Blue Jays Discussion Thread (2026)

[JaysForever]

2 hours ago, Slade said:

Interesting to hear Miles Straw and Valenzuela were taking some ground balls on the infield. Been thinking about it lately that Valenzuela bat might be good enough to keep in the lineup when Kirk is back. 

Straw makes sense because he is a freak. Has Valenzuela played anything outside of catcher?

Still perplexed that Clement cannot seem to play 2b.

Edit: I forgot that Straw played some games at SS and 2B for the Astros in 2019 and 2020.

[JaysForever]

On 5/24/2026 at 12:26 PM, JaysFan99 said:

What would we have to give up to get Skubal? I have a feeling the cost wouldn’t be worth it. 

I will take the Baez contract to get Skubal, and then at least Sosa will not be able to traumatize me any longer.

[Laika]

Jeff P says Charles McAdoo is being called up 

 

This can only mean Sosa is getting cut. Unless someone got hurt today.

[Slade]

Bye bye Sosa?

[keggy]

5 hours ago, JaysForever said:

I will take the Baez contract to get Skubal, and then at least Sosa will not be able to traumatize me any longer.

The Baez contract was a historic albatross but Baez today fills like 2 or 3 needs right away. And he has one final year on that godawful contract.

If you think you can win the World Series this year, you pay to get Skubal. The team will have to play well enough to justify that.

[Laika]

Cannot say that I am thrilled with these pitching matchups on paper:

Patrick Corbin vs Chris Bassitt
Voth/Seabold/Commitee vs Trevor Rogers
Trey Yesavage vs Brandon Young
Spencer Miles bulk vs Kyle Bradish

But the 2026 context makes it better I guess.... : 

1. Bradish good but not beasting (4.13 FIP)
2. B Young is not great (4.75 FIP)
3. Rogers not having a good year (4.52 FIP)
4. Bassitt, more of the same (4.38 FIP)

These are MLB starters but it's kind of a bunch of slop a good team should cream, at least for two of the games. Are the Blue Jays capable of being a good team at the plate? Who knows. 

• Corbin (3.95 FIP) may be outpitching most of that O's slop. 
• Miles is half of a SP but he has performed so well. 

So the Voth/Seabold whatever game is going to be the worst the Jays send out there. 

[jmomcc]

I'd snap up a split right now if offered 

[Laika]

Varsho is having an interesting year... 

• Highest contact% of his career
• Lowest K% of his career
• Second highest swing rate of his career
• Highest O-Swing% of his career
• Second highest Z-Swing% of his career 
• Lowest zone% against of his career 

His AVG and xAVG are both career high marks

He is swinging a lot, making unprecedented contact, but not necessarily making great swing decisions. Teams are throwing him more balls than ever. 

It seems somewhat promising. Makes me wonder if he is one little iota of timing away from starting to hammer more pitches? Or when he simply gets more meatballs and pitches in the zone we might see them flying out. 

[Olerud363.354]

Turns out Jays lost so far exactly 0 wins based on Kirk's projections. 

Brandon Valenzuela going forward does not project as good as Kirk.

But for 110 PAs he has performed so far exactly like a Kirk projection. 

Not 'the same WAR as a Kirk projection but different way' but 'he is literally a Kirk projection'.   Good defense,  above average walks.  15 homer pop.  .345 on base, around .400 slugging.  Not too many doubles at all.  Like a doubles avoider.  That is Kirk, that is a Kirk projection, that is Valenzuela so far.  After Kirk comes back maybe he will be his own man, like Rotta the Hutt is his own man.   Until then in honor of Kirk, he will be Kirk. 

 

[Olerud363.354]

Kirk comes back.  Jays need right handed hitting outfielder.

Restore George Springer to part time twice a week right handed hitting outfielder and split catching between Kirk and BV evenly.  Kirk gets 2 games a week at DH.

Or something like this over 100 remaining games

Kirk 50 catch, 35 DH  15 OFF

BV 50 catch,  10 DH/1B  40 OFF

Springer  60 DH 30 outfield 10 OFF

Gets BV in there 60% of time, and Kirk DHing a lot makes him hit better keeps him fresh?

