Blue Jays Discussion Thread (2026)

[jaysblue]

1 hour ago, gruber9292 said:

I don't feel good about his body longer term and prefer to seek what type of return he could bring while he still has value. Although he's throwing the ball better recently, the fact that his arm was a wet noodle since returning from the catching hand thumb injury up until several days ago is a red flag for me. Strike while the iron is hot and get more athletic behind the plate while finding offence elsewhere in return. 

Once Kirk starts slipping defensively, his value takes a major hit. Offensively, he hasn’t shown that he can consistently replicate his 2022 or 2025 production from year to year. If he’s no longer an elite defensive catcher, he’s not automatically a 2–3 WAR player. When the defense and offense are both there, he can be a 4–5 WAR catcher. But if the bat regresses and the defense begins to decline, his overall value drops pretty quickly.

[Stangstag]

1 hour ago, Ryu In My House said:

On the tropic of 2027, so it sounds like none of these players will be ready to play by ST:

Berrios
Barger
Francis

Is there anyone else who will be injured to start the season? 

Why wouldn’t Barger be ready?

[Brownie19]

On 7/24/2026 at 10:15 AM, Laika said:

Peters is house money for them. He was a Savannah Banana.

While true - he quit when he got drafted. It's not like he got an MLB tryout after impressing with the Bananas.

[Brownie19]

On 7/24/2026 at 2:43 AM, gruber9292 said:

You're unconditional love for Kirk is irrational 

This just isn't true.  Bad take. 

Kirk is signed long term and is a very solid player even when the bat isn't going.  If BV lands you a controllable CFer - you trade from a position of strength and you bet on Kirk remaining a strong starting catcher.

Nothing is guaranteed, but we need a starting CFer.  BV is slightly underutilized as a backup catcher.

[Brownie19]

1 hour ago, jaysblue said:

Once Kirk starts slipping defensively, his value takes a major hit. Offensively, he hasn’t shown that he can consistently replicate his 2022 or 2025 production from year to year. If he’s no longer an elite defensive catcher, he’s not automatically a 2–3 WAR player. When the defense and offense are both there, he can be a 4–5 WAR catcher. But if the bat regresses and the defense begins to decline, his overall value drops pretty quickly.

Isn't this true for almost every player?

Kirk is still in his prime - you have to bet on him being a solid starter moving forward.  Injuries have surely impacted him this year.

[Stangstag]

Friendly reminder that Kirk’s rookie season was nearly identical to Valenzuela’s, and he was 3 years younger 

If you can get a good controllable piece for BV you definitely consider it, good D catchers are a dime a dozen.

[jaysblue]

1 hour ago, Brownie19 said:

Isn't this true for almost every player?

Kirk is still in his prime - you have to bet on him being a solid starter moving forward.  Injuries have surely impacted him this year.

Not to the same extent. Every player is different, and some can remain consistently productive offensively even after their defence begins to slip.

Kirk’s value is more heavily tied to his defence because his bat hasn’t shown that it can reliably produce at his 2022 or 2025 level every season. When he combines elite defence with strong offensive production, he’s a 4–5 WAR catcher. If the offence regresses and the defence also starts declining, his value drops considerably.

I’m not writing Kirk off at all. I still want him as the starting catcher moving forward, and injuries have affected him earlier this season. I’m simply pointing out that his margin for decline is smaller than it would be for a player whose value is primarily driven by a consistently impactful bat.

[jaysblue]

How about Luis Robert Jr. for CF? Mets likely are shopping him at the deadline, and he's still under control in 2027 with a club option attached to him. 

Defensively, he would be alright (not elite Varsho level), though the offensive potential he possesses when fully healthy is intriguing. 

[Stangstag]

3 minutes ago, jaysblue said:

How about Luis Robert Jr. for CF? Mets likely are shopping him at the deadline, and he's still under control in 2027 with a club option attached to him. 

Defensively, he would be alright (not elite Varsho level), though the offensive potential he possesses when fully healthy is intriguing. 

