Article: So, The Blue Jays Now Have Myles Straw; Where Does He Fit In Toronto?

[CAlexanderSmith]

The Toronto Blue Jays, in a recent transaction with the Cleveland Guardians, have acquired outfielder Myles Straw. What can fans expect from him in 2025?

The 30-year-old Myles Straw won a Gold Glove Award in 2022 and adds value with his baserunning and fielding abilities. Straw shines in center field, but will he be able to wake up his bat for an offense that needs some pep? This move overall is interesting and seems sensible enough for the Toronto club as Daulton Varsho continues to recover from his shoulder surgery that occurred late in the 2024 season. With the possibility that Varsho cannot play come Opening Day, Myles Straw is a natural enough replacement for the starting role. He also has the opportunity to stand behind his former-turned-current teammate, Andres Gimenez, on the field, a familiarity that may be helpful for this transition.

Offensively, Straw has not held a wRC+ above 100 since 2019. While this number has had its share of ups and downs across his stat sheet, it has been lackluster more often than not. Last season was exceptionally low for Straw with a wRC+ of 40, but it should be remembered that he also spent most of 2024 at Triple-A Columbus and only saw a handful of at-bats in Cleveland.

Defensively, his DRS stands out more, with a career total of +29 in the outfield and +27 in center field. With his highest DRS at +17 in 2022, the Gold Glove he earned is of no surprise. His OAA is just as impressive, with a career total of +30 in the outfield and +29 in center. 

With notable defensive stats such as these, it is clear why the Blue Jays were interested in this acquisition. The Jays were middle of the pack with a 101 wRC+ but ranked third in baseball with a +29 OAA (Outs Above Average). With a prime defender like Myles Straw, it appears the team still believes in its defense-first approach, particularly in the outfield. It should not be forgotten that Straw is not a standout on offense, but this will be a new season with a new team, and the door to improvement is always open while working with an entirely new coaching and training staff. On both sides of the ball, Myles Straw will be a player to watch as he settles into his new assignment.

As previously mentioned, Straw will most likely step in for Varsho as he continues to heal and what happens upon Varsho's return remains to be seen. The two players may share time in center field, as both offer good defense. At a glance, it would appear there is a natural platoon to be found amongst the two but the career stat lines of Straw and Varsho tell a more complicated story. Varsho, a left-handed bat, is close to platoon-neutral, with a career OPS of .684 against left-handed pitchers while he sports a .720 OPS against righties. Straw, a right-handed bat, also struggles against southpaws with a .589 OPS in 561 plate appearances.

Straw was acquired alongside cash and international bonus signing pool space for 2025, and the Blue Jays will give the Guardians a player to be named later or in cash. Straw was initially a 2025 spring training invite by the Guardians for the upcoming season. It will be unsurprising if he makes the Blue Jays roster for the 2025 season, although his current assignment is listed with the New Hampshire Fisher Cats, a Double-A affiliate team of the Jays. Straw is owed $13.8 million over the next two seasons, with a buyout amount of $1.75 million available in 2027. Over the upcoming two seasons, the Blue Jays will be responsible for a little over $10 million of the center fielder’s salary. Toronto certainly appears to be home for Myles Straw through the next two seasons at the very least. 

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[L54]

Buffalo 

[max silver]

There is a bit of a factual error in the article. It states that the American League's team average runs per game was 6.66, but this simply can't be true. The overall average runs scored per game in MLB was only 4.39 runs per game. I crunched the raw numbers for the American League and came to an average of 4.27 runs per game as the league was lower scoring as a whole compared to the National League. This shows the Jays offense to be a tad below average last season as their 4.14 runs/game was only 0.13 below the league average, vs being well over 2 runs below average.

[Brock Beauchamp]

54 minutes ago, max silver said:

There is a bit of a factual error in the article. It states that the American League's team average runs per game was 6.66, but this simply can't be true. The overall average runs scored per game in MLB was only 4.39 runs per game. I crunched the raw numbers for the American League and came to an average of 4.27 runs per game as the league was lower scoring as a whole compared to the National League. This shows the Jays offense to be a tad below average last season as their 4.14 runs/game was only 0.13 below the league average, vs being well over 2 runs below average.

This is 100% my fault. I meant to loop back with the author on this very statement and then failed to do so because I have the memory retention of a squirrel.

Asking the author for clarification now and will fix.

[M.E.]

he probably starts in CF until Varsho is back and then he will got o bench as a role guy until it is painfully obvious how terrible he is and if he has options he will be shipped to Buffalo or released,  If the record is bad he plays out the whole year in MLB as at that point they are not going to release and eat that salary.

