Blue Jays Discussion Thread (2026)

[Stangstag]

2 hours ago, Olerud363.354 said:

This season has been a disaster and gets worse and worse every day.

Except according to fangraphs the playoff odds have been slowly increasing since bottoming out at about 30% they are now up to 45%.

And the dream to become the first team with a non-winning record to win the world series remains in play.  A lot would have to go right and a few few things wrong for this to happen.

1.  Fangraphs projects only 3 teams in the AL to be above .500 and three playoff teams to have exactly 81 wins (non-winning record)

2.  So in fact there is a chance one of those teams could make the playoffs with a losing record and it could be our Blue Jays.

3.  It is still unlikely a losing team or a .500 team make the playoffs I would think, it just seems that while the projections have a bunch of near .500 teams, the reality is some of those teams will win 84 and some 74 and the playoff teams will be above .500.

4.  We can still dream though and here are my playoff predictions

WCS: Blue Jays 79-83 over Guardians 84-78

ALDS: Blue Jays 79-83 over Mariners 86-76

ALCS: Blue Jays 79-83 over Yankess 102-60

WS: Blue Jays 79-83 over Dodgers 112-50

Very close to ignore listing lol. So annoying these days

[jmomcc]

3 hours ago, jaysblue said:

They have some intriguing pieces, but I’m not sure how cleanly they would fit into the Jays’ lineup.

Luis Arraez would be a strong target and a worthwhile addition. He puts the ball in play at an elite rate and would bring a useful contact-oriented bat to the top of the order. The fit is a little tricky defensively, though, as he would likely need to DH or occasionally play first base. So far, he’s hitting .319/.352/.435 with a 118 wRC+ and 2.5 WAR.

Matt Chapman also isn’t having a bad season, though the Giants would likely need to absorb some of his contract to make a deal work. Acquiring him would probably push Okamoto to DH, but Chapman would further improve the infield defense and give the Jays another bat with some pop. That said, it still feels unlikely.

Jung Hoo Lee is having a terrific offensive season, but the Jays’ outfield is already pretty crowded, especially once Varsho and Barger return.

Rafael Devers could be an interesting change-of-scenery candidate, but the Giants would need to eat a significant portion of his contract. He has been an elite bat before and would give the Jays a legitimate middle-of-the-order presence. The downside is that he would almost certainly have to be used strictly as a DH.

I’m not sure if Jung Hoo Lee would be included on the guys they want to trade. I’d be interested in him though. 

Devers would be interested especially if we got prospects as well but yea I’m kind of sick of having the DH clogged. 

[Eat My Shatkins]

Man, what the hell is wrong with Adames? Can't hit or field this year apparently.

My first thought when the Giants were mentioned was hell yeah let's get Adames. He's Giminez but with a 100 wRC+ bat instead of 70 wRC+ bat for $10 million more.

Just tanking this year though apparently.

[Stangstag]

1 hour ago, Eat My Shatkins said:

Man, what the hell is wrong with Adames? Can't hit or field this year apparently.

My first thought when the Giants were mentioned was hell yeah let's get Adames. He's Giminez but with a 100 wRC+ bat instead of 70 wRC+ bat for $10 million more.

Just tanking this year though apparently.

Yeah he’s been a disaster for them this year. Chapman looks pretty good though. I could see us taking a flyer on Ray just because we were able to turn him around before 

[max silver]

4 hours ago, Brownie19 said:

I heard that on the broadcast last night.  More encouraging!

Yeah his outing last night was excellent. He's had consecutive outings where the stuff looked like it was close to normal with the diminished stuff outing looking like a bit of an outlier. It will be interesting to see who the club jettisons from the roster once Garcia is ready to return. 

[JaysFan99]

3 hours ago, jmomcc said:

I’m not sure if Jung Hoo Lee would be included on the guys they want to trade. I’d be interested in him though. 

Devers would be interested especially if we got prospects as well but yea I’m kind of sick of having the DH clogged. 

Does Lee play a decent CF (I see they moved him to RF this year)?  Maybe they should try to trade Varsho and go after Lee.

[Olerud363.354]

4 hours ago, Stangstag said:

Very close to ignore listing lol. So annoying these days

None of my post are annoying.  You guys have all lost it.  The phones have broken your minds, you can't read more than a couple of sentences. 

If you can't find humor in the combination of the current American league and the current Toronto Blue Jays then I don't know what to say.

The irony is my posts have been both grounded in reality (guided by the fangraphs playoff odds) and also by far the most positive on the board.  I have literally predicted multiple times the Blue Jays will win the World Series.

If there ever was to be a team with a losing record, that also had a chance to win the World Series it's the 2026 Blue Jays.  It probably won't happen of course, but just the fact that between a) a mediocre team in b) a mediocre league but c) with talent (Cease, Gausman, Varland, Hoffman, Guerrero) that could drive a deep playoff run, the chance is there. 

It probably won't happen because even though fangraphs predicts a bunch of teams with 80ish wins, the real distribution will be between 77 and 84 wins, and the 3 with winning records will make the playoffs, but still, fun to dream of a losing team making a deep playoff run.  

