it. If that doesn't happen, we'll turn to the trade market.

 

"But we're working on them simultaneously."

 

General managers met last fall in Scottsdale, Ariz. There won't be chance meetings in a hotel lobby this time around. Same goes for chatting up a fellow GM or agent in the elevator or while waiting in line at the coffee shop.

 

Atkins credits strong relationships with executives and others around the sport for helping make the virtual process an efficient and productive one.

 

Meanwhile, when it comes to payroll plans, president Mark Shapiro is expected to make a presentation to the Blue Jays' ownership group later this month. There's no word yet on a dollar figure but Atkins said that hasn't impacted the team's approach.

 

"We obviously realize that the best way to recovery and getting back to full steam is winning," Atkins said. "We are united on that front."

 

The Blue Jays did not play in Toronto last season due to border restrictions as a result of the pandemic. Home games were played at Buffalo's Sahlen Field for most of the truncated 60-game campaign.

 

It remains unclear when the Blue Jays might return to Rogers Centre. The 2021 home opener is set for April 8 against the Los Angeles Angels.

 

"I'm optimistic that we'll be in Toronto," Atkins said of next year's plans. "Obviously it is not within our control so we have to plan accordingly for an alternative."

 

The Blue Jays' biggest move last winter was the free-agent signing of Ryu to a US$80-million, four-year deal. He was a reliable ace as Toronto rose out of a three-year rebuilding rut to a 32-28 mark, good for the eighth and final seed in the American League playoffs.

 

The Blue Jays were swept in the wild-card series by the Tampa Bay Rays.

 

The 2021 pre-season schedule is set to begin Feb. 27 against Philadelphia. The Blue Jays will open the regular season April 1 against the New York Yankees.

 

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 9, 2020.

[connorp]

"We obviously realize that the best way to recovery and getting back to full steam is winning," Atkins said. "We are united on that front."

 

That’s my favorite quote. Fans or no fans next year shouldn’t prevent you from building your brand.

Teams committed to winning will pay the good FA

[Jays24]

Already active on free agent front, Jays GM Atkins may look to add another starter

 

Mon., November 9, 2020, 6:43 p.m. EST·3 min read

 

The Toronto Blue Jays were the first team to strike on the free-agent front this off-season. Productive interactions at this week's general manager meetings could set them up for some potential trades too.

 

Four days of meetings - held virtually this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic - began Monday. Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins said he's planning to continue his proactive approach ahead of the 2021 season.

 

"From the beginning of the last off-season, we've worked hard to make this team better and we're in a position to do that again," Atkins said. "So we're going to continue to think about that from every approach and every angle that we can do it."

 

The Blue Jays agreed to terms on a one-year deal with left-handed starter Robbie Ray on Saturday. Ray, acquired last August in a trade with Arizona, became the first of 181 free agents to get a new contract.

 

"He has done nothing but impress us from Day 1," Atkins told reporters during a 35-minute video call.

 

Ray will help shore up a rotation that was thinned after Matt Shoemaker and Taijuan Walker became free agents. The Blue Jays declined the option on Chase Anderson's contract, leaving a starting five - at the moment - that will likely include ace Hyun-Jin Ryu, Ray, Nate Pearson, Ross Stripling and Tanner Roark.

 

While upgrading team defence is also a priority, Atkins is optimistic that he'll be able to add more depth to the rotation.

 

"I feel good about acquiring another free agent, I can tell you that, in the starting pitcher market," he said. "It doesn't mean it'll happen but I feel like we have a chance to do it. If that doesn't happen, we'll turn to the trade market.

 

"But we're working on them simultaneously."

 

General managers met last fall in Scottsdale, Ariz. There won't be chance meetings in a hotel lobby this time around. Same goes for chatting up a fellow GM or agent in the elevator or while waiting in line at the coffee shop.

 

Atkins credits strong relationships with executives and others around the sport for helping make the virtual process an efficient and productive one.

