jaysblue

I brought up a legitimate point on how having some LH balance in the lineup can impact a game in the later innings when opposing teams bring in their relievers and that's a fact. If an opposing team brings in a lefty to face a LH bat, then two RH bats follow, advantage Blue Jays. If an opposing RH reliever has to face a tough LH bat in the late innings, advantage Blue Jays again. Like I said, having another LH bat would be nice and something the team should address this offseason. Some tinkering is needed to this main roster and that's fine. The goal is to win a World Series and the Jays have the core in place to add-on to. Atkins was looking to add some LH balance when the Jays were linked with Jose Ramirez and even Michael Brantley. So my guess is that Atkins even realizes that. Again, your ignorance to any criticism of this organization is annoying. Your critical thinking skills are awful since you're always high on the Mike Wilner kool-aid. I've never seen such a huge homer like yourself. At least other posters, even if we disagree we can have rational conversations and dialogue. You're pretty much a partisan hack. There is no point in having a discussion with you because its a waste of time. You're one of the most stubborn and arrogant posters on this board. I've never had to say anything this harsh to another poster on this board, but you're something special!

Wear red jerseys again tomorrow haha. Anyways, great win from the Jays! Hope they carry that momentum moving forward!

Lets GO BLUE JAYS!!! CLAP CLAP CLAP CLAP!!!

It's just really really bad luck. Things will turn around.

Nice, can buy a cheap seat and move up.

Lets hope the Jays win this series. Anything less than 2 out of 3 is a huge disappointment.

Keep sipping some Mike Wilner kool aid bud! You're the biggest homer on this board and you can't even engage in a discussion when it comes to a view that criticizes this front office. It's getting to the point of cringe with you!

May is still very good even against a Mets team, would definitely start him. Guy had 11K's his last outing.

At the end of the day, this team will be fighting tooth and nail to make the Postseason from the looks of it despite being 3rd and 4th in wRC+ in those categories against RHP and in all of baseball. So tell me what's wrong? They can't afford to get swept by the Angels at this point in the season. If they played better earlier on instead of most Blue Jays homers and Mike Wilner's on here saying its still early and there's nothing to worry about, you wouldn't be in this position right now. Of course most teams hit well against s***** arms and struggle against top starters. Even Cole got lit up by the Jays last weekend. How about bullpens in late innings though throwing their top arms at the Jays lineup? How have the Jays bats done late in games against elite RH relievers? If you had some LH balance in the lineup, that forces the opposing teams hand lets say going to a lefty reliever against a LH bat, and then that reliever has to stay in the game for two more outs, both possibly against a RH bat. A LH bat would be a nice add during the offseason for this team. You have to tinker with the roster and not leave it as is, when what didn't work the first time likely won't work again in 2023. And like I said numerous times, 2023 is such a crucial season and probably the best season for the Blue Jays to win a World Series. They can't waste that opportunity by keeping the status quo.

I agree, don't think much needs to be done in terms of a shakeup. Just some tinkering here and there focusing on upgrades and providing roster depth. Another #2-3 starter would be nice insurance in case Berrios doesn't find his old form. Even if Berrios does find his old form, that's a solid Top 4 to go with White, Kikuchi, Tiedemann, Zulu for the No. 5 spot and some depth. You can never have enough pitching during a 162 game season. I still think its a middle of the road bullpen. They've made some solid adds at the deadline with Bass and Pop who both will be around for next season. If they could add an elite reliever, I think that would go along way. If it only costs money, do it. Again, I'm all for signing an elite reliever to BJ Ryan money if he's really good. Like we both agreed, 2023 is crucial. Plus, lets hope the Blue Jays get lucky with one of Pearson or Merryweather, though again they shouldn't just stand pat and think one of them can turn elite and problem solved. I still think adding another LH bat to this lineup would go along way as well. Atkins and Co. tried getting Ramirez and Brantley, so you know he even realized getting another LH bat was necessary. Overall, they are set well up for 2023, though they need to tinker and make some upgrades. Standing pat with the same roster won't do anything or move the needle. They can't let 2023 go to waste.

Agree with everything you said. Top right-handers whether starters or bullpen arms can carve up this lineup no problem. Sure some scrapheap right-handed pitchers whether starters or bullpen arms might not have as much success and the Jays RH bats can usually do damage against them, though you aren't facing those types of arms against good teams in the Postseason. Would be interesting to see how this lineup has performed against top right-handers versus mediocre/below average right-handers. It's easy to pad numbers against an arm that belongs in the minors. Look at the Jays 28-5 beatdown against Boston back in July. Also, like you said the sample size with southpaws this season is a small one since most teams aren't throwing 2 lefties at the Jays in a series or any in the late innings. Lineup balance doesn't hurt and it also puts pressure on the opposing team late in games in terms of which relievers they bring in certain situations. Most opposing teams don't have to worry about having any southpaws in the BP when they face the Blue Jays lineup. They can deploy all their top right-handers against this lineup in the late innings. Like you said, the Jays tried to acquire Ramirez and Brantley for a reason. They even probably realized they needed some balance but since they couldn't pull those deals through, they went with what they had. Again, we're not talking about a complete overhaul of this lineup. Some tinkering is all that is needed because the current strategy of going all heavy with RH bats hasn't been working.

