jaysblue

Yeah, I’d still prefer Robert over Cameron, but that’s just my two cents. My guess is the roughly $5M remaining on his contract probably scared them off. To me, both probably have a similar floor the rest of the way. The difference is the upside. Robert still has the better bat and at least has the potential to make a legitimate impact if he gets hot. Since August 1, Robert has hit .267/.321/.520 with 6 HRs and a 128 wRC+. If he carries that August production into September, then I think he’s absolutely worth the gamble. If he goes back to being an 80–90 wRC+ bat, then sure, he probably isn’t giving you much more than Cameron. But if I’m choosing between the two for a playoff push, I’d rather gamble on Robert’s upside.

Outside of that Tampa start (and not all of that was even his fault), Scherzer was actually a pretty reliable arm for us in August: 6 starts, 3.63 ERA, 32.1 IP and 28 Ks. Gotta love it. I’d seriously consider bringing Mad Max back next season on a similar type of deal, with the expectation that you’re only really counting on him for 10–15 starts in the second half. If he can give you stretches like the one he just had in August, there’s still plenty of value there. It certainly doesn’t hurt having an arm like his around as extra rotation depth, especially once injuries inevitably start piling up.

Yeah the 40 SB's and 18 HR's have been nice, but damn that batting average and OPS have been a killer. He's supposed to provide Top 25-50 value and he's been more like a 150ish-200 ranked guy.

They also probably wanted to keep him away from the Jays and other WC teams.

I own him in two fantasy leagues and he's been so frustrating this season.

The more I think of it, I actually prefer going after one of the second-base free agents over most of the outfielders available. Jazz could be a really solid fit for a few reasons. Like you mentioned, he can play all over the outfield if needed, but ideally he’d be your everyday 2B. On days you move him to the outfield, it’s easy enough to slide Clement over to second. Offensively, he still gives you the kind of power this lineup badly needs. He’s capable of hitting 25–30 HRs while also stealing 30–40 bases, which would add a completely different element to this offense. And despite the offensive struggles this season along with some of the boneheaded defensive miscues that end up on highlight reels, he’s still put up around a 3-WAR season, and his defense at 2B has actually been decent overall. If you believe you can get Jazz back to being a 4+ WAR player, which really doesn’t seem that far-fetched, he might be the best positional-player upgrade available for this roster. And like you said, given some of the antics and the down season offensively, his market could be depressed enough that he ends up taking a one-year prove-it deal at a high AAV. If that’s the case, I’d definitely be interested.

Yeah, I think there’s obviously going to be some variation from season to season depending on injuries, how many starts the player gets, how often he enters as a defensive replacement and then picks up an AB or two, etc. For a super-utility type, I could see the range being anywhere from roughly 300 to even 500 ABs depending on the health and performance of the regular starters. If you’re talking about a true platoon, though, the split is usually a little more predictable. The LHB could still end up around 450–500 ABs, while the RHB probably lands closer to 250–300, depending on how strict the platoon is and how often he gets used elsewhere. So technically, that RHB platoon bat would also be your fourth outfielder, and ideally you’d want someone capable of playing all three outfield positions. Straw, meanwhile, is really more of a fifth outfielder/late-inning defensive replacement. In a perfect world, you probably don’t want him getting more than 150–200 ABs over the course of the season. If you bring in a reliable RHB who can platoon with Lukes, provides some offensive thump and is above-average defensively across the outfield, then I’m not sure you really need Straw on the roster, especially if your starting CF is already an above-average defender. It becomes difficult to justify carrying a fifth outfielder strictly for defense when that roster spot could be used elsewhere.

Yeah, if you bring in a right-handed bat to platoon with Lukes, I think you can make it work. We saw that for years with Reed Johnson and Frank Catalanotto, and that was a pretty effective LF platoon. The Jays never really added the proper RHB to complement Lukes. Instead, they brought in Sanchez, who is more of a similar platoon-type bat, and that obviously didn’t work. Straw also shouldn't be relied on in a platoon. I’m fine with having one platoon spot in the lineup. You can maximize matchups and still get solid production out of it. But once you start having two or three spots that need platooning, I don’t think that’s really viable roster construction. It limits your bench, makes the lineup too matchup-dependent, and leaves you vulnerable when injuries hit.

