Blue Jays Discussion Thread (2026)

[jaysblue]

2 hours ago, max silver said:

I believe he would be effective in any role presently with how he's commanding his pitches. 

Put him back in the closer’s role and let’s see how that goes 😂

Look, I love Hoffman, but you can’t ignore the evidence that he performs better in a non-closer role. The numbers support it, both from his two years in Philly and from what he’s done since being moved out of the 9th inning this season.

He’s simply better suited for the 7th or 8th, and there’s nothing wrong with that. Having Hoffman pitch in those innings benefits the Jays more. I’d much rather have an elite Hoffman dominating the 7th or 8th than an inconsistent version of him who occasionally implodes in the 9th.

 

[max silver]

10 hours ago, jaysblue said:

Put him back in the closer’s role and let’s see how that goes 😂

Look, I love Hoffman, but you can’t ignore the evidence that he performs better in a non-closer role. The numbers support it, both from his two years in Philly and from what he’s done since being moved out of the 9th inning this season.

He’s simply better suited for the 7th or 8th, and there’s nothing wrong with that. Having Hoffman pitch in those innings benefits the Jays more. I’d much rather have an elite Hoffman dominating the 7th or 8th than an inconsistent version of him who occasionally implodes in the 9th.

 

I have no issue with Hoffman receiving the occasional opportunity to close out games. Yesterday's game could have been one such occasion had he been available with both of Varland and Rogers down for the game. I still don't buy that Hoffman's disaster outings occur because of the inning he's pitching in vs there simply being days where he shows up out of the pen with subpar stuff and even worse command. There's bound to be the occasional game where he melts down in the earlier innings on a day where he isn't feeling it but I'd be perfectly happy to be wrong and see him avoid these rest of season in lower leverage spots. 

[Terminator]

13 hours ago, jaysblue said:

Put him back in the closer’s role and let’s see how that goes 😂

Look, I love Hoffman, but you can’t ignore the evidence that he performs better in a non-closer role. The numbers support it, both from his two years in Philly and from what he’s done since being moved out of the 9th inning this season.

He’s simply better suited for the 7th or 8th, and there’s nothing wrong with that. Having Hoffman pitch in those innings benefits the Jays more. I’d much rather have an elite Hoffman dominating the 7th or 8th than an inconsistent version of him who occasionally implodes in the 9th.

 

I'm not sure what numbers you are looking at. Are you just eyeballing whether he got a lot of saves that season or not? And then looking at his numbers for that year?

It's hard to quantify whether he is better in a "closer role" or not when looking at the splits, but over the course of his career he has pitched the best in the 8th inning, with the 9th inning stats following close behind. He is actually much worse in the 7th and 6th. Of course, we are talking 50 to 100 innings for each of these scenarios so the sample sizes are extremely small.

He's also much better in High Leverage situations than he is in Medium or Low Leverage.

[Laika]

11 hours ago, jaysblue said:

Put him back in the closer’s role and let’s see how that goes 😂

Look, I love Hoffman, but you can’t ignore the evidence that he performs better in a non-closer role. The numbers support it, both from his two years in Philly and from what he’s done since being moved out of the 9th inning this season.

He’s simply better suited for the 7th or 8th, and there’s nothing wrong with that. Having Hoffman pitch in those innings benefits the Jays more. I’d much rather have an elite Hoffman dominating the 7th or 8th than an inconsistent version of him who occasionally implodes in the 9th.

 

What evidence? Show the evidence bro. 

[glory]

Valenzuela is first on the team in WAR (1.7), 1st in wRC+ (124), t-1st in xwOBA (.347), and tied for 2nd in HR's (7) despite having like 50-150 fewer PA's than everyone he's tied with. He played 2 out of 6 games since Kirk returned, and is sitting today, so 2 out of 7. I don't follow the Dodgers, but curious how they deploy the lineups when both Smith and Rushing are healthy. I can't imagine they'd be playing Rushing only twice a week in that scenario, that's Tyler Heinemen level playing time, but maybe that is the case. Feels like limiting Valenzuela's time when he's been the best player on the team is counter productive, but obviously if he can't play anywhere else (like 1B) then there's not much they can do. JS is taking a bullet before he benches Springer for any prolonged period of time so DH is limited as well. 

[John_Havok]

10 minutes ago, glory said:

Valenzuela is first on the team in WAR (1.7), 1st in wRC+ (124), t-1st in xwOBA (.347), and tied for 2nd in HR's (7) despite having like 50-150 fewer PA's than everyone he's tied with. He played 2 out of 6 games since Kirk returned, and is sitting today, so 2 out of 7. I don't follow the Dodgers, but curious how they deploy the lineups when both Smith and Rushing are healthy. I can't imagine they'd be playing Rushing only twice a week in that scenario, that's Tyler Heinemen level playing time, but maybe that is the case. Feels like limiting Valenzuela's time when he's been the best player on the team is counter productive, but obviously if he can't play anywhere else (like 1B) then there's not much they can do. JS is taking a bullet before he benches Springer for any prolonged period of time so DH is limited as well. 