[Bob_Gratton]

23 minutes ago, Olerud363.354 said:

None of my post are annoying.  You guys have all lost it.  The phones have broken your minds, you can't read more than a couple of sentences. 

If you can't find humor in the combination of the current American league and the current Toronto Blue Jays then I don't know what to say.

The irony is my posts have been both grounded in reality (guided by the fangraphs playoff odds) and also by far the most positive on the board.  I have literally predicted multiple times the Blue Jays will win the World Series.

If there ever was to be a team with a losing record, that also had a chance to win the World Series it's the 2026 Blue Jays.  It probably won't happen of course, but just the fact that between a) a mediocre team in b) a mediocre league but c) with talent (Cease, Gausman, Varland, Hoffman, Guerrero) that could drive a deep playoff run, the chance is there. 

It probably won't happen because even though fangraphs predicts a bunch of teams with 80ish wins, the real distribution will be between 77 and 84 wins, and the 3 with winning records will make the playoffs, but still, fun to dream of a losing team making a deep playoff run.  

Atkins need be smart and fast, and take advantage of teams like Giants who will do fire sales. Lee, Kilian and Webb will be great acquisitions to Jays roster. A trade for the 3 can look like this: Barger+Pinango+Fischer+Parker+Stanifer+Nimmala+Bloss+Perry

[james jones]

1 hour ago, Bob_Gratton said:

Atkins need be smart and fast, and take advantage of teams like Giants who will do fire sales. Lee, Kilian and Webb will be great acquisitions to Jays roster. A trade for the 3 can look like this: Barger+Pinango+Fischer+Parker+Stanifer+Nimmala+Bloss+Perry

Hell no. If you want to empty your entire farm, it has to be for a star player under contract for several years.

Among the players you mentioned, I think only Webb is valuable and not overpaid.

[Jonn]

Starting to get concerned that they are struggling to get Bieber to his targeted pitch counts. Why was it a struggle to throw 80 pitches. Is he sore, is he hurt, tired? His entire ramp up has been so weird.

[jmomcc]

3 hours ago, JaysFan99 said:

Does Lee play a decent CF (I see they moved him to RF this year)?  Maybe they should try to trade Varsho and go after Lee.

Not sure honestly. I feel like we might target someone with control in trade tho. 

[max silver]

7 minutes ago, Jonn said:

Starting to get concerned that they are struggling to get Bieber to his targeted pitch counts. Why was it a struggle to throw 80 pitches. Is he sore, is he hurt, tired? His entire ramp up has been so weird.

I don't think there's any cause for concern. I believe in his prior start he didn't reach 80 pitches because he was too efficient. If I recall correctly the team didn't want more than 5 up/downs and once he was finished 5 innings he was finished for the day.

[jaysblue]

8 hours ago, jmomcc said:

I’m not sure if Jung Hoo Lee would be included on the guys they want to trade. I’d be interested in him though. 

Devers would be interested especially if we got prospects as well but yea I’m kind of sick of having the DH clogged. 

I like Jung Hoo Lee’s bat as well, but the fit is a little harder to see given how many corner-outfield types the Jays already have when everyone is healthy.

Ideally, the Jays’ outfield would have Varsho in centre, with some combination of Barger, Lukes, Sanchez, Pinango, and Springer rotating through the corners. Springer would also likely need to play some outfield if the Jays brought in another bat who had to DH regularly.

Unless the Jays were willing to move off Varsho or significantly reshuffle the roster, I’m not sure Lee makes a ton of sense. He’s a good player and would bring a useful offensive profile, but the path to regular playing time is crowded. There’s also the contract factor, as Lee can opt out after 2027, which could complicate the value proposition in a trade.

 

[jaysblue]

12 hours ago, Stangstag said:

We already have a Luis Arraez at home (mr 500mil)

I’d rather have Luis Arraez leading off as the DH than Springer.

His offensive profile feels like a pretty natural fit with this front office’s MO and Atkins’ broader philosophy: low strikeout rate, elite contact skills, and a hitter who consistently puts the ball in play. He would also be a practical way to add real WAR to the lineup without requiring the same type of prospect capital it would take to acquire someone like Yordan Alvarez or Byron Buxton.

The defensive fit is limited, but as a leadoff DH who can occasionally cover first base, Arraez makes a lot of sense. He would give the Jays a different look at the top of the order and help lengthen the lineup without forcing a major roster overhaul.

[jaysblue]

5 hours ago, Stangstag said:

Yeah he’s been a disaster for them this year. Chapman looks pretty good though. I could see us taking a flyer on Ray just because we were able to turn him around before 

Matt Chapman would be a nice target and would clearly improve the infield defense. The issue is fit. Adding Chapman would likely force Okamoto to move to DH, which means the Jays would either have to bench Springer more often or play him in a corner-outfield spot. Unless they are comfortable with that kind of roster shuffle, I don’t see Chapman as a particularly clean fit.

I’d also be open to bringing back Robbie Ray, but I’m not sure he’s a major upgrade over Corbin. That said, if the acquisition cost were minimal, he would raise the floor of the rotation for the rest of the season and provide useful insurance in case of another injury.

