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jaysblue

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Everything posted by jaysblue

  1. jaysblue
    C: Kirk / Valenzuela 1B: Vladdy 2B: Clement SS: Gimenez 3B: Okamoto LF: Lukes - needs a RHB platoon partner CF: Open RF: Barger DH: Open or Santander? + bench spots: _______________ SP1: Cease SP2: Yesavage SP3: Ponce SP4: Miles SP5: Open CL: Varland RHP: Hoffman RHP: Rogers LHP: Fluharty RHP: Fisher + other bullpen arms: _____________
  2. jaysblue
    It doesn’t look like a particularly strong free-agent class, outside of the top names like Skubal, Peralta, Chisholm, and Arozarena. There could always be a few more interesting players added to the market depending on opt-outs or club options being declined. The Jays will definitely try to run it back, but there are going to be a lot of holes on this roster to fill. Addressing all of them through free agency alone is going to get expensive quickly, so they’ll probably have to get creative on the trade market as well.
  3. jaysblue
    Tough call on Varland, but you can always acquire a closer or high-end reliever in the offseason. As much as I’d hate trading him, the Jays definitely have to be open to it if the return is strong enough. I think there would be a market for both Gausman and Bieber, especially Gausman. Any contender looking for a veteran starter with big-game experience would have to view him as a pretty nice add. Hoffman and Rogers should have value too, but since both are still under control for next season, I could see the Jays keeping them around rather than creating another bullpen hole. Clement would definitely have value, but I doubt they move him given his popularity and how useful he is. I’m not sure the return would be worth it either, unless a team really overpays.
  4. jaysblue
    Unfortunately, given how some of our expiring contracts have performed recently, you might be lucky to get 40 cents on the dollar at this point.
  5. jaysblue
    This at least makes us happy 😂
  6. jaysblue
    Yeah, the manager usually becomes the scapegoat in situations like this. I don’t believe this season is Schneider’s fault, and I don’t think he deserves to be fired over it. There’s only so much a manager can do when key players simply aren’t producing. He can shuffle the lineup, manage matchups, and try to push different buttons, but he can’t make Vladdy, Kirk, Springer, Varsho, etc. suddenly hit like they did last year. That said, it doesn’t mean Schneider is above criticism. You can absolutely question some of his decisions, whether it’s lineup construction, bullpen usage, or sticking with certain players too long in certain spots. Atkins & Shapiro aren't going anywhere anytime soon. I think Atkins and company are super active again this offseason, hopefully adding an impact bat or two to this lineup.
  7. jaysblue
  8. jaysblue
    I don’t think you can really fire anyone over this, outside of maybe John Schneider or Popkins if the Jays wanted to shake things up inside the clubhouse, but even that wouldn’t make a ton of sense given where the blame actually lies. At the end of the day, this is mostly on the players who are struggling. Vladdy, Kirk, Springer, Varsho, and others simply haven’t produced at the level this lineup needed. A manager or hitting coach can only do so much.
  9. jaysblue
    Vladdy, Kirk, and Springer deserve a lot of the blame. That’s basically one-third of the lineup not producing anywhere close to last year’s level. Then add Varsho being really subpar offensively this season, and that’s 4 of your 9 regular bats underperforming, especially from players you were counting on for power and thump. Barger being out this long has hurt too. When you factor him in, that’s essentially 5 of your starting 9 either missing or giving you very little offensively. It’s pretty hard to sustain a good lineup when that much of it has disappeared. Okamoto and Valenzuela have been really solid, and Clement, Gimenez, and Lukes have held their own. But the problem is that those guys were supposed to complement the core, not carry the offense while the main bats went silent. This season has been a hot mess. It really sucks after the season the Jays just came off of.
  10. jaysblue
    The people who got suckered in last season to purchase season tickets at inflated prices lol.
  11. jaysblue
    Most are casual fans drinking $20 beers and socializing at the Corona Rooftop Patio.
  12. jaysblue
    It’s hysterical. A lot of you guys love to swarm any remotely critical comment about this team, even when the point being made isn’t actually negative. I didn’t even trash Okamoto. I didn’t say he’s been bad. I said you can’t simply say Okamoto replaced Bo’s bat as if their offensive profiles are interchangeable. They’re completely different types of hitters, and that matters when one of the biggest strengths of last year’s lineup was high contact, low swing-and-miss, and keeping innings alive. But instead of actually reading the point, you, Org, Brownie all got weirdly defensive and acted like I said Okamoto was useless and has been awful. I didn’t. You guys just saw something that wasn’t blind Jays optimism and immediately started arguing with a version of the post that didn’t exist.
