Blue Jays Discussion Thread (2026)

[Terminator]

Rich hasn't debuted yet and he was a low pick so it's hard to find any info on him.

Sosa is out of options, but has 3 more years of control after this one. He has some pop but not much else.

[Laika]

Lenyn Sosa... 

I don't get it. 

He is a hacker (chases), without the elite contact ability, so you get a putrid K-BB% albeit without a completely catastrophic K% since he puts enough in play. 

He has decent pop and barrel control. Might have been making gains in the Pull-Air category in 2025. 

Bleeds runs everywhere on defense though and is all blue for OAA, baserunning, arm. 

It's like if Ezequiel Tovar was a minus defender. 

Doesn't he just compete with Schneider for at bats? 

Pros: is on the young side of the aging curve, he has never been tried in the OF so what if he is a decent LF, he can hit the ball hard (72nd percentile maxEV) and barrel and has shown Pull-Air growth. Has experience around the infield, if you need an infield statue anywhere. 

Cons: One of the worst K-BB you will find in the sport. 1st percentile BB rate. 20th or 30th percentile speed, arm, defense. 

One note - his 2025 chase rate in the 3rd percentile is much worse than his swing rate (more 30th percentile) would hint at. We are talking top 10 o swing % vs like top 70 Swing% (out of 277). It's either evidence that he has terrible zone sense, or an area of potential growth? 

[Brownie19]

12 minutes ago, Terminator said:

Rich hasn't debuted yet and he was a low pick so it's hard to find any info on him.

Sosa is out of options, but has 3 more years of control after this one. He has some pop but not much else.

Out of options? So we need to send someone down to add him?

Is this the end of Nathan Lukes?

[The_DH]

I'm guessing he replaces Fitzgerald but it still seems like an overpay and it means we lose him if we need the roster spot.  The part I really hate is admitting that Bieber is on the 60 now  

[Brownie19]

4 minutes ago, The_DH said:

I'm guessing he replaces Fitzgerald but it still seems like an overpay and it means we lose him if we need the roster spot.  The part I really hate is admitting that Bieber is on the 60 now  

Oh yeah - I forgot about Fitzgerald.  Looks like he has 1 option left at least.

[BTS]

 

6 minutes ago, Brownie19 said:

Out of options? So we need to send someone down to add him?

Is this the end of Nathan Lukes?

I don't see a role for Lukes on the roster right now. He's been bad since like August of last year, and he's optionable. No reason to keep giving him more rope. 

LF - Schneider

CF - Varsho

RF - Jimenez/Sanchez platoon

Straw backing everything up 

 

[The_DH]

Hopefully Barger will be back soon too.

[Laika]

The rotation is a f***ing dumpster fire right now in slots 3-5 

I can't believe I am saying this but Jose Berrios might be a savior 

[Orgfiller]

12 minutes ago, BTS said:

 

I don't see a role for Lukes on the roster right now. He's been bad since like August of last year, and he's optionable. No reason to keep giving him more rope. 

LF - Schneider

CF - Varsho

RF - Jimenez/Sanchez platoon

Straw backing everything up 

 

Yeah I think the Sosa acquisition is more bad news for Nathan Lukes than anyone else. He's been brutal at the plate. It probably also tells us Okamoto's stock is down in the manager/FO's office. Could see a few more Ernie starts at 3B while giving Okamoto less aggressive playing time so he can take his time in figuring it out.

Sosa becomes the de facto backup infielder, and Fitzgerald is likely sent down? We haven't seen him on the field at all despite strong numbers against lefties and experience playing literally every position except catcher. Maybe someone else is injured that we don't know about.

[The_DH]

If we go with Cease and Gausman as the steady first two and then get back Berrios and maybe Yesavage then we might be remotely okay.  I'm hoping Lauer was a case of the flu and I'm starting to think Mad Max may be toast.  

[mphenhef]

ugh, I don't like this move.  If anything, a lefty hitting IF would have been the play imo.  Also Bieber to the 60 means he is further out than I hoped.

[The_DH]

A switch hitter would be great, but I agree the Bieber part is a kick in the nads.

[The_DH]

His injured list date was March 22 so that means something like May 22 at the earliest.  

[Terminator]

12 minutes ago, mphenhef said:

ugh, I don't like this move.  If anything, a lefty hitting IF would have been the play imo.  Also Bieber to the 60 means he is further out than I hoped.

Yeah a lefty might have been better but it's hard to find them in the infield. If Sosa himself was a lefty, he's probably starter material and would be much harder to acquire than for an 18 year old nobody.

[Terminator]

51 minutes ago, Brownie19 said:

Out of options? So we need to send someone down to add him?

Is this the end of Nathan Lukes?

41 minutes ago, Brownie19 said:

Oh yeah - I forgot about Fitzgerald.  Looks like he has 1 option left at least.

Yeah I think it's Fitzgerald for now, but when Springer and Barger are back in a week then it will get interesting. They might have to option Lukes and DFA Eloy?

[Bob_Gratton]

1 hour ago, The_DH said:

I'm guessing he replaces Fitzgerald but it still seems like an overpay and it means we lose him if we need the roster spot.  The part I really hate is admitting that Bieber is on the 60 now  

Bieber probably need another Tommy John surgery, and will be a surprise if he throw again in the MLB. Atkins traded for Sosa, because Okamoto and Lukes dont do their jobs.

[Angrioter]

1 hour ago, Laika said:

Lenyn Sosa... 

I don't get it. 

He is a hacker (chases), without the elite contact ability, so you get a putrid K-BB% albeit without a completely catastrophic K% since he puts enough in play. 

