Jays 2021/22 General Off-Season Discussion

[L54]

You can’t just assume every major leaguer who struggles doesn’t work out and having him do some squats is going to fix everything

[Spanky99]

You can’t just assume every major leaguer who struggles doesn’t work out and having him do some squats is going to fix everything

 

Exactly, he just likes his Korean BBQ, the guy's basically been the same size as when he came overseas.

[Deadpool]

For every Robbie Ray there’s a CC Sabathia (who pitched worse when he got into better shape)

 

I really don't think this is true. Sure there are examples, but I'd bet the number of athletes who improved after getting into better shape would dwarf the number of athletes who got worse.

[Laika]

Batters getting in shape is also very different than pitchers getting in shape.

 

Pitching is so much about balance, consistency, and rhythm. If you change your weight and physique drastically, even if for the better, it can realistically throw all that stuff out of whack. I think that's why you don't see a lot of chubby pitchers with success on their resume trying to change their physique like that.

[Grant77]

I really don't think this is true. Sure there are examples, but I'd bet the number of athletes who improved after getting into better shape would dwarf the number of athletes who got worse.

 

Ryu has maintained his velocity and his health hasn't been particularly concerning in his Blue Jay's stint. I have my doubts that being in shape is the root cause of his performance issues.

[Stangstag]

Batters getting in shape is also very different than pitchers getting in shape.

 

Pitching is so much about balance, consistency, and rhythm. If you change your weight and physique drastically, even if for the better, it can realistically throw all that stuff out of whack. I think that's why you don't see a lot of chubby pitchers with success on their resume trying to change their physique like that.

 

This

[Stangstag]

I get the excellent players part but if we're not able to re-sign them after their current contracts, it doesn't make much sense to lose all that control of someone like Bo. And if you're going to try to re-sign them then might as well use that money in free agency first.

 

We're trying to sustain our winning and not just go for it in a 2 year window. Thats all I was trying to say.

 

I disagree that the proposed trade would force the team into a “2 year window”

[jerb]

 

Rob Longley

@longleysunsport

 

#Bluejays closer Jordan Romano is recovered from knee surgery and throwing in Florida. We caught up with the Markham native, who revealed he played through the injury for final two months of 2021 season.

https://t.co/AP32uAmfai

[Stangstag]

 

Rob Longley

@longleysunsport

 

#Bluejays closer Jordan Romano is recovered from knee surgery and throwing in Florida. We caught up with the Markham native, who revealed he played through the injury for final two months of 2021 season.

https://t.co/AP32uAmfai

 

Knee surgery?? This seems like its out of nowhere. He was still pitching well late in the season. Interesting

[z3r0s]

Dude needs those deep knee bends between pitches.

[glory]

My knees hurt just watching Romano do those squats/bends before every pitch. Not surprised at all.

[Brownie19]

My knees hurt just watching Romano do those squats/bends before every pitch. Not surprised at all.

 

The knee injury may explain why he stopped doing them part way through the year.

[Laika]

The knee injury may explain why he stopped doing them part way through the year.

 

yeah exactly

[Laika]

that's pretty crazy and explains why Romano seemed juuuuuuust a bit off for parts of the year

[jerb]

[jerb]

 

Shi Davidi

@ShiDavidi

 

Annual Blue Jays Awards as voted on by Toronto chapter of BBWAA:

 

Player of the Year: Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

Pitcher of the Year: Robbie Ray

Most Improved Player: Robbie Ray

Rookie of the Year: Alek Manoah

John Cerutti Award (goodwill, co-operation and character): Marcus Semien

[Grant77]

 

Shi Davidi

@ShiDavidi

 

Annual Blue Jays Awards as voted on by Toronto chapter of BBWAA:

 

Player of the Year: Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

Pitcher of the Year: Robbie Ray

Most Improved Player: Robbie Ray

Rookie of the Year: Alek Manoah

John Cerutti Award (goodwill, co-operation and character): Marcus Semien

 

Hard to argue with any of that.

[G-Snarls]

I hope we can extend Teoscar actually

 

Might be a solid stabilizer move if we can't nail down Bo and Vladdy just yet

[connorp]

Hard to argue with any of that.

 

Semien is a Merc. No Bluejay goodwill/cooperation awards for him. Jk

[John_Havok]

I hope we can extend Teoscar actually

 

Might be a solid stabilizer move if we can't nail down Bo and Vladdy just yet

 

Hard to say. He’s only 2 seasons from free agency and with another 2 seasons like his last 2….he’s looking at a pretty big payday. There’s only 2 scenarios where it makes sense to extend Teoscar, and that’s if both Vlad and Bo are already extended to team friendly extensions, or he himself signs one that’s quite team friendly. I can’t see the latter happening since his arbitration paydays are gonna take him towards 15ish million by then… assuming he keeps hitting like he has been.

 

He might be the odd man out that they have to deal in return for younger guys that are cheaper in order to have the space to extend both Vlad and Bo. From a talent and defensive POV it’s a no brainer that you’d want to prioritize Vlad and Bo.