I mean, every catcher is typically a higher injury risk than other players so trying to your backup into more games as a DH probably isnt a great way to keep him as healthy as possible to cover for the current starting catcher who's even more injury risk thanks to his eating habits.

That, and if this team is going to go anywhere it needs Springer to get right. He can't do that on the bench

[max silver]

23 minutes ago, John_Havok said:

I mean, every catcher is typically a higher injury risk than other players so trying to your backup into more games as a DH probably isnt a great way to keep him as healthy as possible to cover for the current starting catcher who's even more injury risk thanks to his eating habits.

That, and if this team is going to go anywhere it needs Springer to get right. He can't do that on the bench

Kirk has been very durable despite his size. Most of his injured list visits are the result of foul balls and a hit by pitch.

[John_Havok]

2 hours ago, max silver said:

Kirk has been very durable despite his size. Most of his injured list visits are the result of foul balls and a hit by pitch.

Yes, but his size still increases injury risk over and above the usual catcher injury risk. So far we havent seen that extra risk turn into anything, but it's still there

[jaysblue]

5 hours ago, Laika said:

What evidence? Show the evidence bro. 

Game 7 of the World Series bro and a -0.4fWAR season in 2025 as a full time closer. Also, pretty much at the start of this season when he was used in the closers role 😂

[jaysblue]

5 hours ago, Terminator said:

I'm not sure what numbers you are looking at. Are you just eyeballing whether he got a lot of saves that season or not? And then looking at his numbers for that year?

It's hard to quantify whether he is better in a "closer role" or not when looking at the splits, but over the course of his career he has pitched the best in the 8th inning, with the 9th inning stats following close behind. He is actually much worse in the 7th and 6th. Of course, we are talking 50 to 100 innings for each of these scenarios so the sample sizes are extremely small.

He's also much better in High Leverage situations than he is in Medium or Low Leverage.

Never said anything about medium or low leverage. I mean yes the Jays needed to pitch him in lower leverage spots to right the ship, which they already did. During his time with the Phillies, he was pretty much used in high leverage situations in the 7th and 8th innings and yes occasionally in the 9th inning especially near the end of the 2024 season. 

He was worth -0.4 fWAR in 2025 as a full time closer and this season was having pretty much an implosion every week. He's looked and has performed so much better pitching in the 7th/8th inning than he has as a closer. 

I'm okay with him closing the occasional game when Varland or Rogers aren't available. Sometimes those situations will arise and you need other BP arms to step up in those spots. I think Hoffman can be more effective in a setup role rather than a "closers" role. Look at his 2023 and 2024 season with the Phillies where he was one of the best relievers in baseball. He can still be a very valuable BP arm in that role. 

[ComeTogether]

Good riddance

 

 

 

[Eat My Shatkins]

Too bad, I'd hoped Little and Rodriguez would find their confidence in AAA and return as better relievers. They have so much swing and miss. A back end of the bullpen where Little and Yariel both have the ability to command their grade A stuff, Hoffman doesn't get BABIP'ed to death and you add them to Rogers and peak Varland....I mean I want to live in that world. Any lead after the 6th inning would be nailed down 99% of the time.

[Laika]

Jays acquire Luis Urias 

He was playing in AAA but speculation is he exercised his upward mobility clause and will actually go to the MLB team 

Who gets optioned? Pinango?

[hanton]

4 hours ago, Laika said:

Jays acquire Luis Urias 

He was playing in AAA but speculation is he exercised his upward mobility clause and will actually go to the MLB team 

Who gets optioned? Pinango?

get Spriners ass in the field and move babe to 2nd

[ValiantJaysFan]

Not sure why we need Urias, but ok.

[Eat My Shatkins]

Well, this is a pretty important stretch coming up. Jays are getting Bieber back and will hopefully be running out the best rotation we've had all season provided there are no more injuries. On top of that, after today they play 10 straight games at home against sub .500 non-playoff teams that are all below them in the standings.

Don't f*** it up fellas.

[JaysForever]

1 hour ago, ValiantJaysFan said:

Not sure why we need Urias, but ok.

He was putting up good numbers in AAA this year, so they probably thought it was worth the gamble.

I think they are just desperate for a rh batting middle inflielder and have nothing to lose.

 

[John_Havok]

2 hours ago, JaysForever said:

He was putting up good numbers in AAA this year, so they probably thought it was worth the gamble.

I think they are just desperate for a rh batting middle inflielder and have nothing to lose.

 

They need another one other than Clement?

[Jays24]

6 minutes ago, John_Havok said:

They need another one other than Clement?

Injury insurance is never a bad thing.  Now they will need someone more impactful at the trade deadline.  

[jaysblue]

Urias at least should be better than Sosa 😂

[ValiantJaysFan]

Already have log jams everywhere, don't see how adding a fringe infielder helps. But there must be a method to the madness. Maybe something else in the works, or some injury we don't know about.

[max silver]

14 minutes ago, ValiantJaysFan said:

Already have log jams everywhere, don't see how adding a fringe infielder helps. But there must be a method to the madness. Maybe something else in the works, or some injury we don't know about.