[Rafters]

Probably #4 OF when Varsho comes back, to let Lopo and Clase get some AAA abs 

[mphenhef]

He should be in Buffalo but Atkins will have him on the roster to try to save face

[Brownie19]

7 minutes ago, mphenhef said:

He should be in Buffalo but Atkins will have him on the roster to try to save face

I'd actually be quite surprised if that were the case.  It would be pretty pathetic to play Straw over Loperfido and Clase - even Berroa.  

He's going to just have to come clean, explain why they wanted that international money, or what the angle was, and live with the backlash.  I don't see anyway he can spin this to suggest they really like Straw and wanted him as depth for the Varsho injury.  Like even if they also announced that Varsho will be out of the season (or it was a career ending injury) - it still makes no sense given all the other in-house options we have.

[Rusty_Savage]

3 minutes ago, Brownie19 said:

I'd actually be quite surprised if that were the case.  It would be pretty pathetic to play Straw over Loperfido and Clase - even Berroa.  

He's going to just have to come clean, explain why they wanted that international money, or what the angle was, and live with the backlash.  I don't see anyway he can spin this to suggest they really like Straw and wanted him as depth for the Varsho injury.  Like even if they also announced that Varsho will be out of the season (or it was a career ending injury) - it still makes no sense given all the other in-house options we have.

There's an article on The Athletic that states the Jays believe Straw could be a worthwhile addition to their team even if meant they didn't get Sasaki.  The spin machine is already firing full throttle.  

[Abomination]

1 minute ago, Rusty_Savage said:

There's an article on The Athletic that states the Jays believe Straw could be a worthwhile addition to their team even if meant they didn't get Sasaki.  The spin machine is already firing full throttle.  

That article also stated that the money to Straw wouldn't affect the Jays signing other people. There could be more money available than we thought ... or cue the JP lie quote.

[Rusty_Savage]

Just now, Abomination said:

That article also stated that the money to Straw wouldn't affect the Jays signing other people. There could be more money available than we thought ... or cue the JP lie quote.

They did offer Soto close to three quarters of a billion dollars so the money was always there, I just hope they don't get trigger happy and offer someone like Santandar 5/100 or something stupid.  There are lots of avenues still left to improve the team, I just have lost all faith in Dannon being able to do the job without getting fleeced.  

[Brownie19]

1 hour ago, Rusty_Savage said:

There's an article on The Athletic that states the Jays believe Straw could be a worthwhile addition to their team even if meant they didn't get Sasaki.  The spin machine is already firing full throttle.  

hopefully the Athletic is just trying to fill their quota...

[Vancouverite]

1 hour ago, Rusty_Savage said:

There's an article on The Athletic that states the Jays believe Straw could be a worthwhile addition to their team even if meant they didn't get Sasaki.  The spin machine is already firing full throttle.  

If utilized correctly and money isn't an issue than Straw can absolutely offer value to the Jays in used minimally and situationally.

Straw and Varsho in the outfield when closing out a game will be unreal. Not sure how good i feel about a defensive outfield of Satander and Springer

[Brownie19]

1 hour ago, Abomination said:

That article also stated that the money to Straw wouldn't affect the Jays signing other people. There could be more money available than we thought ... or cue the JP lie quote.

I think the Tony Taters signing opens up more possibility that the money is there to spend.  It may even open up the possibility that Ross wanted the $2M in international bonus pool money to sign more prospects to help (even if it's just marginally) strengthen the farm system (signing the guys LA won't be).  If Rogers have the purse wide open and $5.5 AAV for Straw doesn't restrict them from buying elsewhere - then sure, I can find a little logic in there.

If we stop here because we're not out of money, then I really don't get it.

[Abomination]

5 minutes ago, Vancouverite said:

If utilized correctly and money isn't an issue than Straw can absolutely offer value to the Jays in used minimally and situationally.

Straw and Varsho in the outfield when closing out a game will be unreal. Not sure how good i feel about a defensive outfield of Satander and Springer

Straw also steals bases with a high success rate, which is nice to have off the bench late in a game. He's a useful player, just not the best use of resources.

[wilko]

8 minutes ago, Vancouverite said:

If utilized correctly and money isn't an issue than Straw can absolutely offer value to the Jays in used minimally and situationally.

Straw and Varsho in the outfield when closing out a game will be unreal. Not sure how good i feel about a defensive outfield of Satander and Springer

Satander is passable and Springer is still decent (if healthy). 

[Vancouverite]

14 minutes ago, wilko said:

Satander is passable and Springer is still decent (if healthy). 

true but they're not a gold glove center fielder.

Straw and Varsho could arguably cover 75% of the outfield. Would allow the 3rd outfielder to shift in gap or down the line and reduce probability of extra base hits.

