General Blue Jays Discussion Thread (2025)

[connorp2]

Vlad up to 133 wRC+ without even hitting full stride. Imagine how f***ing pathetic the offensive roster would look now and in the future without him. Bo, who I never at any point advocated for signing long term, will likely take a Bellinger/Correa pillow type 3 year deal with opt outs, but it will not be with the Jays. 

[BB17]

3 hours ago, connorp2 said:

Vlad up to 133 wRC+ without even hitting full stride. Imagine how f***ing pathetic the offensive roster would look now and in the future without him. Bo, who I never at any point advocated for signing long term, will likely take a Bellinger/Correa pillow type 3 year deal with opt outs, but it will not be with the Jays. 

Not as pathetic as his salary will look 8+ years from now when the team actually has a contending roster but will be hamstrung by his contract. All so we could see him put up a 150wRC+ on a bad team for 3 years.

[connorp2]

2 hours ago, BB17 said:

Not as pathetic as his salary will look 8+ years from now when the team actually has a contending roster but will be hamstrung by his contract. All so we could see him put up a 150wRC+ on a bad team for 3 years.

Makes it that much more palatable. MLB draft is a crapshoot. Tanking isn’t the way to go from a business perspective. That’s why the corporate big wigs keep giving this guy money and he doesn’t spend it right. $100m to Gimenez to maybe hunt down a ball that another guy might not get 1 out of 30 events, isn’t going of get you much of an ROI from the casuals.

[BB17]

12 minutes ago, connorp2 said:

Makes it that much more palatable. MLB draft is a crapshoot. Tanking isn’t the way to go from a business perspective. That’s why the corporate big wigs keep giving this guy money and he doesn’t spend it right. $100m to Gimenez to maybe hunt down a ball that another guy might not get 1 out of 30 events, isn’t going of get you much of an ROI from the casuals.

Draft is a crapshoot which is why they need to trade for high upside talent to get out of this middle ground they are stuck in. Anyone with half a brain knows this roster isn't winning squat and a retool/rebuild is inevitable anyways with all the old/soon to be FA on the team. This is playing out exactly like 2017/2018 was where the FO says the goal is to compete and they just end up delaying the inevitable and trade guys later than when they had more value.

I bet you fans would prefer to watch young players with actual upside next year than whatever the hell this team is. 

[Terminator]

Been doing some thinking lately and I really believe the offense is about to turn things around you guys.

• Bo: bad luck so far
• Vlad: bad luck so far
• Taters: notorious slow starter and his rolling xwOBA is picking up.
• Springer: he's back
• Varsho: His big spring is carrying over into the regular season. Adding him also kicks Gimenez down which lengthens the lineup.
• Kirk: bad luck so far
• Barger: His statcast page is starting to get really interesting. His defense looks a lot better too.
• Lukes: He's got a .380 xwOBA right now. He doesn't hit the ball hard but he has ideal launch angle for his skillset and doesn't whiff which helps his BA. He also takes a lot of walks so combine that with a good BA and he should be getting on base a lot for a bottom of the order guy.
• Gimenez: Miscast as a cleanup hitter (lmao) but he's been unlucky and should be solid for bottom of the order

Against lefties we will be running turds like Clement, Straw and Clase out there but they do have good defense and baserunning at least. And in theory our bigger bats should make up the difference against lefties anyway.

Time will tell but I've really been crunching numbers over here and I think we are about to break out. Trust me on this one!

 

[Laika]

The Blue Jays announced that they have placed second baseman Andrés Giménez on the 10-day injured list with a right quad strain. Infielder Michael Stefanic has had his contract selected from Triple-A to replace Giménez on the active roster. In a corresponding move to open a space on the 40-man, right-handed reliever Dillon Tate was designated for assignment.

[John_Havok]

Just now, Laika said:

The Blue Jays announced that they have placed second baseman Andrés Giménez on the 10-day injured list with a right quad strain. Infielder Michael Stefanic has had his contract selected from Triple-A to replace Giménez on the active roster. In a corresponding move to open a space on the 40-man, right-handed reliever Dillon Tate was designated for assignment.

