jaysblue

Thanks for the list!

Yeah Olson's isn't looking that hot. Lets see if Acuna can return to his MVP caliber form. Riley should be alright but not completely sold on him. I love Strider but arms are so fragile. Overall though he did the right thing and locked up the Braves core pieces for the long term at very reasonable team friendly contracts.

Heaney, Eovaldi, Gray, Perez. Odorizzi meh. Dunning has some upside and could be included.

Matt Moore still available as a FA.

Pearson becomes the Jays weapon in the bullpen! Next Phil Hughes!

Ryu will throw a perfect game inebriated in September like David Wells did.

Yeah agreed. If both Seager and Semien return to their old form, along with some of their young bats continuing to take a step forward. Still their success will ride on deGrom and their other starters. They have some nice rotation depth, though durability and health are a concern especially with deGrom and Heaney.

Someone will definitely roll the dice on him.

Yeah worst case Duffy can act as a bulk inning reliever at the beginning of the season and you would be able to stretch him out as a starter if someone goes down or if Kikuchi sucks. Kind of like how the Jays used Carlos Villanueva in 2011/2012 and Marco Estrada in 2015. I don't see him getting more than $5 million guaranteed. Depends really on his preferences if he wants to sign somewhere as a guaranteed SP. At least with Duffy, he can provide value out of the pen but I'm sure he'll get 10-15 starts over a full season. I don't think many of the No. 5 starters left are worth bringing in at around $10 million when they aren't really upgrades over who the Jays already have. As ST approaches, would look more at some MiLB possibilities. Forgot about Pineda, though he's a great example.

Rangers success in 2023 will heavily rely on deGrom making 30 starts. If he doesn't, it's likely another lost season.

Some starting pitchers who I think could be had on a MiLB deal or a very cheap incentive laden contract before ST: - Joe Ross (won't be available till second half of 2023) - Chris Archer (he's not really an upgrade over Kikuchi or White but at least provides some depth) - Danny Duffy (would be a really nice fit IMO. Likely will get guaranteed money though probably nothing more than $5 million. Either can use him as a No. 5 or in the pen). - Daniel Mengden (on a MiLB deal, would be nice for some depth in AAA) - Josh Lindblom (probably can give him a ST invite but would have to have an opt out if he doesn't make the active roster after ST). - Mark Appel (interesting former top prospect. If he signed a MiLB contract, would be nice to have him as insurance in Buffalo). Otherwise, not many guys on this list who I think are upgrades over what the Jays already have in Kikuchi and White. Pretty much just for depth purposes. Maybe Danny Duffy if he's healthy could be a nice fit since you could have him compete for the No. 5 spot or have him as a swing man/extra lefty in the pen to start the season.

Kikuchi making $10 million in 2023 and 2024 plays a big role. If he was only making $3-4M I'm sure they would look at bringing in another arm.

In a perfect world, another starter would be nice though not sure they want to spend $10-12 million and go over the luxury tax.

I think Biggio/Merrifield and Espinal will get a lot of ABs during the course of the season because of their positional flexibility. Definitely will be nice to move them all around the lineup and in the field. Gives Schneider more options. Would be nice to see Biggio turn into a Ben Zobrist type player.

If he accepts his role as a bench/platoon bat, definitely would welcome him here.

On paper, you can probably say the Jays are the second or third best team in the AL. Houston is still No. 1 obviously. Second is between the Yankees and Blue Jays on paper IMO. Though anything can happen once games are played and you can't count out teams like the Mariners, Guardians, Rays, and maybe the Orioles. Could always add a surprise team in there, maybe the Rangers if deGrom makes 30 starts. I think the Jays improved on their 2022 roster. Better defensive team overall which will definitely have a greater impact over 162 games and in the Postseason. They have a deep bullpen, but still would like to see one more elite high K arm who can act as a bridge to Romano. As for their rotation, if everyone is healthy, they will be fine. But one or two injuries to a significant arm could hurt them. Otherwise, on paper this is a top 2 or 3 team in the AL.

Yeah agreed for durability purposes especially. He would have been a nice No. 5 here in Toronto, though it's not the end of the world. Still some solid arms available and as we get closer to ST, maybe prices on those arms start to go down if they remain unsigned.

I guess he's a trade deadline candidate if he pitches well in the first half. A move back to the NL should help and he can be dominant when healthy, though his best days are behind him now. Don't think we see the Rich Hill when he was with the Dodgers. He did post a 3.92 FIP and 1.8 WAR last season so meh he wasn't that bad.

Rich Hill signed with the Pirates, 1 year at $8 million.

No need to roster another backup catcher with Jansen, Kirk and Varsho healthy and on the roster. Have guys in Buffalo already and can always sign someone to a MiLB deal to play in Buffalo. Dom Nunez, Andrew Susac, Adam Moore are some guys who likely could sign MiLB deals.

Would the Jays have room for another outfielder?

Yeah always have to account for that with them. They always get contributions from unexpected sources and do have a solid farm they could always call upon. They'll also have Tyler Glasnow healthy in ST, and if Shane McClanahan stays healthy, that's an amazing #1-2 punch. Rest of the rotation is solid as well. Eflin was a very nice signing considering what other arms got and he's only 28. Rasmussen and Springs as their No. 4 and 5 is very good. Plus they have some depth with Patino, Chirinos and Josh Fleming.

Yeah a lot rides on the health and performance of their starting rotation and bullpen. They won 86 games in 2022. I see them falling in that range again with 90 being the high end if a lot of things go right for them. Their lineup though is ugh.

Raps not looking that great as of late. Finishing at .500 looks like it will be a challenge. But they always seem to turn things around in the second half, even last season. Hope they stay healthy.

In today's market, he likely will get a guaranteed, incentive laden, major league deal for sure. Heck, Shelby Miller got guaranteed money this offseason.