  13. jaysblue
    Lmao, nope. A lot of you guys will say one thing one day, get defensive whenever someone is even slightly critical of the Jays and then never own it when the concerns end up being valid later.
  14. jaysblue
    Also, let’s not pretend the front office didn’t understand the type of bat they were losing with Bo. Atkins wasn’t just trying to replace him with any decent hitter last offseason - they were clearly looking for another elite offensive piece, whether it was pursuing Kyle Tucker or being rumoured to be in the market for someone like Ketel Marte.
  15. jaysblue
    Can't you read? Nobody has said Okamoto has been an issue geez. Are you just arguing with the version of my post you invented in your head?
  16. jaysblue
    Where did I say that exactly?
  17. jaysblue
    Can't you read? You’re still arguing against a point I didn’t make. Nobody said 2026 Bo has been better than Okamoto this season. Okamoto has clearly been a quality bat and a good addition. The point is that “they replaced one with the other” is an overly simplistic way to look at how a lineup actually functions. One of the main strengths of last year’s lineup: high contact, low swing-and-miss, and a lot of balls in play. You can dismiss that if you want, but lineup construction isn’t just plugging WAR or wRC+ into a spreadsheet and pretending every offensive profile is interchangeable. The offense has collapsed mostly because Vlad, Kirk, and Springer have fallen off a cliff. I already said that. Geez man.
  18. jaysblue
    I don't disagree. I’m not trying to frame it like the Jays replaced Bo with nothing. My point is that replacing Bo’s overall offensive profile with Okamoto’s power-first profile doesn’t mean the lineup functions the same way. Peak Bo gives you a different type of pressure on pitchers: contact, line drives, extra-base hits, fewer empty at-bats, and the ability to keep innings moving. Okamoto brings power, but also more swing-and-miss and less consistency getting on base. One of the main strengths of last year’s lineup was that they made a ton of contact and didn’t swing and miss much. The bigger issue is the combination of Vlad being awful, Kirk regressing, Springer falling off, Varsho’s power disappearing, Barger being out, and the lineup having too many low-impact bats.
  19. jaysblue
    Okamoto is a very different hitter than peak Bo. I don’t think we can just treat it like they swap out for each other and everything balances out. When Bo is healthy and at his best, he’s one of the better pure hitters in baseball. He makes a ton of contact, puts the ball in play, sprays line drives, racks up extra-base hits, and can still run into some home runs. The Jays are missing that type of bat this season, and it shows. And who knows, maybe not having another legitimate bat like that in the lineup is impacting Vlad a bit too, even if the whole protection argument can be overstated. Okamoto is more of a power-first bat. The power is real, and he’s definitely been a nice addition, but it comes with more swing-and-miss and a less well-rounded offensive profile. He feels a lot more like Matt Chapman offensively. He should still finish somewhere in that 3–4 WAR range, which is a good player. But offensively, I don’t think you can say he simply replaces Bo and the lineup is fine. They’re completely different types of hitters, and this team clearly misses what a healthy, top-form Bo brings.
  20. jaysblue
    Yeah my mistake. Dickey didn't even make an appearance in the 2016 Postseason. He had a good outing during the ALDS, but then yeah got bombarded during his one start in the ALCS. When I was looking at career Postseason numbers, thought that second start on the game log said from 2016.
  21. jaysblue
    That Dickey implosion was in 2016 right against Cleveland? Yeah missing Cecil was huge I remember that Postseason after Game 2 of the ALDS.
  22. jaysblue
    Price unfortunately wasn’t reliable in the postseason. He had moments, but he never really gave the Jays that true ace-level October performance they were hoping for when they acquired him. Estrada and Stroman were both rock solid, though, and the bullpen was very strong. R.A. Dickey wasn’t really relied on much that postseason, but even in the outing he did pitch, he was fine. The ALCS also had a lot of bad luck attached to it. That series could have swung differently with a couple of breaks, but Price not being the guy they needed in October definitely hurt.
  23. jaysblue
    Defensively, this team hasn't been as sharp like they were last season. I pointed that out back in May/June, but was tarred and feathered by some for it.
  24. jaysblue
    Of course. The Blue Jays still have tickets, jerseys, concessions, and TV ratings to sell for the rest of the season. They’re not going to openly wave the white flag unless they absolutely have to. And the Sportsnet media machine plays right along with it. There’s always going to be a push to keep fans invested, keep the “we’re still in it” narrative alive, and make it seem like a run is just around the corner. I get it from a business standpoint, but as fans, we can see what’s happening. At some point, the optimism starts to feel more like marketing than reality. It's all entertainment. You guys need to start realizing that with sports.
  25. jaysblue
    I think after this week. If they lose each series against Tampa and Boston, it's likely over. Term even acknowledged the season is on the line.
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