I thought about him, but he seems pretty toast, even the 15% of the time when he’s healthy 

Pass. Unless he comes cheap

[max silver]

16 minutes ago, jaysblue said:

How about Luis Robert Jr. for CF? Mets likely are shopping him at the deadline, and he's still under control in 2027 with a club option attached to him. 

Defensively, he would be alright (not elite Varsho level), though the offensive potential he possesses when fully healthy is intriguing. 

I wouldn't want anything to do with paying Robert $20 million a season moving forward. The club option should be a no brainer to decline and perhaps he could be worth acquiring on a lower cost deal. He's struggled tremendously with the bat the last 3 seasons despite the physical tools still appearing to be intact. Prior to this season I might have been more willing to give a struggling project player a shot at a turnaround but the team wide offensive struggles don't lend a ton of confidence at the moment of the Blue Jays helping to resurrect a player who has been struggling to produce over the long term.

[glory]

44 minutes ago, Stangstag said:

Friendly reminder that Kirk’s rookie season was nearly identical to Valenzuela’s, and he was 3 years younger 

If you can get a good controllable piece for BV you definitely consider it, good D catchers are a dime a dozen.

BV's minor league numbers aren't that good so unless he's figured something out, it's possible this is his peak value. I think moving him for a CF would be a great use of assets since Kirk is locked up for a while. There's nothing wrong with having a solid/cheap backup catcher either, so only trade him if you get a good return.

[SeranthonySantander]

People shouldn’t be allowed to change avatars on this site.  I had one enemy here and it was the guy with the brad Pitt logo and now I’m not seeing it anywhere but pretty sure he hasn’t left.

[Ryu In My House]

6 hours ago, jaysblue said:

Don’t talk about the Jays teams from the early 2000s or 2010s - there’s one poster on here who apparently doesn’t like that. 😂

The front office definitely has to shake things up. They can’t bring back the exact same group and simply expect another 2025 result. This lineup needs more thump overall and another legitimate impact bat.

Losing both Gausman and Bieber would also leave a major hole in the rotation. On top of that, anyone else they trade whether it’s Varland or another bullpen arm would still have to be replaced.

The problem is that there’s only so much you can accomplish through free agency. We can’t expect the Jays to sign every free agent needed to fill all of those holes. It would be extremely expensive, and they’d still be competing with several other teams for those players. We’ve seen over the past two or three offseasons that the Jays can have all the money in the world to spend, but players such as Ohtani, Soto and Tucker can still choose to go elsewhere.

I’m open to trading Varland if the return is an elite prospect. Any team that misses out on Mason Miller would almost certainly have interest in him. If you can turn Varland into the type of prospect package Miller brought back at last year’s deadline, you have to seriously consider it.

I don't want to trade Varland or BV just for the sake of making a trade. I love Varland. But if, a big if, a farm-rich team offers their top prospect and more, I would listen. 

I hope, and suspect, the Jays are very open to re-signing Gausman. maybe a 2 or 3 year deal. In a perfect scenario, he is awesome his next start, is traded for a couple of decent prospect, and then re-signs in the off-season. I actually think this may happen. 

The next few weeks will be interesting. So much more interesting than their onfield product, that is for sure.

[Ryu In My House]

5 hours ago, Stangstag said:

Why wouldn’t Barger be ready?

it sounds like he had major reconstructive surgery. I don't know how long specifically he will be out, but it sounds like he will likely not be ready for ST.

I have been offline for about 18 hours, so I do not know the latest,

[Stangstag]

21 minutes ago, Ryu In My House said:

it sounds like he had major reconstructive surgery. I don't know how long specifically he will be out, but it sounds like he will likely not be ready for ST.

I have been offline for about 18 hours, so I do not know the latest,

The most extreme arm surgeries don’t take more than 6 months to fully heal for a position player. Not the same as a pitcher getting TJs and missing a year.

He should be ready for spring assuming there are no complications. 

[Sorrow]

Matheson was saying if it’s internal brace it’s a 6 month recovery time and full TJS 9. So I’d assume the Jays have told him that.