 

Meanwhile, when it comes to payroll plans, president Mark Shapiro is expected to make a presentation to the Blue Jays' ownership group later this month. There's no word yet on a dollar figure but Atkins said that hasn't impacted the team's approach.

 

"We obviously realize that the best way to recovery and getting back to full steam is winning," Atkins said. "We are united on that front."

 

The Blue Jays did not play in Toronto last season due to border restrictions as a result of the pandemic. Home games were played at Buffalo's Sahlen Field for most of the truncated 60-game campaign.

 

It remains unclear when the Blue Jays might return to Rogers Centre. The 2021 home opener is set for April 8 against the Los Angeles Angels.

 

"I'm optimistic that we'll be in Toronto," Atkins said of next year's plans. "Obviously it is not within our control so we have to plan accordingly for an alternative."

 

The Blue Jays' biggest move last winter was the free-agent signing of Ryu to a US$80-million, four-year deal. He was a reliable ace as Toronto rose out of a three-year rebuilding rut to a 32-28 mark, good for the eighth and final seed in the American League playoffs.

 

The Blue Jays were swept in the wild-card series by the Tampa Bay Rays.

 

The 2021 pre-season schedule is set to begin Feb. 27 against Philadelphia. The Blue Jays will open the regular season April 1 against the New York Yankees.

 

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 9, 2020.

 

One thing I find odd is that Shapiro is meeting with ownership a month from now to discuss payroll. Isnt that something you do before free agency begins so you know how you want to allocate your funds? Like we spent 8 million on Ray, all while not knowing what our total payroll will be. Doesnt sound smart at all.

[connorp]

One thing I find odd is that Shapiro is meeting with ownership a month from now to discuss payroll. Isnt that something you do before free agency begins so you know how you want to allocate your funds? Like we spent 8 million on Ray, all while not knowing what our total payroll will be. Doesnt sound smart at all.

 

Or just sounds like bs lol. Seriously how do you talk about payroll 2 months into FA.

[G-Snarls]

Can someone explain why the Giants would spend significantly this offseason? That team is horrendous on paper.

 

Makes no sense

 

Unlike the Mets

[jerb]

 

bob elliott

@elliottbaseball

 

Hearing that the Jays have interest in Los Angeles Angels free agent SS Andrelton Simmons @BlueJays @Angels @Braves

[Spanky99]

 

bob elliott

@elliottbaseball

 

Hearing that the Jays have interest in Los Angeles Angels free agent SS Andrelton Simmons @BlueJays @Angels @Braves

 

Meh... he passed on a trade here last season, no way. Bob's a few months late, lol.

[Spanky99]

I wouldn't mind La Stella as a Super-Utility guy either. Actually, he'd be a great fit.

[Grant77]

 

bob elliott

@elliottbaseball

 

Hearing that the Jays have interest in Los Angeles Angels free agent SS Andrelton Simmons @BlueJays @Angels @Braves

 

No thanks on Simmons. I'm not upsetting Bichette unless it's for a big upgrade.

[Spanky99]

No thanks on Simmons. I'm not upsetting Bichette unless it's for a big upgrade.

 

Bichette wasn't upset a few months ago? He said he'd move off position for the betterment of the team. It doesn't matter anyhow, he blocked the trade, lol.

[RobinThicc]

https://www.cleveland.com/tribe/2020/11/tribe-trading-lindor-to-blue-jays-how-about-a-salary-cap-any-outfielders-hey-terry.html?outputType=amp&__twitter_impression=true

 

"Your comments reminded me of something I mentioned in a notes column a few weeks ago. I heard Francisco Lindor is interested in playing for the Blue Jays. Two sources, in fact."

 

Terry Pluto covers cleveland sports, so he could definitely have some sources.