 

With those 2 in the fold, you’ve got your core of Vlad, Bo, Berrios, Gausman and Springer in place through at least 2026. Even without extensions for those 2, that core is here until 2025.

Edited December 15, 2021 by John_Havok

[Ehjays]

 

 

 

 

This will not be at the Dunedin spring training facilities (Unless it was before the lockout). Once lockout began, If you are on the 40 man roster, you are not allowed to be there. You as a player are FORBIDDEN to be in touch with any of the management, coaches, trainers, dietitians etc.

I watched a show the other day, When Hagen Danner was added to the 40 man, he stated The club contacted him and asked him the night before the lockout if there was any questions or anything he needed before tomorrow cause they will not be permitted to communicate with any of the 40 man guys. Danner also said he was hoping to workout at the facility in Dunedin in the off season but was told he cannot be there as well. A few days later he recieved a snapchat from Kloffenstein and a couple others showing them workingout since they arent on the 40 man, they are able to utilize it. Kind of jokingly rubbing it in.

 

Also If the lockout continues into the season, this doesnt affect the minor league games, but it will as it sits, affect the 40 man roster guys.....what happens with Danner, Moreno or any other 40 man minor leaguer, as they will not be allowed to participate in any minor league games.(Unless a sidedeal is made )Hope this ends so we dont have this problem.

[Spanky99]

This will not be at the Dunedin spring training facilities (Unless it was before the lockout). Once lockout began, If you are on the 40 man roster, you are not allowed to be there. You as a player are FORBIDDEN to be in touch with any of the management, coaches, trainers, dietitians etc.

I watched a show the other day, When Hagen Danner was added to the 40 man, he stated The club contacted him and asked him the night before the lockout if there was any questions or anything he needed before tomorrow cause they will not be permitted to communicate with any of the 40 man guys. Danner also said he was hoping to workout at the facility in Dunedin in the off season but was told he cannot be there as well. A few days later he recieved a snapchat from Kloffenstein and a couple others showing them workingout since they arent on the 40 man, they are able to utilize it. Kind of jokingly rubbing it in.

 

Also If the lockout continues into the season, this doesnt affect the minor league games, but it will as it sits, affect the 40 man roster guys.....what happens with Danner, Moreno or any other 40 man minor leaguer, as they will not be allowed to participate in any minor league games.(Unless a sidedeal is made )Hope this ends so we dont have this problem.

 

It's not Dunedin, but in Florida here's the write up...

 

Toronto Blue Jays Baseball

DOMINATE EVERY DAY: Challenging off-season aside, Blue Jays looking to build on promising 2021

 

Author of the article:Rob Longley

 

Publishing date:Dec 14, 2021 • 5 hours ago

 

CLEARWATER, Fla. — It’s only a batting cage inside a warehouse tucked in an unlikely corner of an industrial part of town, but Teoscar Hernandez is swinging like he means business.

 

The Blue Jays outfielder rips a shot off the edge of the plate that in the mind’s eye, anyway, could have found the right corner in most major league ball parks and resulted in extra bases.

 

“That’s a triple,” his Toronto teammate, Danny Jansen declares from an adjacent bench.

 

“Nah, probably just a double,” Hernandez responds with a dose of humility and the big smile Jays fans have come to appreciate from a player who has realized his considerable talent in his four and a half seasons with the Jays.

 

It may be the middle of December and just two weeks into an MLB lockout that doesn’t exactly seem to be progressing towards conclusion, but for a handful of the boys in Blue who live in the areas, there is work to be done.

 

On this day, Jansen and Hernandez are joined by shortstop Bo Bichette while reliever Jordan Romano has dropped by to check up on his hitting teammates.

 

In a more harmonious labour world, this group would all be getting their winter work in at the team’s state-of-the-art training complex down the road in Dunedin. Those doors are locked by the labour laws so a little creativity is in order.

 

Buoyed by a strong finish to the 2021 season, a return to Toronto and a youthful core who believe they are destined for great things, these guys are remaining productive at a quiet, well-equipped facility Bichette has used in the past.

 

And yes, the 91-win season that left them a game short of advancing is quickly transitioning from the pain of a near miss to the promise of what awaits.

 

“I’ve seen this organization grow for the last four years since I got traded here,” Hernandez said after getting his licks in the cage. “It’s been a good journey. Now that we know we can win, we know we can fight in a division where it’s so hard to be a playoff team.

 

“We are going to put everything together. We’re going to have an even better season next year. That’s our job, to be ready for the challenge.”

 

 

That’s why Hernandez, Bichette and Jansen are here five days a week, trying to keep the groove in their swing and be ready to take it into spring training, whenever that might happen. Crazy as it is to think of it, but at age 29 Hernandez is the old veteran of the group of younger Jays, but his own rise has coincided with that of stars like Bichette and Vlad Guerrero Jr.

 

It’s all part of the ample evidence of where these Jays are headed, especially based on the dominant form towards the end of 2021.

 

“We did a lot of good things this year, a lot to show that we could compete with the other teams in the league,” Bichette said. “It really showed how good we are. Now we just have to build on it and continue to get better.