As Springer ages, he will start slowing down and become more injury prone than he is now. It's best to put together a Championship caliber team when you have Springer still playing at an elite level, not when he's 35 or 36. That's why 2023 and 2024 is the window for this club. Same goes for even a guy like Gausman. As for Chapman, he's gone likely after 2023 and replacing him will be difficult. That's why there should even be more urgency for next season! As for Manoah, we've seen young arms getting TJS and last thing the Blue Jays need is for him to miss 12-18 months. The Blue Jays can't afford to miss Manoah for an extended period of time as lets say the Dodgers can with Walker Buehler. He's healthy now and pitching well, so this is the best time to field a Championship caliber team. 2023 will be such a crucial season for this organization, and so will 2024. After those seasons, window shuts especially when Vladdy, Bo, Manoah, Kirk get more expensive, Springer and Gausman get older, and you lose some key FAs like Chapman, Teo and Gurriel most likely.

Who does Jays Talk these days? If Springer flips over a table, he might pull something and land on the IL. Your summary of this team is pretty much dead on IMO. This team was way overrated during Spring Training as the were made out to be World Series favourites when in reality as we're seeing they're an 85-90 win team at best over a 162 game season. There have been some guys like Stripling and Kirk over exceeding expectations while several big pieces like Vlad, Bo, Teo, Berrios all under performing. The pen was middle of the road since Day 1, and the addictions of Bass or Pop really don't move the needle in that regard. The FO during the offseason never properly addressed the BP, which is frustrating because of the core they have in place along with the team timeline. I know some stat heavy posters on here said the Jays having a heavy RH lineup doesn't matter, though it does. The Jays seriously lack a prominent LH bat in the middle of this lineup and that plays a role. There is no balance whatsoever. Tapia, Biggio, and Bradley aren't those pieces. As for Berrios, he's been a huge disappointment. I expect him to bounce back next season, but even still the Jays FO should bring in another solid #2-3 starter since you can't afford a guy like Berrios or another arm to take a step back. Springer needs to stay healthy, and the focus should be to move him to a corner and DH him most of the time to keep him on the field or else this team needs to go out and add another outfielder who you can give 300-400 ABs to and someone who will play above replacement level. Can't waste ABs and playing time on guys like Tapia or Zimmer. This front office also needs to learn when to cut the leash on some guys like Tapia. They rode him for too long during April/May/June and he hurt this team everytime he stepped out onto the field. The deadline reinforcements like you said were meh. I didn't mind them but at the same time they weren't and haven't been enough to move the needle. Atkins wasn't going to shake this team up or pull a big AA trade deadline. They probably do need a bit of a shakeup this offseason. I would go after a LH bat that could a corner OF spot or ideally CF would be nice so Springer can be used more at DH. Add at least two elite bullpen arms, even if it costs money since you have this core in place still for 2023. Teo can be replaceable after 2023, though Chapman will be a big loss. That's why it's best to win when you have Chappy under control and when Springer is still in his early 30s. Target a No. #2-3 starter which doesn't hurt. Can't rely on Berrios being one and if he is, then even better and gives the Jays excellent rotation depth #1-4 with White as a No. 5 guy. Take a chance on an arm recovering but who could be back in June/July if one is available for depth purposes. I hope they still snatch up a Wildcard spot, but I don't have much confidence in this team. They can definitely win and advance or like you said get blown out. Hope they're playing their best baseball at that time.

A 23.14 ERA with the Padres!

Bring back Gibby!

Ross Atkins and this FO is the best though. Every decision they make, is the correct one. Even if they miss the playoffs, it's bad luck but the computers say this team can be a World Series contender again next season! No need to spend money on the last couple of roster spots like on the bench and in the bullpen just because!

Likely set them back close to 2K or more I imagine just to make a weekend trip to Toronto.

You should be a motivational speaker for the Leafs in their locker room!

Leafs fans say what you say every new season and then Round 1 of the Playoffs its deja vu!

Had Arenado's 4 for 4 game benched yesterday ugh. That sucks. Hope my score holds with Dinger at least.

Tweet Arash Madani haha I swear sometimes Sportsnet coverage of this team is so cringeworthy. It's biased for many reasons obviously.

You said it perfectly. Teams like the Yankees, Dodgers and Astros already have a lot of wins in the bank and can afford to have a string of losses at this point in the season. The Blue Jays aren't in that position because of their inconsistency until this point. If the Blue Jays want to make the Postseason, they can't be losing games against .500 teams and they can't afford to lose series, plain and simple. Would be a shame if the Blue Jays miss out on the Postseason by one or two games.

$20-22M for one year of Conforto? You're nuts!

Geez, took his new team how many days to DFA him? Shows you the Jays keep the leashes way too long on some guys.

Angels aren't an easy walkover like I said. Ohtani pitching today. Not looking good for the Jays to take 2 out of 3 but lets hope they can win this series!