[Spanky99]

https://www.cleveland.com/tribe/2020/11/tribe-trading-lindor-to-blue-jays-how-about-a-salary-cap-any-outfielders-hey-terry.html?outputType=amp&__twitter_impression=true

 

"Your comments reminded me of something I mentioned in a notes column a few weeks ago. I heard Francisco Lindor is interested in playing for the Blue Jays. Two sources, in fact."

 

Terry Pluto covers cleveland sports, so he could definitely have some sources.

 

You mean the guy that has 4 messages, lol. C'mon...

[max silver]

I'm increasingly warming to the idea of attempting to bring Charlie Morton aboard. As he is an older pitcher I have suspicions the covid shortened summer camp would have really negatively affected his performance. Once again due to the advanced age I don't think it's going to take more than a year or two offer to bring him aboard, and I like his chances to be successful much more than oft-injured pitchers like Paxton or Kluber.

[Abomination]

I'm increasingly warming to the idea of attempting to bring Charlie Morton aboard. As he is an older pitcher I have suspicions the covid shortened summer camp would have really negatively affected his performance. Once again due to the advanced age I don't think it's going to take more than a year or two offer to bring him aboard, and I like his chances to be successful much more than oft-injured pitchers like Paxton or Kluber.

 

I wouldn't mind having him, but I don't think he'd sign here. He wants to live close to his home in Tampa if I remember right, so would probably only consider a few teams relatively close to that area.

[AdamGreenwood]

Really hope we don't trade for Lindor.

 

1) We already have a great shortstop.

2) We have many areas of greater need: mostly pitching.

3) I hate giving up a bunch of prospects for a 1-year deal.

4) We're not ready to compete yet.

5) Biden's tax plan is gonna make the Blue Jays a lot more competitive in attracting new players in the near future.

[Spanky99]

Really hope we don't trade for Lindor.

 

1) We already have a great shortstop.

2) We have many areas of greater need: mostly pitching.

3) I hate giving up a bunch of prospects for a 1-year deal.

4) We're not ready to compete yet.

5) Biden's tax plan is gonna make the Blue Jays a lot more competitive in attracting new players in the near future.

 

Wow...

[saskjayfan]

Really hope we don't trade for Lindor.

 

1) We already have a great shortstop.

2) We have many areas of greater need: mostly pitching.

3) I hate giving up a bunch of prospects for a 1-year deal.

4) We're not ready to compete yet.

5) Biden's tax plan is gonna make the Blue Jays a lot more competitive in attracting new players in the near future.

 

I'm with you on the first couple, but enough with number 4. We should have a lot of payroll to add to a team was really good last year. We didn't lose anyone. We should be expecting to make the playoffs.

[Jays24]

I'm with you on the first couple, but enough with number 4. We should have a lot of payroll to add to a team was really good last year. We didn't lose anyone. We should be expecting to make the playoffs.

 

Don't you guys think adding Lindor at SS and moving Bichette to 2B or maybe even 3b would give us 2 plus defenders at those positions? Right now id consider Bo and Biggio average at their positions defensively, not to mention the massive improvement with the bat.

 

If Lindor would agree to an extension beforehand, I have no issues sending one of our top prospects. You dont get chances at guys like him often. You think Dodgers are regretting adding Betts at all even if the rest of our team isn't near their level.

 

And I agree... We have a 3/4 year window to stack up on talent before our controllable assets need to get paid themselves in the best case scenario so spend away.

[Grant77]

Don't you guys think adding Lindor at SS and moving Bichette to 2B or maybe even 3b would give us 2 plus defenders at those positions? Right now id consider Bo and Biggio average at their positions defensively, not to mention the massive improvement with the bat.

 

If Lindor would agree to an extension beforehand, I have no issues sending one of our top prospects. You dont get chances at guys like him often. You think Dodgers are regretting adding Betts at all even if the rest of our team isn't near their level.

 

And I agree... We have a 3/4 year window to stack up on talent before our controllable assets need to get paid themselves in the best case scenario so spend away.

 

We'd have to know that the extension is before I can judge what prospects we should give up. That's probably the biggest part of the equation.