jaysblue

Were they really finalists for him? I doubt it.

Never betting for or against the Leafs again.

Which bat would you get to platoon with Gallo?

Yeah Brantley wouldn't be a bad stopgap at DH/LF. Could hit him near the top of the lineup. Won't provide any power at all but excellent contact skills and doesn't strikeout at all. No issue in bringing Belt back as a DH on another one-year deal if someone like JDM is too expensive or looking for a 2-3 year deal. Only issue is both of them are very injury prone and you would need some insurance in case one or both of them don't pan out. I have no problem bringing one of those guys in, but wouldn't advise to sign both of them.

Some SP free agents who likely sign one-year deals: Ryu Montas Paxton Wood Giolito Manaea Hill Lauer German Kluber Velasquez Junis Bauer (would be awesome but doubt the Jays sign him) In case the Jays trade Kikuchi or Manoah. Wouldn't mind rolling the dice on Montas, Paxton or Wood as a No. 5 starter. Lauer could be a nice buy low/bounceback candidate. Always has had solid K rates. Reminds me of a lesser version of Robbie Ray. Junis would be a nice pickup as a swingman. Could start a couple of games if needed, or pitch out of the pen. Nice insurance to have. I would go hard after Woodruff. Need to sign him to a 2-year-deal to have him for 2025, but if all the medicals look good, do it. Could be excellent value if he returns to his former self.

I'm looking to make a lot of moves. Have a lot of 2B and 3B options who I could move.

Yeah I love Gallo for his power and if he's used strictly against RHP only. He could definitely be a nice half of a platoon. Can he still play some 3B? Forgot about Turner. Not sure he can play 3B over a full season, but as a DH option he's definitely not bad. The rest like you said are bottom of the barrel options haha.

Some FA bats (OF/DH) who could be had on one-year deals: Brantley Gallo Myers Grichuk JD Martinez Belt KK Merrifield Profar Rosario Meadows Pham Winker Duvall Santana Cron 3B: Urshela Longoria Escobar Moustakas Donaldson Obviously not a fan of every single one of these bats, though from a glance these are the likely bats who you could sign on one-year deals. I think it's best to turn to the trade market for 3B if Polanco or Moncada could be had at decent prices. Which bats would you like to see in LF and at DH? Likely could even create a platoon at one of those positions.

Maybe the Mets are the exception haha but they plan on contending again in 2024. So they would only move Alonso right now if they got a similar type of player/pitcher who could help them as well in 2024.

Yeah you don't want to write off 2024 completely and just bank on 2025. Hopefully they could add some WAR with a couple of stop gap deals. Just need to sign some bats with more power if they could and hope that Vladdy, Manoah, Kirk, Varsho and Springer could bounce back, which would help greatly.

Yeah there is also the option to trade for some of those guys if the price isn't that expensive and if you sign them to an extension. By going that route, you at least not risk losing out to certain names that you're targeting next offseason. Obviously Soto, Alonso, Altuve, Bregman, Wheeler and Fried won't be traded, unless their teams are out of it at the trade deadline. Cleveland and Milwaukee could move some of their guys for sure.

Atkins last offseason and in previous years has done a very solid job at signing stopgap FA's to one-year deals. Plenty of options available who you could sign to play DH and LF. Just want to make sure you have some roster depth in case one of those guys don't end up panning out. Will be a little bit tricky to find a 3B to fit that FA stopgap description, unless they go after a vet such as Longoria or Donaldson or Escobar. Trade market for 3B might be the best option: either Polanco, JD Davis (if Giants sign Chapman) or Moncada.

Yeah it might be best to fill the holes at 3B, DH and LF with stopgap options for 2024 and save up to target one or two of the big FA's available next offseason, whether it's a big bat or a big arm. Just gotta hope you can sign one or two of those guys.

Kikuchi was fantastic in 2023 and really was a key piece in that rotation that kept it together after the Manoah disaster. He only has one-year left of control, however his 12M salary could definitely be intriguing to some teams who don't want to spend big money on a mid-rotation starter. So yeah he does have some trade value in a deal. Looking at the free agent market, it looks like it's going to be tougher and way more expensive to acquire a solid bat, like a third baseman. Jays don't have a strong farm system, so they likely need to trade from their MLB roster to make any deals. The rotation is an area of strength, so they could afford to trade Kikuchi (currently their No. 4 starter), if a trade arises where they can make an offensive upgrade to their lineup, especially at 3B. There are plenty of SPs available in free agency who the Jays could sign on a 1-2 year deal who come with some upside and who could fill out the back of the rotation. Even if it means they have to pay a couple million more than Kikuchi's $12M AAV salary, who cares. Would rather pay another SP around $16M AAV to replace Kikuchi instead of locking up Chapman to a contract over $100M or Belly to over $200M. It's also ironic how we all now forget how awful Kikuchi was prior to his 2023 season.

Why all of a sudden does nobody want to trade Kikuchi? Everyone really forgot how awful his 2022 season was and his career prior to this season. He's going to be 33-years-old next season and only has one year left on his contract. The Jays will have to be creative on the trade front. The rotation is an area of depth for them, so they could afford to move Kikuchi (who on paper is their No. 4 starter right now) if it means making an offensive upgrade somewhere in their lineup like 3B. As well, there are plenty rotation arms available in free agency this season, so you can easily replace Kikuchi with an arm that provides you 2+ WAR.

Meh, so would rather go the trade route and try to get a 2-3 WAR third baseman. Don't feel comfortable paying Chapman that much. His defensive skills likely regress over that contract and his offensive numbers aren't anything to write home about.

Kikuchi is expendable like you said. Could easily replace him with a free agent. Plenty of arms available who you could sign for a similar price and who could provide similar WAR. Chapman is really the only solid 3B available on the market now. Not sure he gets 150M, but geez that would be crazy. Would like him around $80-100M at 4 or 5 years, but who knows. Like you said the Jays can't be really picky when it comes to third base now. Have to target guys like Polanco or even roll the dice on someone like Moncada. Doesn't hurt to even sign a vet as insurance to be on the bench like Longoria or Donaldson if they came cheap.

If Buffalo wins outright and Miami loses one game, they could win the division. Everything could come down to that final game of the season in Miami. Hope the Cowboys can beat the Dolphins next week! We need the Browns, Steelers and Bengals to lose a couple.

Can DeLuca be a stud in Tampa?

Shouldn't have dropped Jones today damn haha

Yeah most Leafs fans have their head in the sand or wear blinders all the time. Spanky is one of them. He still thinks this group can win a Stanley Cup, when it's pretty much Deja Vu every season.

Lets do a J-Ram deal

Yeah I've been meaning to visit Arizona for some time now. Only have heard great things. Never have been. Will look at maybe going down there the Family Day weekend or maybe try to catch a D'Backs game in April.

Wait until the NHL Playoffs! You think they could keep this level of play up against a team like the Panthers in a 7 game series? Good luck!

That's why I can't take this team seriously in the Playoffs. They can easily get knocked out in R1 as we've seen before.