John_Havok

Blue Jays respond vs. Yanks after pregame meeting Guerrero Jr.'s hit streak hits 15 as Toronto gets back in the win column August 2nd, 2024 David Adler David Adler Share NEW YORK -- In the aftermath of the Trade Deadline, which saw the Blue Jays become sellers for the first time in recent seasons, manager John Schneider called a meeting with the team's remaining veterans to circle the wagons. George Springer was there. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. was there. Kevin Gausman was there. Alejandro Kirk, José Berríos, Chris Bassitt, Chad Green and Daulton Varsho were there. "The guys that have been here for a while, from the start," Schneider said. Schneider wanted them to know there's still a plan -- and that plan is to win in 2025. He wanted to answer any questions they had about the team's direction. He wanted to reinforce that the Blue Jays are still here to compete, every day, and the team leaders need to set the example for all the young players trying to showcase themselves as members of the club's future. "[it was] basically answering any questions they had about what we did, and why," Schneider said. "And then, how much we're gonna rely on them to continue to go out and be prepared and show the way." And when Toronto took the field at Yankee Stadium on Friday, the team responded by winning the series opener against the Yankees, 8-5, a much-needed bounceback after they dropped three of four games to the Orioles on the first leg of their seven-game American League East road trip. "I think everybody came out of that feeling better," Gausman said of the meeting with Schneider. "Because the last couple of days before that were pretty rough." Guerrero set the tone in a rain-delayed game in New York, extending his hitting streak to 15 games right out of the gate. His RBI single off former teammate Marcus Stroman in the top of the first inning opened the scoring and gave Toronto a lead it would hold wire-to-wire. Toronto's All-Star first baseman's streak is tied for the longest active in the Majors -- the Royals' Bobby Witt Jr. and the Orioles' Colton Cowser also currently have 15-game streaks. Gausman, meanwhile, gutted through 4 2/3 innings on a night where he didn't have his best stuff, but was able to keep the Blue Jays ahead. After the game, the veteran right-hander didn't want to divulge the details of the team meeting, but he said he came away with questions answered. "That's between me and Schneids and the guys that were in that room. But there is a plan," Gausman said. "The meeting was more: We realized that we lost some guys, and it's been tough. This season isn't what we expected. But we're still here, and we're still looking forward. All we can do is set the precedent from here, going into the offseason and into next year." That's the veterans holding up their end of the bargain. And when Schneider called them together, he wanted to make sure they left the room knowing the Blue Jays' coaching staff will hold up its end, too. "All those guys are at a point in their career where they want to win," Schneider said. "Watching Vladdy play, watching George play, Varsh with the energy and the intent, we just wanted to make sure that [they know], 'Hey, we're still going out and trying to win.' "We are not a totally rebuilding team right now," added Schneider. "Our intention next year is to be right back in the area of this division to win. I think having them hear that, having them hear, 'We're coming in as a staff, we're never gonna stop preparing to win, expecting to win' -- I think they deserve that." And as for the young players -- they showed up on Friday, too. Joey Loperfido, who was acquired from the Astros in Toronto's Yusei Kikuchi trade on Monday, was a spark against the Yankees. Loperfido tripled in his first at-bat -- he then scored on Guerrero's single -- and finished 2-for-5 with the triple and two runs scored. Spencer Horwitz -- not a trade acquisition, of course, but a homegrown prospect who'll get plenty of run down the stretch as he vies to be a key part of the 2025 squad -- also had a big game. The 26-year-old went 2-for-5 with two RBIs and two runs scored. "Our young guys have been really fun to watch. I watch them get better every day," Gausman said. "But they still are young. So they're gonna have growing pains, just like we did when we were young. We're here for that. But it's about going out and competing, and those guys want to win every day." David Adler is a reporter for MLB.com

I'm trying to start a grass roots campaign to have the Bulls change their name to the Swallows.

Spitz just re-upped their sponsorship on the Lethbridge stadium for another 5 years. Just thought you'd like to know.

And to a much greater extent, once all those eyeballs are on the team, all the advertising and sponsorships they sell as a result. All the attention on the Rogers name in order to make billions of dollars per year. Of course no 1 player is responsible for all of it, but it sure helps to have 1 very recognizable face to focus on

One thing you're missing out of all those names though, none of them were 26 heading into FA and had been on the team since they were 20 years old. I get your overall point, but Vlads situation, like it or not, is different. The landscape is different than it was even 5 years ago, let alone 10, 15 and 20 years ago

Also, i feel the need to point out im not advocating for this kind of deal to be signed. Just that IF an extension is done, the type that I outlined could possibly satisfy all parties involved.

