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Injuries haven’t helped, and they’ve definitely made things tougher for the Jays, but they can’t be used as a blanket excuse. Look at the Atlanta Braves. They opened the season with three-fifths of their rotation on the IL. Ronald Acuna Jr. has already had multiple IL stints. Drake Baldwin missed a couple of weeks. They’ve had to rotate players at shortstop because Kim was on the IL, and since returning, he’s been brutal. Austin Riley has also had a really disappointing season offensively. The Jays are relatively healthy now, outside of Barger’s absence, so the time to get on a roll is now. They’ve done well to keep themselves around .500 for most of the season and stay in the mix for the third Wild Card spot. That’s a positive. But from this point forward, more players need to start stepping up, and the Jays can’t afford many more slip-ups.

On a serious note, Detmers has been excellent this season and still has 2.5 years of team control. But heading into the year, I never would’ve imagined seeing someone suggest he could command a bigger return than Skubal.

This definitely was not on my bingo card haha.

Gotta buy a Varland jersey!

The Astros placed Abreu on the restricted list Monday since it's possible Abreu is dealing with a visa issue. If that's the case, Abreu will likely miss the series in Toronto.

Yeah Kurtz or Rice deserve to be AL Starters over Vladdy lol. I hope Clement starts! Would be awesome to see!

Seems like there have been more high scoring games this season and some ridiculous comebacks even after a team is down by 7 or 8 runs. MLB is in the business of entertainment, so nothing really surprises me when it comes to sports in general these days. The networks and casuals loves HR's and high scoring games.

You can easily buy tickets on game day, even just a couple of hours before first pitch. There are also plenty of outdoor bars and patios around the Trop, so you’ll likely run into some Jays fans before the game. The last time I was there, I sat on the first-base side, about 20–25 rows above the visitors’ dugout, and the seats and view were great.

Urias at least should be better than Sosa 😂

Jays will convert Hoffman back to a SP in 2027 and he will win the Cy Young!

Not sure they had anyone else. Rogers at least has a rubber arm, but yeah wasted him in yesterday's game. Maybe SWR but he threw 55 pitches on Wednesday. Or should have went longer with Miles. Wasn't expecting Gausman to only pitch 2 innings. At least if he went 4 or 5, likely wouldn't have used Rogers.

Yeah agreed. The game was already long gone, so no harm using him in a blowout, but it would have been nice to see Little string together a strong inning out of the pen which maybe would have brought some encouragement moving forward.

That's the great thing about baseball. It's one game of 162 games and there is a game tomorrow again where the Jays could forget about the game on Friday. It's not like the NFL or NBA/NHL where a team has to wait and digest their ugly loss over a week or 2-3 days. Baseball you can easily forget a game like this.

Never said anything about medium or low leverage. I mean yes the Jays needed to pitch him in lower leverage spots to right the ship, which they already did. During his time with the Phillies, he was pretty much used in high leverage situations in the 7th and 8th innings and yes occasionally in the 9th inning especially near the end of the 2024 season. He was worth -0.4 fWAR in 2025 as a full time closer and this season was having pretty much an implosion every week. He's looked and has performed so much better pitching in the 7th/8th inning than he has as a closer. I'm okay with him closing the occasional game when Varland or Rogers aren't available. Sometimes those situations will arise and you need other BP arms to step up in those spots. I think Hoffman can be more effective in a setup role rather than a "closers" role. Look at his 2023 and 2024 season with the Phillies where he was one of the best relievers in baseball. He can still be a very valuable BP arm in that role.

Game 7 of the World Series bro and a -0.4fWAR season in 2025 as a full time closer. Also, pretty much at the start of this season when he was used in the closers role 😂

Today was probably Grant's best day of 2026.

Put him back in the closer’s role and let’s see how that goes 😂 Look, I love Hoffman, but you can’t ignore the evidence that he performs better in a non-closer role. The numbers support it, both from his two years in Philly and from what he’s done since being moved out of the 9th inning this season. He’s simply better suited for the 7th or 8th, and there’s nothing wrong with that. Having Hoffman pitch in those innings benefits the Jays more. I’d much rather have an elite Hoffman dominating the 7th or 8th than an inconsistent version of him who occasionally implodes in the 9th.

Role change has definitely helped.

Its okay, the Jays were making decisions based on projected performances. Just didn't work out.

Yeah they have to make a tough decision eventually with Scherzer and also maybe with Springer if it means making an upgrade to the lineup around the trade deadline.

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.

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.

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.

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.