[Olerud363.354]

Tigers - Trade Skubal to Yankees for SPencer Jones.  Yankees line up Fried, Rodon, Skubal because scouting report says no have right handed hitting outfield.  Jays

1.  Springer LF

2.  Guerrero 1b

3. Kirk DH

4. Okomato 3b

5. Clement SS

6. Valenzuela C

7.  McAdoo 2b

8.  Straw RF

9. Varsho CF 

[G-Snarls]

Louis Varland appreciation post

Only one pitcher in all of baseball has made more appearances

61.2% GB rate

12.3 K/9

ERA undetectable

1.5 fWAR

 

 

Legitimately may be the second best relief pitcher in all of baseball, and the only thing Miller has done better is more strikeouts

For me he's probably the team MVP so far

[G-Snarls]

Wow.  Jays have FOUR relievers in the top 10 for appearances.  Is this sustainable?

 

[Laika]

1 hour ago, G-Snarls said:

Wow.  Jays have FOUR relievers in the top 10 for appearances.  Is this sustainable?

 

Yes. 

[bendera3]

I know they are all relievers and volatile but those 4 Jays have 3.1 WAR and the others have a total of 1.  So it may it not be sustainable but it seems to be working for the time being.

[John_Havok]

7 hours ago, G-Snarls said:

Wow.  Jays have FOUR relievers in the top 10 for appearances.  Is this sustainable?

 

Gonna have to be until the starters get healthy again. Having 2/5 games right now as pen days is driving those numbers up bigtime. 

[jmomcc]

I think if we can get the win tomorrow, or even honestly if we don't, I would rest essentially everyone I could. Give Varland, Fisher, Fluharty, Rogers, etc all two days off at least including the off day. Maybe even push Miles back if possible into the next series and just call up someone to spot start? I think the win today gives us an opportunity to just mandate two days rest. 

[Joltin Joe]

When is Kirk due back?

[jaysblue]

On 5/29/2026 at 2:56 PM, G-Snarls said:

Wow.  Jays have FOUR relievers in the top 10 for appearances.  Is this sustainable?

 

You just gotta hope they aren't burnt out by August/September or in the Postseason. 

Varland and Hoffman both former starters, so they're used to the innings. Rogers has a rubber arm and is good to pitch in 80-90 games. Fluharty will appear in a lot of games because he's a southpaw, but he won't have the same amount of innings as Varland/Hoffman and Rogers. 

[G-Snarls]

6 hours ago, Joltin Joe said:

When is Kirk due back?

He is eligible to be activated from the 60-day injured list June 3, 2026.

But at best he probably starts rehab games this week?

Rotowire:

[Laika]

Okay now here is the non-alarmist stuff on Vlad. 

YES April and May were two of the worst HR months of his career. May being the single worst since the September of his rookie season. 

HOWEVER he tends to have cold HR months every year (except 2021) and there is still lots of season left. His career mean for June to Sept homers is 22.6. He is only two homers off his 2024 pace, and in that year he hit 8 and 8 in June and July. 

It is time to be worried and mad but limit your anger, don't let it ruin your day. If he hits 2 homers in June, you can cry. 

	2019	2020	2021	2022	2023	2024	2025	2026
Mar/Apr	0*	**	7	6	5	3	3	2
May	6	**	9	3	3	2	5	1
June	2	**	10	9	4	8	4
July	3	1*	7	3	5	8	3
Aug	4	4	6	6	3	6	6
Sep/Oct	0	4	9	5	6	3	2
*	less than 30 PA
**	COVID no games								2021 to 2025 June to Sept Average	22.6

[Brownie19]

Max Scherzer (forearm) threw three scoreless innings for Triple-A Buffalo on Sunday.

The veteran struck out four and walked two, while throwing 24 of his 41 pitches for strikes. Scherzer also sat 93.3 mph on his four-seam fastball, which is right in line with where he’s been when healthy the last few seasons. His slider got four whiffs on six swings, and was his best swing and miss pitch on the day. Overall, it was a pretty solid outing for Scherzer, who has been out since late April.

[Terminator]

I'm sure this was discussed at length in the GDT this weekend but I was looking under the hood on what is wrong with Jeff Hoffman and I cannot figure anything out other than he is experiencing perhaps the worst luck in MLB history.

By all indicators he should be one of the top RPs in baseball. The only stat that really stands out is a .516 BABIP (and perhaps his 61.6% which is laregly a product of that BABIP). This would be the worst BABIP for any season in MLB history for any pitcher with a minimum of 25 innings pitched.

[Laika]

7 minutes ago, Terminator said:

I'm sure this was discussed at length in the GDT this weekend but I was looking under the hood on what is wrong with Jeff Hoffman and I cannot figure anything out other than he is experiencing perhaps the worst luck in MLB history.