I know it's fun to s*** on Shatkin's theory of defense, defense, defense but, defense does win games, and defense does show up every day. A run saved is as valuable as a run scored.

I don't mind the Straw acquisition is all i'm trying to say. 

[Orgfiller]

Both Santander and Springer are playable in the outfield still. Santander the weaker of the group with below average range, but he's not a total butcher out there like a Teoscar. Springer just needs to clean up his throws, still providing average range with above average arm strength, but he's been brutal in terms of arm value.

It won't really matter if Straw is on the team or not. Loperfido, Clase, Berroa are all fast athletic types who can go get it out there. Straw is of course the superior defender and quite elite at that, but the others would get the job done. A Varsho, Springer and one of Straw/Loperfido/Clase/Berroa in the 9th inning defensively would be good enough for added run prevention.

[max silver]

11 minutes ago, Orgfiller said:

Both Santander and Springer are playable in the outfield still. Santander the weaker of the group with below average range, but he's not a total butcher out there like a Teoscar. Springer just needs to clean up his throws, still providing average range with above average arm strength, but he's been brutal in terms of arm value.

It won't really matter if Straw is on the team or not. Loperfido, Clase, Berroa are all fast athletic types who can go get it out there. Straw is of course the superior defender and quite elite at that, but the others would get the job done. A Varsho, Springer and one of Straw/Loperfido/Clase/Berroa in the 9th inning defensively would be good enough for added run prevention.

I think Santander and Teoscar are approximately equal quality defenders. Teoscar makes boneheaded mistakes but he's not nearly as bad as he's made out to be. Go back over the last 4 seasons in right field and Teoscar is +1 DRS/-8 OAA, vs Santander who is -7 OAA/-4 DRS.

[Orgfiller]

20 minutes ago, max silver said:

I think Santander and Teoscar are approximately equal quality defenders. Teoscar makes boneheaded mistakes but he's not nearly as bad as he's made out to be. Go back over the last 4 seasons in right field and Teoscar is +1 DRS/-8 OAA, vs Santander who is -7 OAA/-4 DRS.

Not sure why you would filter for RF and not OF as a whole when Teoscar spent all of 2024 in LF. When you include all OF, Teoscar is at -16 OAA/-6 DRS. Granted ol' Tony Taters is at -12 OAA/-12 DRS so not exactly Kiermaier out there. OAA in particular has Teoscar as being unplayable over the last 1-2 seasons with Santander being below average but not catastrophic. Last 1-2 seasons being more relevant since Teoscar is two years older and at 32 might be entering his physical decline phase.

[max silver]

3 hours ago, Orgfiller said:

Not sure why you would filter for RF and not OF as a whole when Teoscar spent all of 2024 in LF. When you include all OF, Teoscar is at -16 OAA/-6 DRS. Granted ol' Tony Taters is at -12 OAA/-12 DRS so not exactly Kiermaier out there. OAA in particular has Teoscar as being unplayable over the last 1-2 seasons with Santander being below average but not catastrophic. Last 1-2 seasons being more relevant since Teoscar is two years older and at 32 might be entering his physical decline phase.

Teoscar didn't play all of 2024 in left field, he provided 436 innings in right field as well. 

Go look at Santanders numbers in left field and compare to Teoscar. Santander has produced a combined -8 DRS/-6 OAA in the last three seasons combined in only 336 innings. Over an entire season of play that would amount to something like -20 DRS/-18 OAA. His 2023 numbers where he played quite a bit of left field are actually far worse on a rate basis than what Teoscar provided last season in left field.

Teoscar 2024 LF

-8 DRS/-9  OAA 871 IP (-9 DRS/1000 IP, - 10 OAA/1000 IP)

Santander 2023 LF

-8 DRS/-5 OAA 299 IP (-26 DRS/1000 IP, -16 OAA/1000 IP)

Santander doesn't exactly come out smelling like roses in this comparison.

This gets back to my main point that these guys are basically equivalent defenders in the outfield. They are both below average defenders as a whole. Each of them has typically been a tad below average most years in right field, and each has been absolutely awful in left field. I don't think either of them are likely comfortable in left field and as such their respective team's would largely be shooting themselves in the foot by deploying them in this fashion.

 

[Spanky99]

5 hours ago, Rusty_Savage said:

There's an article on The Athletic that states the Jays believe Straw could be a worthwhile addition to their team even if meant they didn't get Sasaki.  The spin machine is already firing full throttle.  

I've read the same and potential starting CF till Varsho comes back. Woof... maybe he goes on a heater in April. 😝

 

[Spanky99]

Yes guys, they both suck defensively. 😅