And the revolving door of s***** relievers continues. 

 

Let's hope Stefanic can babip his way into some usefulness.

[connorp2]

5 hours ago, BB17 said:

Draft is a crapshoot which is why they need to trade for high upside talent to get out of this middle ground they are stuck in. Anyone with half a brain knows this roster isn't winning squat and a retool/rebuild is inevitable anyways with all the old/soon to be FA on the team. This is playing out exactly like 2017/2018 was where the FO says the goal is to compete and they just end up delaying the inevitable and trade guys later than when they had more value.

I bet you fans would prefer to watch young players with actual upside next year than whatever the hell this team is. 

They shouldn’t make a single trade until they have a new GM. He doesn’t know what to look for. He’d likely get another plus defender with a light stick. 

[Terminator]

7 hours ago, Terminator said:

Been doing some thinking lately and I really believe the offense is about to turn things around you guys.

• Bo: bad luck so far
• Vlad: bad luck so far
• Taters: notorious slow starter and his rolling xwOBA is picking up.
• Springer: he's back
• Varsho: His big spring is carrying over into the regular season. Adding him also kicks Gimenez down which lengthens the lineup.
• Kirk: bad luck so far
• Barger: His statcast page is starting to get really interesting. His defense looks a lot better too.
• Lukes: He's got a .380 xwOBA right now. He doesn't hit the ball hard but he has ideal launch angle for his skillset and doesn't whiff which helps his BA. He also takes a lot of walks so combine that with a good BA and he should be getting on base a lot for a bottom of the order guy.
• Gimenez: Miscast as a cleanup hitter (lmao) but he's been unlucky and should be solid for bottom of the order

Against lefties we will be running turds like Clement, Straw and Clase out there but they do have good defense and baserunning at least. And in theory our bigger bats should make up the difference against lefties anyway.

Time will tell but I've really been crunching numbers over here and I think we are about to break out. Trust me on this one!

 

Brock how do I like my own post?

[jaysblue]

17 hours ago, Terminator said:

Been doing some thinking lately and I really believe the offense is about to turn things around you guys.

• Bo: bad luck so far
• Vlad: bad luck so far
• Taters: notorious slow starter and his rolling xwOBA is picking up.
• Springer: he's back
• Varsho: His big spring is carrying over into the regular season. Adding him also kicks Gimenez down which lengthens the lineup.
• Kirk: bad luck so far
• Barger: His statcast page is starting to get really interesting. His defense looks a lot better too.
• Lukes: He's got a .380 xwOBA right now. He doesn't hit the ball hard but he has ideal launch angle for his skillset and doesn't whiff which helps his BA. He also takes a lot of walks so combine that with a good BA and he should be getting on base a lot for a bottom of the order guy.
• Gimenez: Miscast as a cleanup hitter (lmao) but he's been unlucky and should be solid for bottom of the order

Against lefties we will be running turds like Clement, Straw and Clase out there but they do have good defense and baserunning at least. And in theory our bigger bats should make up the difference against lefties anyway.

Time will tell but I've really been crunching numbers over here and I think we are about to break out. Trust me on this one!

 

If the Jays could roll into the ASB within striking distance of the division and WC spots, hopefully they could add another big masher to their lineup and/or another SP for the final stretch of the season. 

Still way too early to see who will be sellers, but definitely the Angels, Marlins, Pirates, White Sox and possibly the Rays. The Rockies suck so there really isn't anyone we would want lol. 

Some possible trade candidates from those teams:

Angels:

- Tyler Anderson: two-month rental

- Yusei Kikuchi: under control until 2028 at a decent salary and would welcome him back in a heart beat! 

- Taylor Ward: could probably be had for cheap and has 8 HR's already. 

Marlins:

- Sandy Alcantara: under control until 2028 and would slide in nicely at the top of the rotation. 

White Sox:

- Luis Roberts Jr.: could be an impact bat in this lineup once he starts heating up. 

Pirates:

- Andrew Heaney: solid veteran two-month rental and not a big cap hit at all.