 

“At the end of the day, we have to start over and regroup and be ready to compete and have an even stronger season so that it doesn’t come down to the final day.”

 

It would be easy to dismiss Bichette’s confidence as youthful bravado. It also would be wrong.

 

Sure, almost since the day he made his big league debut he has touted the Jays as contenders, but Bichette means what he says.

 

And that mindset has certainly helped elevate the Jays’ credentials as contenders over the past couple of seasons.

 

There’s something to be said about being fearless and a group of Jays who can bomb it with the best of them are riding that attitude.

 

“I think we all believe we can win a World Series and that’s what we’re going to do. That’s the goal,” Bichette said. “We’ve shown that ability but now we’ve got to go out and do it.

 

“It’s pretty obvious with this team that we’ve got something pretty special. The staff is amazing, we work hard and are prepared and we have an intense competitiveness.

 

“We knew before everybody else the kind of team we are. We knew in spring training that we were capable of something special.”

 

Improving won’t be automatic, of course, especially with the loss of second baseman Marcus Semien and Cy Young Award winner Robbie Ray.

 

Then there’s the lockout looming as a potential roadblock to the momentum built from the Jays’ strong finish to the season. That said, the Toronto players we spoke to down here over the past few days are all forging ahead with their off-season work in anticipation of picking up where they left off.

 

“All we can do is get our body and our mind right for whenever the day comes that we’re back at it,” Jansen said. “It’s just accepting that and getting back to work.

 

“It’s wild — the first time in 26 years this has happened and nobody playing right now has gone through it before.”

 

Other than the world champion Braves, perhaps, there may not have been a team that entered the off-season with more optimism than the Jays.

 

“We were probably he best team in baseball the second half,” Jansen said. “Four teams with 91-plus wins in the AL East is remarkable, but that just fuels us.

 

Blue Jays pitcher Jordan Romano is currently recovering from knee surgery.

Blue Jays closer Jordan Romano recovered from knee surgery and working hard in uncertain off season

Jordan Romano gets in some throws at the Little Wrigley Baseball Academy in Florida.

As he works out among chickens and donkeys, Blue Jays closer Romano won't let lockout punch impede his ambitious goals

The Blue Jays signed ace starter Kevin Gausman, who led the San Francisco Giants to an historic season.

 

“We had a great team. Everyone will say we should have gone farther that’s how everyone is with this team. We’re competitors. We’re definitely not happy that we missed, but we’re going to move on and take what we learned. Obviously with the young core, it was valuable experience. Playing those meaningful games in September is going to be very useful going forward.”

 

Jansen, by the way, looked particularly solid at the plate as he hopes to build on his strong September, which included three home runs in his final five games.

 

To a man, the Jays believe a full season in Toronto would provide a huge edge, an assertion based in fact when considering the surge the team made after its return to the Rogers Centre for the final two months.

 

“It was a lot with the circumstances we had to go through as a team,” Bichette said of the transient, three-home season. “But the second half of the season we showed a lot and showed what we are capable of accomplishing.”

 

Don’t discount the fact that Bichette and Guerrero now have full 162-game seasons under their batting helmet for the first time in their careers. Hernandez has been with the team from the time both were prospects, to when they made their hyped big-league debuts, to their emergence as two of the brightest talents in baseball.

 

So what is his take?

 

“I’ve seen a lot,” Hernandez said. “They’re different guys from when they made their debut. They know the league now. That’s one of the biggest things for a baseball player. I think they are going to have some special seasons ahead of them.

 

“Now they understand how you have to take your body through a whole 162 games — it’s going to be even better for them. Now they have the feel.”

The feel, the desire and the talent, it seems.

 

“We try to dominate every day,” Bichette said. “That’s the mindset we have.

 

“At the end of the year when things really started going right, we showed what we could be as a team and that will be important for us going forward.”

[Brownie19]

I didn't realize that (never thought about it), but that sucks balls. I hope Vlad and Kirk hired their own dietician.

[The_DH]

Looks like Gregory Polanco is off to Japan. Too bad, I would have liked a minor league invite for him.

[John_Havok]

Looks like Gregory Polanco is off to Japan. Too bad, I would have liked a minor league invite for him.

 

It's probably the better move for him. 1 good year in Japan and he might be able to parlay it into guaranteed money back here. The best he was going to get from any team here is a minor league deal with ST invite.

[Jimcanuck]

It's probably the better move for him. 1 good year in Japan and he might be able to parlay it into guaranteed money back here. The best he was going to get from any team here is a minor league deal with ST invite.

 

Yep, that guy just needs health and a strong Japan showing and he'll be back.

[Terminator]

Polanco is cooked.

[John_Havok]

Polanco is cooked.

 

Maybe. could have just needed longer to truly recover from his injuries. No better place for him to do it from his perspective than in Japan. He's still young enough to make a go of it back in the states if he hits well.

 

Average salary over in Japan is pretty low compared to MLB, but it's more than a minor league paycheck.

[Krylian]

[Jimcanuck]

 

He's looking slim.