The rotation already looks pretty solid with Cease, Gausman, Bieber, Yesavage, and Corbin as the No. 5 starter, plus SWR, Miles, and Scherzer as depth options. If the Jays do decide to add another starter, I’d rather see them target a more meaningful upgrade. Otherwise, adding an elite arm to the bullpen might be the better use of resources.

[JaysForever]

Arraez has actually provided passable D at 2B this year.

I don't know if that will continue. But that would allow Clement to play SS some games for Gimenez when they are going up against a lefty.

[Brownie19]

5 hours ago, Bob_Gratton said:

Atkins need be smart and fast, and take advantage of teams like Giants who will do fire sales. Lee, Kilian and Webb will be great acquisitions to Jays roster. A trade for the 3 can look like this: Barger+Pinango+Fischer+Parker+Stanifer+Nimmala+Bloss+Perry

Do you have any disabilities we should know of?

[Bob_Gratton]

19 minutes ago, Brownie19 said:

Do you have any disabilities we should know of?

 

19 minutes ago, Brownie19 said:

Do you have any disabilities we should know of?

Nope, but I can't be sure about you

[Bob_Gratton]

Just now, Bob_Gratton said:

 

Nope, but I can't be sure about you

You talk like a moron

[Omar]

 

 

[jmomcc]

5 hours ago, jaysblue said:

I like Jung Hoo Lee’s bat as well, but the fit is a little harder to see given how many corner-outfield types the Jays already have when everyone is healthy.

Ideally, the Jays’ outfield would have Varsho in centre, with some combination of Barger, Lukes, Sanchez, Pinango, and Springer rotating through the corners. Springer would also likely need to play some outfield if the Jays brought in another bat who had to DH regularly.

Unless the Jays were willing to move off Varsho or significantly reshuffle the roster, I’m not sure Lee makes a ton of sense. He’s a good player and would bring a useful offensive profile, but the path to regular playing time is crowded. There’s also the contract factor, as Lee can opt out after 2027, which could complicate the value proposition in a trade.

 

I think if I could swing a deadline trade for a guy with control who could play cf next year and move on from Varsho, I’d do it. I’m not sure who that’d be tho. 

[John_Havok]

17 hours ago, Bob_Gratton said:

Atkins need be smart and fast, and take advantage of teams like Giants who will do fire sales. Lee, Kilian and Webb will be great acquisitions to Jays roster. A trade for the 3 can look like this: Barger+Pinango+Fischer+Parker+Stanifer+Nimmala+Bloss+Perry

This would be the very definition of ret*rded.

Id fire my GM if he even brought this trade to me to get approval.

[Laika]

From now until the All Star break:

1x Boston (29-42)
3x Cubs (39-36)
3x Astros (35-41)
4x Texas (35-38)
3x Mets (33-41)
(one off day)
3x Seattle (38-37)
3x Giants (31-43)

A few bad teams in here and a few teams around .500 with fanbases about as frustrated as Toronto's, for various reasons. 

Win every series. 13-7 in this stretch and the Jays go into the break 49-45 

[Bob_Gratton]

5 hours ago, John_Havok said:

This would be the very definition of ret*rded.

Id fire my GM if he even brought this trade to me to get approval.

No all these players, but some of them that can be traded. In fact Webb and Lee are the one who will improve the lineup. Lee have good defensive skills and he hit for more than .300 AVG Webb will easilly be top 3 SP. Nimmala, Stanifer, Perry, Bloss are no top prospects, so the only one valuable prospect can give is Parker, and if get Lee, will make sense give a OF in return, so Pinango or Barger. About Kilian we can pass, I thought he was better coz was the SF closer, but he's no a upgrade to Hoffman or Fischer, so better no get him.

[Laika]

Man, Jeff Hoffman has been good lately eh

He might just pull of a 1.5 fWAR relief season with an ERA over 4.4

[Terminator]

2 hours ago, Laika said:

Man, Jeff Hoffman has been good lately eh

He might just pull of a 1.5 fWAR relief season with an ERA over 4.4

His BABIP is finally below .450!

[jaysblue]

2 hours ago, Laika said:

Man, Jeff Hoffman has been good lately eh

He might just pull of a 1.5 fWAR relief season with an ERA over 4.4

Role change has definitely helped. 

[Laika]

5 hours ago, Laika said:

From now until the All Star break:

1x Boston (29-42)
3x Cubs (39-36)
3x Astros (35-41)
4x Texas (35-38)
3x Mets (33-41)
(one off day)
3x Seattle (38-37)
3x Giants (31-43)

A few bad teams in here and a few teams around .500 with fanbases about as frustrated as Toronto's, for various reasons. 

Win every series. 13-7 in this stretch and the Jays go into the break 49-45 

1-0

[max silver]

1 hour ago, jaysblue said:

Role change has definitely helped. 

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

[Eat My Shatkins]

I just want to watch them roll out Cease, Gausman, Yesavage, Bieber, and whoever (Corbin I guess) for the next couple of months. Is that too much to ask? Hopefully the injury bug can let us enjoy the summer.