- Andrew McCutchen: would be a nice veteran fit at DH, but doubt the Pirates trade him. 

Rays:

- Brandon Lowe: free agent in 2027 and could play 2B and has pop. Even for next season, can move Gimenez to shortstop if Bo leaves as a FA, and Lowe steps in at second. 

- Yandy Diaz: has struggled and free agent in 2027. Rays likely will shop him. 

- Zach Littell: two-month rental and small cap hit. 

 

 

 

[BB17]

37 minutes ago, jaysblue said:

If the Jays could roll into the ASB within striking distance of the division and WC spots, hopefully they could add another big masher to their lineup and/or another SP for the final stretch of the season. 

Still way too early to see who will be sellers, but definitely the Angels, Marlins, Pirates, White Sox and possibly the Rays. The Rockies suck so there really isn't anyone we would want lol. 

Some possible trade candidates from those teams:

Angels:

- Tyler Anderson: two-month rental

- Yusei Kikuchi: under control until 2028 at a decent salary and would welcome him back in a heart beat! 

- Taylor Ward: could probably be had for cheap and has 8 HR's already. 

Marlins:

- Sandy Alcantara: under control until 2028 and would slide in nicely at the top of the rotation. 

White Sox:

- Luis Roberts Jr.: could be an impact bat in this lineup once he starts heating up. 

Pirates:

- Andrew Heaney: solid veteran two-month rental and not a big cap hit at all.

- Andrew McCutchen: would be a nice veteran fit at DH, but doubt the Pirates trade him. 

Rays:

- Brandon Lowe: free agent in 2027 and could play 2B and has pop. Even for next season, can move Gimenez to shortstop if Bo leaves as a FA, and Lowe steps in at second. 

- Yandy Diaz: has struggled and free agent in 2027. Rays likely will shop him. 

- Zach Littell: two-month rental and small cap hit. 

 

 

 

Why should this team be buying at the deadline? They aren’t a World Series contender. 
 

Even if the team were to sneak into the playoffs this isn’t a team that stacks up well. No ace or even number 2 SP and the lineup is short on power which is how most runs are scored in the postseason.

[glory]

1 hour ago, BB17 said:

Why should this team be buying at the deadline? They aren’t a World Series contender. 
 

Even if the team were to sneak into the playoffs this isn’t a team that stacks up well. No ace or even number 2 SP and the lineup is short on power which is how most runs are scored in the postseason.

If this team is within striking distance of a WC spot at the deadline then they will definitely be buyers. They shouldn't be, but lame duck management doesn't care about tomorrow. They want to secure today so that there is a tomorrow for them. The Jays either need to go on a real run or need to start falling out of the race entirely. The middle is going to screw them because neither management nor ownership has the team's long-term interests in mind. 

[Spanky99]

 

[Spanky99]

1 hour ago, BB17 said:

Why should this team be buying at the deadline? They aren’t a World Series contender. 
 

Even if the team were to sneak into the playoffs this isn’t a team that stacks up well. No ace or even number 2 SP and the lineup is short on power which is how most runs are scored in the postseason.

If they were within an earshot of the PS this team would be buying, don't be obtuse BB.

[Terminator]

On 4/23/2025 at 10:38 AM, Terminator said:

I am going to get absolutely tarred and feathered over this take BUT here it goes

Nathan Lukes is looking pretty interesting:

• .342 xwOBA this season, dragged down by a .200 BABIP
• K% of 13.5% and BB% of 10.8%
• Steamer projects a 114 wRC+ to go with his career wRC+ of 110 so far
• His updated Steamer600 is 2.5 WAR but I think it underrates his defense a lot
• Zips (which likes his defense and his bat) projects him for 2 WAR ROS in just 79 games

It's going to be interesting to see what they do when Varsho returns.

Roden, Barger, Wagner and Lukes are all grouped so closely together. But I think you could make the case that Lukes should stick over those guys. 

Nathan Lukes has been slashing .333/.429/.500 since this post

[Spanky99]

Santander's banged up... 

 

Quote

Latest News

May 10, 2025 7:20 PM EDT

Santander is not in Saturday's starting lineup against the Mariners due to a shoulder injury, Keegan Matheson of MLB.com reports.