By all indicators he should be one of the top RPs in baseball. The only stat that really stands out is a .516 BABIP (and perhaps his 61.6% which is laregly a product of that BABIP). This would be the worst BABIP for any season in MLB history for any pitcher with a minimum of 25 innings pitched.

people will say things like "he hangs too many breaking balls" or "he is a mental midget with 9th inning PTSD" and those things may be somewhat true but none of that would explain more than perhaps a .340 BABIP 

[Masterbather]

7 minutes ago, Terminator said:

I'm sure this was discussed at length in the GDT this weekend but I was looking under the hood on what is wrong with Jeff Hoffman and I cannot figure anything out other than he is experiencing perhaps the worst luck in MLB history.

By all indicators he should be one of the top RPs in baseball. The only stat that really stands out is a .516 BABIP (and perhaps his 61.6% which is laregly a product of that BABIP). This would be the worst BABIP for any season in MLB history for any pitcher with a minimum of 25 innings pitched.

Luck has to be a factor. He could also be a bit of a mental midget. Once it started to come apart on him he just couldn't locate anything anymore.

Could also be overuse. 

[james jones]

11 minutes ago, Laika said:

people will say things like "he hangs too many breaking balls" or "he is a mental midget with 9th inning PTSD" and those things may be somewhat true but none of that would explain more than perhaps a .340 BABIP 

But you cannot keep putting him for 9th and hoping the luck will regress to the mean soon.

[Brownie19]

9 minutes ago, Masterbather said:

Luck has to be a factor. He could also be a bit of a mental midget. Once it started to come apart on him he just couldn't locate anything anymore.

Could also be overuse. 

Location+ suggests he's controlling pitches better than he ever has.  He's at 103 on the year v. his career average of 92.

It's certainly very odd and disheartening.  Baseball can certainly be a confusing an cruel game.  At this point, all we can do is hope things start to even out.  If they do, Hoffman will probably be one of the best RPers in baseball over the next 4-5 months.  We could certainly use that.

[Terminator]

3 minutes ago, Laika said:

people will say things like "he hangs too many breaking balls" or "he is a mental midget with 9th inning PTSD" and those things may be somewhat true but none of that would explain more than perhaps a .340 BABIP 

Yes exactly!

You could come up with whatever extraneous reason you want and maybe I'd buy it. But even in the worst case that might explain why he's closer to a true talent 4.00 ERA guy and not the 2.75-ish that his peripherals suggest. 

A .516 BABIP is insane. Position players pitching don't even get close to this. 

[Masterbather]

2 hours ago, Laika said:

Okay now here is the non-alarmist stuff on Vlad. 

YES April and May were two of the worst HR months of his career. May being the single worst since the September of his rookie season. 

HOWEVER he tends to have cold HR months every year (except 2021) and there is still lots of season left. His career mean for June to Sept homers is 22.6. He is only two homers off his 2024 pace, and in that year he hit 8 and 8 in June and July. 

It is time to be worried and mad but limit your anger, don't let it ruin your day. If he hits 2 homers in June, you can cry. 

	2019	2020	2021	2022	2023	2024	2025	2026
Mar/Apr	0*	**	7	6	5	3	3	2
May	6	**	9	3	3	2	5	1
June	2	**	10	9	4	8	4
July	3	1*	7	3	5	8	3
Aug	4	4	6	6	3	6	6
Sep/Oct	0	4	9	5	6	3	2
*	less than 30 PA
**	COVID no games								2021 to 2025 June to Sept Average	22.6

It's a problem that it's even a struggle for him to get the 30 home runs in the first place. He had a hot couple of months of 8 home runs in order to get there 2 years ago, he hasn't touched that since, until suddenly he finds eight home runs in 18 games against the toughest pitching in the postseason. WTF?!

I get that he's more of a line drive hitter, but I'm sorry with his raw power 30 home runs should not be a struggle. He should be a 40 to 60 home run threat. 

Why does he swing to contact with less than two strikes? Don't they always talk about getting your A-swing off? That ain't it. 

How does he miss barreling so many meatballs that should be launched into the sun? Why are these deep power swoons so consistent with him?

It's maddening.

 

[Laika]

Just now, james jones said:

But you cannot keep putting him for 9th and hoping the luck will regress to the mean soon.

Well he already lost the job

I have no real problem with how he was used on Saturday. They gave the middle of the order to Varland.