He has decent pop and barrel control. Might have been making gains in the Pull-Air category in 2025. 

Bleeds runs everywhere on defense though and is all blue for OAA, baserunning, arm. 

It's like if Ezequiel Tovar was a minus defender. 

Doesn't he just compete with Schneider for at bats? 

Pros: is on the young side of the aging curve, he has never been tried in the OF so what if he is a decent LF, he can hit the ball hard (72nd percentile maxEV) and barrel and has shown Pull-Air growth. Has experience around the infield, if you need an infield statue anywhere. 

Cons: One of the worst K-BB you will find in the sport. 1st percentile BB rate. 20th or 30th percentile speed, arm, defense. 

One note - his 2025 chase rate in the 3rd percentile is much worse than his swing rate (more 30th percentile) would hint at. We are talking top 10 o swing % vs like top 70 Swing% (out of 277). It's either evidence that he has terrible zone sense, or an area of potential growth? 

 He could be better than Okamoto right now

[Bob_Gratton]

2 minutes ago, Angrioter said:

 He could be better than Okamoto right now

If we are lucky, Okamoto and Atkins can mutually decide to end his contract, so he can return play in Japan next year

[Laika]

9 minutes ago, Angrioter said:

 He could be better than Okamoto right now

Well that is sad 

Okamoto looked so good... for a series

[Angrioter]

5 minutes ago, Laika said:

Well that is sad 

Okamoto looked so good... for a series

Joey Gallo K rate with Vladdy's 3B defense

[G-Snarls]

2 hours ago, The_DH said:

I'm guessing he replaces Fitzgerald but it still seems like an overpay and it means we lose him if we need the roster spot.  The part I really hate is admitting that Bieber is on the 60 now  

Taking that player option makes more sense now.  He knew he wasn't right. 

Exactly what we feared but didn't want to think 

[The_DH]

13 minutes ago, Laika said:

Well that is sad 

Okamoto looked so good... for a series

I posted a little while ago that Okamoto seemed to be in trouble and I got nothing but hate and quotes that he had good stats in Japan.  I think Okamoto just hasn't learned the MLB strike zone and approach yet.  Don't write him off...yet.  

[Laika]

2 minutes ago, The_DH said:

I posted a little while ago that Okamoto seemed to be in trouble and I got nothing but hate and quotes that he had good stats in Japan.  I think Okamoto just hasn't learned the MLB strike zone and approach yet.  Don't write him off...yet.  

What

So you were writing him off and people hated it but now you are saying don't write him off? 

I mean nobody is writing him off after 60 PA. Just like nobody is saying that all of these guys are cooked:

• Aranda, Bichette, Jarren Duran, Alonso, Springer, Bregman, Ketel Marte, Buxton, Roman Anthony, Geraldo Perdomo, Busch, Devers, Suarez, Sal Perez, Carson Benge, Grisham, Pasquantino, Josh Naylor

(just a small sample of the guys at replacement level or worse so far)

wow Josh Naylor has a negative wRC+ after 15 games. WBC Naylor is trucking along like a zombie into the MLB regular season. 

[The_DH]

I never wrote him off then or now.  I just thought he was having some trouble but it could be fixable (I hope).  His swing doesn't look bad, he just doesn't seem to understand the lower part of the strike zone.  The other guys should come around over time except Bichette.  

[Jays24]

We are in rough shape offensively.  I like that we're not sitting back by trying to be proactive but the time for that was in the offseason in free agency.  Gonna be tough to find anyone worth anything until closer to the deadline when teams begin to sell.  

Seeing Bieber transferred to the 60 Day sucks but we should be getting Yesavage and Berrios soon.  

[Terminator]

4 minutes ago, Jays24 said:

We are in rough shape offensively.  I like that we're not sitting back by trying to be proactive but the time for that was in the offseason in free agency.  Gonna be tough to find anyone worth anything until closer to the deadline when teams begin to sell.  

Seeing Bieber transferred to the 60 Day sucks but we should be getting Yesavage and Berrios soon.  

We'll be fine offensively if we can get healthy.

We are 11th in MLB in wRC+ right now but 28th with RISP, hence the low run total. That will even out.

3-4-5 in the rotation are killing us right now and that should get better too. Yesavage should be back soon and then Berrios shortly after that. And surely Lauer and Scherzer can't be this bad.

[The_DH]

Scherzer is the only one of the bunch that might be done other than Santander.    

[Stangstag]

3 hours ago, Bob_Gratton said:

Bieber probably need another Tommy John surgery, and will be a surprise if he throw again in the MLB. Atkins traded for Sosa, because Okamoto and Lukes dont do their jobs.

Very keen insight thank you for posting 

[Stangstag]

4 hours ago, Laika said:

What

So you were writing him off and people hated it but now you are saying don't write him off? 

I mean nobody is writing him off after 60 PA. Just like nobody is saying that all of these guys are cooked:

• Aranda, Bichette, Jarren Duran, Alonso, Springer, Bregman, Ketel Marte, Buxton, Roman Anthony, Geraldo Perdomo, Busch, Devers, Suarez, Sal Perez, Carson Benge, Grisham, Pasquantino, Josh Naylor

(just a small sample of the guys at replacement level or worse so far)

wow Josh Naylor has a negative wRC+ after 15 games. WBC Naylor is trucking along like a zombie into the MLB regular season. 

Josh Naylor with 2 homers tonight 

SSS

[Spanky__99]

6 hours ago, The_DH said:

I never wrote him off then or now.  I just thought he was having some trouble but it could be fixable (I hope).  His swing doesn't look bad, he just doesn't seem to understand the lower part of the strike zone.  The other guys should come around over time except Bichette.  

Wat?