Analysis

Santander has been receiving treatment on his shoulder after crashing into the stands in a pursuit of a foul ball during Thursday's game against the Angels, per Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca. Santander will be out of the starting lineup for a second consecutive game as a result of his injury, but he could be available off the bench Saturday. George Springer will serve as the Blue Jays' designated hitter while Myles Straw, Dalton Varsho and Nathan Lukes start in the outfield.

 

[Terminator]

On 5/9/2025 at 3:44 PM, Terminator said:

Been doing some thinking lately and I really believe the offense is about to turn things around you guys.

• Bo: bad luck so far
• Vlad: bad luck so far
• Taters: notorious slow starter and his rolling xwOBA is picking up.
• Springer: he's back
• Varsho: His big spring is carrying over into the regular season. Adding him also kicks Gimenez down which lengthens the lineup.
• Kirk: bad luck so far
• Barger: His statcast page is starting to get really interesting. His defense looks a lot better too.
• Lukes: He's got a .380 xwOBA right now. He doesn't hit the ball hard but he has ideal launch angle for his skillset and doesn't whiff which helps his BA. He also takes a lot of walks so combine that with a good BA and he should be getting on base a lot for a bottom of the order guy.
• Gimenez: Miscast as a cleanup hitter (lmao) but he's been unlucky and should be solid for bottom of the order

Against lefties we will be running turds like Clement, Straw and Clase out there but they do have good defense and baserunning at least. And in theory our bigger bats should make up the difference against lefties anyway.

Time will tell but I've really been crunching numbers over here and I think we are about to break out. Trust me on this one!

 

[BB17]

21 hours ago, Spanky99 said:

If they were within an earshot of the PS this team would be buying, don't be obtuse BB.

They shouldn’t be though. And all it does is make getting to 90 wins in 2027-2029 that much more difficult. 

[BatFlip]

20 hours ago, Terminator said:

Nathan Lukes has been slashing .333/.429/.500 since this post

You were tarred and feathered... then rose like a phoenix!

 

[G-Snarls]

The AL Central has the best cumulative record for any division in the AL, and the most teams at 500 or better

I presume that can't hold up??  Or can it?

[Spanky99]

2 hours ago, BB17 said:

They shouldn’t be though. And all it does is make getting to 90 wins in 2027-2029 that much more difficult. 

Silly wabbit.

 

[max silver]

4 hours ago, BB17 said:

They shouldn’t be though. And all it does is make getting to 90 wins in 2027-2029 that much more difficult. 

Not necessarily. The team has typically been pretty hesitant to send out premium assets at the trade deadline. I don't think any of the trade deadline deals had any tangible effect of reducing the overall competitiveness in subsequent seasons as it's typically been low end prospects moved out in the deadline deals. The only major deadline deal I can recall with this front office was the Berrios deal, and that brought back a long term asset that improved the team's ability to compete vs hanging onto SWR and Martin.

[BB17]

1 hour ago, max silver said:

Not necessarily. The team has typically been pretty hesitant to send out premium assets at the trade deadline. I don't think any of the trade deadline deals had any tangible effect of reducing the overall competitiveness in subsequent seasons as it's typically been low end prospects moved out in the deadline deals. The only major deadline deal I can recall with this front office was the Berrios deal, and that brought back a long term asset that improved the team's ability to compete vs hanging onto SWR and Martin.

Well the alternative of trading pending FA/guys with 1 year of control left would bring back way more future talent. 
 

The team needs star level talent to get out of this 80 win tier type team and it’s been pretty evident over the last few offseasons they aren’t going to get them in FA. Maybe if they drastically overbid but then the team is going to be high in the tax.

[max silver]

29 minutes ago, BB17 said:

Well the alternative of trading pending FA/guys with 1 year of control left would bring back way more future talent. 
 

The team needs star level talent to get out of this 80 win tier type team and it’s been pretty evident over the last few offseasons they aren’t going to get them in FA. Maybe if they drastically overbid but then the team is going to be high in the tax.