I think it's nothing more than the club wanting a non Schneider middle infield option with a bit more defensive utility. 

[Laika]

RIP YIMI

Latest News

Jun 22, 2026 9:50 AM EDT

Garcia (elbow) experienced renewed elbow soreness following his most recent rehab appearance June 18 and hasn't pitched since, MLB.com reports.

Analysis

The Blue Jays had been anticipating having Garcia pitch Sunday for Triple-A Buffalo, but that didn't end up happening. Per Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet.ca, Garcia's fastball was sitting about 93 mph in his last rehab appearance, down from the 95-96 mph he typically sat before he underwent surgery in September to remove scar tissue from his elbow. The 35-year-old right-hander's return date will remain murky until he's able to get back on a mound and demonstrate he's ready to be activated from the 60-day IL.

[james jones]

36 minutes ago, Laika said:

RIP YIMI

Latest News

Jun 22, 2026 9:50 AM EDT

Garcia (elbow) experienced renewed elbow soreness following his most recent rehab appearance June 18 and hasn't pitched since, MLB.com reports.

Analysis

The Blue Jays had been anticipating having Garcia pitch Sunday for Triple-A Buffalo, but that didn't end up happening. Per Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet.ca, Garcia's fastball was sitting about 93 mph in his last rehab appearance, down from the 95-96 mph he typically sat before he underwent surgery in September to remove scar tissue from his elbow. The 35-year-old right-hander's return date will remain murky until he's able to get back on a mound and demonstrate he's ready to be activated from the 60-day IL.

Waste of money

[Terminator]

Urias should be a fine bench option as his Steamer600 is 1.8 WAR. Both Ernie and Gimenez have been nursing injuries so he can help spell the both of them.

My guess is that Pinango is the casualty. The team has to be pretty sick of the corner OF defense lately and Pinango doesn't bring much to the table that Sanchez doesn't.

• So Urias becomes the top infield bench option
• Lukes/Schneider in LF
• Sanchez/Straw in RF

[Masterbather]

21 hours ago, Laika said:

RIP YIMI

Latest News

Jun 22, 2026 9:50 AM EDT

Garcia (elbow) experienced renewed elbow soreness following his most recent rehab appearance June 18 and hasn't pitched since, MLB.com reports.

Analysis

The Blue Jays had been anticipating having Garcia pitch Sunday for Triple-A Buffalo, but that didn't end up happening. Per Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet.ca, Garcia's fastball was sitting about 93 mph in his last rehab appearance, down from the 95-96 mph he typically sat before he underwent surgery in September to remove scar tissue from his elbow. The 35-year-old right-hander's return date will remain murky until he's able to get back on a mound and demonstrate he's ready to be activated from the 60-day IL.

At no point was I optimistic, and here we are. It's unfortunate but it always felt like a long shot that old Yimi would return.

[Laika]

20 hours ago, Terminator said:

Urias should be a fine bench option as his Steamer600 is 1.8 WAR. Both Ernie and Gimenez have been nursing injuries so he can help spell the both of them.

My guess is that Pinango is the casualty. The team has to be pretty sick of the corner OF defense lately and Pinango doesn't bring much to the table that Sanchez doesn't.

• So Urias becomes the top infield bench option
• Lukes/Schneider in LF
• Sanchez/Straw in RF

The endless search for a RHB that can platoon or pinch hit.... 

The team needs to insure against Schneider's journeys into purgatory. Despite massively worse projections they obviously prefer Straw as a pinch hitter in certain scenarios. To be honest, I do as well when a ball in play can score a critical run. I suppose Urias is at worst a better option than Sosa. 

Projections (Steamer)

	wRC+	BB%	K%	ISO	AVG
SCHNEIDER	104	14.70%	28.50%	0.167	0.211
URIAS	97	9.60%	17.50%	0.138	0.234
SOSA	84	4.00%	22.40%	0.149	0.244
STRAW	73	8.30%	19.40%	0.081	0.233

[Brownie19]

Okamoto by month

April  .674 OPS, 90 wRC+

May  .774 OPS, 113 wRC+

June  .955 OPS, 160 wRC+

That's a nice trend for a player who's adjusting to life in the MLB.  I do wish it was coupled with a downward trend on the K%, but there's still a lot to like here.

[max silver]

15 minutes ago, Brownie19 said:

Okamoto by month

April  .674 OPS, 90 wRC+

May  .774 OPS, 113 wRC+

June  .955 OPS, 160 wRC+

That's a nice trend for a player who's adjusting to life in the MLB.  I do wish it was coupled with a downward trend on the K%, but there's still a lot to like here.

He's been extremely hot and cold throughout the season. He started the first few games on fire as he started his roller coaster season of ups and downs. Hopefully he eventually finds a way to reduce the length of the cold streaks as he's a massive difference maker at the plate when he's locked in.

March 27-30 220 wRC+

March 31-April 17 5 wRC+

April 18-May 8 199 wRC+

May 9-May 25 2 wRC+

May 26-June 22 161 wRC+

[jmomcc]

This is pretty subjective but I feel like he is taking pitches really well recently. Even compared to the earlier hot streak.