Some decent comparisons there, but in most of those cases, the team is either a) not a Luxury tax team and had to trade them, or had another (or multiple) franchise cornerstone(s) to build around. These types of deals though are largely ownership driven, and that's probably especially true in the case of Rogers, given their publicly owned nature.

Probably, but Biggio ended up as a super utility. When he was coming up with Vlad and Bo, Biggio's upside was certainly tantalizing.

Yeah I know, because as much as he's clearly not worth that money for on-field value, he is worth a ton off-field. I think there's a distinct possibility that he gets extended to a number that will shock people, but because of the structure, it won't really be a hamstring around their payroll. I proposed a basic framework a while back... 10 year deal 300 million, but the first 4 years is heavily front loaded, largely deferred, and has an opt out after those first 4 years. The idea being he gets his high AAV on paper, the jays get him for his physical peak years ( i use the term loosely in his case) and then the latter years he either opts out if he's still swinging it and looking for another FA deal... or stays on at a much lower AAV when it won't really matter as much.

Well yes and no. Yes, on paper 10/300 is 10/300. But if the jays are only paying him 10 million of the 30 AAV for the first ...5 years (to just randomly pick a number), then it's far better for the Jays. Vlad still gets his AAV on paper, but that other 100m cash comes way later when he's retired from the game.

Atkins didnt say it, the writer did.

Sure, there's only so many elite developmental minds to go around. I disagree on the Padres though. recently it's really the Dodgers and Houston that have sustained the most home-grown development while also winning. Braves ... they were in the early part of the 2000's but they've also been more cyclic in nature in the past 10. I guess my overall point is, Atkins did exactly what everyone is talking about and succeeded wildly with the 2021 team. It was largely home grown, cost controlled, supplemented with FAs. Just didnt go their way on the last day of the season. The disconnect now seems to be the argument between blowing it up and sucking again for 3+ years, or not.

There's tons of ways to minimize the stupid. The most likely way is through deferred money.

nah, Naylor would be cared about like.... 1/100th of Vlad.

Whats the issue then, the specific wording being cliche?

The core in 2021 was largely home grown and cost controlled, seems they just lost the dice roll that year with their record and didn't get in. Yeah, time to reload, but no teams really have a steady pipeline to replace 4-5 guys when they're drafting 20th or worse every year.

Because saying "he'll probably be nothing" isn't very clickworthy.

Nah, I just know what it's like when I heard from a guy who knows a guy who heard from.... the message was changed 3 times before the end user heard it and is therefore unreliable in detail. I concede the possibility exists, just ... no actual evidence has been presented, and nothing about this trade deadline or recent front office activity would indicate otherwise. It's easy to read into circumstantial stuff like the Houston trade because of Click, but... of course Click would have input on that given that he worked there when the kids were drafted. That just makes sense. Doesn't mean he made the final decision outside of Atkins.

He's no less in charge than he's always been until he's fired, ditto Shapiro

The Blue Jays announced that they have claimed catcher Nick Raposo off waivers from the Cardinals and optioned him to Triple-A Buffalo. The backstop was designated for assignment earlier this week when the Cards completed their three-team trade with the Dodgers and White Sox. The Jays had multiple open roster spots from their own deadline dealings and their 40-man roster count is now at 37. Raposo, 26, was selected to the Cardinal roster in June when both Iván Herrera and Willson Contreras were on the injured list, leaving Pedro Pagés atop the club’s depth chart. But Contreras was reinstated from the IL a couple of days later and Raposo was optioned before getting into a major league game. The backstop went unselected in the shortened five-round draft in 2020 and then signed with the Cards as an undrafted free agent. He was plugged onto their Double-A team and hit well at that level, but then struggled after getting bumped to Triple-A. He currently holds a batting line of .268/.348/.424 at Double-A but a line of .206/.276/.355 at Triple-A. Raposo has never been a highly-touted prospect but the Jays could use the catching depth. They traded Danny Jansen to the Red Sox prior to the deadline and are now left with Alejandro Kirk and Brian Serven as the only catchers on their 40-man roster. Raposo gives them another option at Triple-A to be called upon when necessary. He has a full slate of options and almost no service time, so he could be part of their catching depth for a long time if he continues to hang onto a roster spot.

Why wouldnt he be? Because a bunch of clueless fans somehow think he's been stripped of his authority based on nothing but guesses and wishful thinking?

Probably have a guy in Buffalo ready to go full Tonya Harding on Votto if he even gets close to playing again .

How many is several for your example?

There's a bit of a fine line between hope and the probability of positive regression to the mean though.

This is what I was gonna say. Seemsnlike a guy with no draft pedigree that just comes out of nowhere, all he does is perform and yes he doesn't get the same FV score as a guy drafted on the top 3 rounds that hasn't performed. Weird.