I don't think we know what the end of season talent level for this team is just yet. I think it's more complicated than simply extrapolating win/loss record or run differential on May 11.

Ultimately I think you are dramatically overestimating the likely future impact of moving mid range prospects out for reinforcements, or bringing back mid range prospects for expiring contracts. I don't think either of these will have a dramatic impact on the team's ability to compete several years down the road.

[John_Havok]

50 minutes ago, BB17 said:

Well the alternative of trading pending FA/guys with 1 year of control left would bring back way more future talent. 
 

The team needs star level talent to get out of this 80 win tier type team and it’s been pretty evident over the last few offseasons they aren’t going to get them in FA. Maybe if they drastically overbid but then the team is going to be high in the tax.

Santander is star-level talent. 

I believe you're referring to superstar level talent they haven't been able to land. 

Another major issue is their current star-level players at the top of the order drastically underperforming

[Terminator]

On 5/9/2025 at 3:44 PM, Terminator said:

Been doing some thinking lately and I really believe the offense is about to turn things around you guys.

• Bo: bad luck so far
• Vlad: bad luck so far
• Taters: notorious slow starter and his rolling xwOBA is picking up.
• Springer: he's back
• Varsho: His big spring is carrying over into the regular season. Adding him also kicks Gimenez down which lengthens the lineup.
• Kirk: bad luck so far
• Barger: His statcast page is starting to get really interesting. His defense looks a lot better too.
• Lukes: He's got a .380 xwOBA right now. He doesn't hit the ball hard but he has ideal launch angle for his skillset and doesn't whiff which helps his BA. He also takes a lot of walks so combine that with a good BA and he should be getting on base a lot for a bottom of the order guy.
• Gimenez: Miscast as a cleanup hitter (lmao) but he's been unlucky and should be solid for bottom of the order

Against lefties we will be running turds like Clement, Straw and Clase out there but they do have good defense and baserunning at least. And in theory our bigger bats should make up the difference against lefties anyway.

Time will tell but I've really been crunching numbers over here and I think we are about to break out. Trust me on this one!

 

Brock we should think about pay walling my posts I think we could make a fortune together

[Terminator]

On 4/23/2025 at 10:38 AM, Terminator said:

I am going to get absolutely tarred and feathered over this take BUT here it goes

Nathan Lukes is looking pretty interesting:

• .342 xwOBA this season, dragged down by a .200 BABIP
• K% of 13.5% and BB% of 10.8%
• Steamer projects a 114 wRC+ to go with his career wRC+ of 110 so far
• His updated Steamer600 is 2.5 WAR but I think it underrates his defense a lot
• Zips (which likes his defense and his bat) projects him for 2 WAR ROS in just 79 games

It's going to be interesting to see what they do when Varsho returns.

Roden, Barger, Wagner and Lukes are all grouped so closely together. But I think you could make the case that Lukes should stick over those guys. 

Lukes got on base in all 5 plate appearances today lol

[BB17]

2 hours ago, John_Havok said:

Santander is star-level talent. 

I believe you're referring to superstar level talent they haven't been able to land. 

Another major issue is their current star-level players at the top of the order drastically underperforming

I disagree as I think of a star as 4+ War player. Santander never has done that and is more of a 2-3 win player that hits a lot of HR.

Bo is a star but he’s a FA at end of year and with the decline in his defense/speed not sure you can confidently project him to be one for much longer anyways.

[Brownie19]

29 minutes ago, Terminator said:

Brock we should think about pay walling my posts I think we could make a fortune together

Might save the sanity of these poor writers if you could provide all the revenue for the site Term...

[Brownie19]

18 minutes ago, BB17 said:

I disagree as I think of a star as 4+ War player. Santander never has done that and is more of a 2-3 win player that hits a lot of HR.

Bo is a star but he’s a FA at end of year and with the decline in his defense/speed not sure you can confidently project him to be one for much longer anyways.

Santander is a star in the way Kyle Schwarber is. And if you believe connorp's view that offense is worth more than defense, especially in the playoffs than Santander is clearly a star (and yes it's subjective what a star is).