Yeah, as much as I love Ernie, I had concerns before the season about some of the AAAA-type guys who had huge breakout years for us in 2025 like Clement, Lukes, Heineman, etc. Given their ages and overall skill sets, it was always going to be difficult to expect all of them to repeat that kind of production. The bigger issue is that you can’t really have both Gimenez and Clement getting everyday ABs when the rest of the lineup already lacks power and thump. A lineup gets exposed pretty quickly when you have too many low-power bats in it, especially once injuries hit or some of your supposed middle-of-the-order guys aren’t producing. Personally, I still prefer Clement in more of a super-utility role. He could easily work his way into 400 or so ABs by rotating between 2B, 3B and SS, and the lighter workload might even help keep him fresher and sharper defensively while potentially helping him offensively as well. That’s not really a knock on Ernie either. I think he’s a very useful player. I just think the roster is better constructed when he’s your versatile 400-AB guy rather than someone you’re relying on for everyday production.

We obviously don’t know what it’s actually like inside that clubhouse, but given all the frustration and struggles this season from a team that was literally inches away from winning the World Series, you do get the sense that the mood probably isn’t perfect and that some of the players are frustrated. The fans certainly are every once in a while too haha. Lukes is a stand-up guy and apologized for his mistake, so I give him a lot of credit for owning it. Meanwhile, I haven’t really seen Vladdy take much public criticism or accountability for some of his awful plays and ABs this season. With Vladdy, you almost get the sense that his mind or heart just isn’t fully in it right now. I obviously have no idea why that would be, but he needs something to light a fire under him again like we saw during the postseason and WBC. I also think it’s fair to ask whether Vladdy can handle the pressure of being the unquestioned face of this team. There could be a psychological aspect to this as well. Is the massive contract weighing on him? Is the pressure of having to be “the guy” affecting him? Would he benefit from having another elite/star-level bat alongside him in the lineup? This is also Vladdy’s first season without Bo, and the difference is pretty striking. I know the traditional idea of lineup protection has largely been debunked, but maybe there’s something to simply having another elite hitter around him and taking some of that pressure off. Obviously Bo was terrible and injured for most of 2024, but even then Vladdy went on that massive second-half tear once the Jays were basically out of contention and the games didn’t carry the same pressure. I don’t know what the answer is. Maybe there’s an underlying health issue this season, fatigue from playing in October and the WBC, maybe it’s the mechanical/swing issue a lot of us have been talking about, and I’d imagine there could be some psychological component to his struggles as well. It could very easily be a combination of all three.

I guess today we find about if any players were claimed off waivers. Wonder if some guys get moved.

Given Toronto’s outfield situation and lack of power, I’d probably play him pretty much every day against both righties and lefties. Maybe you sit him occasionally against a particularly tough right-hander, but otherwise I think he’d be in the lineup regularly. That said, close to $5M is a lot of money to take on for basically one month, especially for a player who has been disappointing for three straight seasons now.

Jarred Kelenic signed a minor-league deal with the Yankees. Watch them keep him around next season, one of their outfielders gets hurt, they call him up from Scranton, and somehow he lucks his way into a 25–30 HR season thanks to that short porch in right field. Ah, probably not because Kelenic really does suck 😂

The Mets placed Luis Robert Jr. on outright waivers yesterday. He's been hot in August, slashing .286/.342/.557 with six homers and 11 RBI. Still owed $4.9M.

I take back what I said after Thursday's game.

Buck is a class act. Down-to-earth and one of the most genuine baseball guys around. Always chatted with fans and was friendly. Bumped into him a couple times for some Jays away series and always was friendly, said hello and talked some baseball. One of the nicest guys period.

Glad I didn't start CES at UTL yesterday haha. Tight matchup. You got me beat in the redraft league this week.

I wanted to purchase a Hancock jersey earlier in the year.

Yeah, very true. From a business perspective, Shapiro has been extremely successful in turning Blue Jays games into one of the hottest tickets in the city during the summer. If that increased revenue allows the organization to keep reinvesting in the on-field product, then it’s hard to complain too much. Most newer ballparks and renovated ones have definitely moved in this direction as well, catering more to casual fans with patio bars, lounges and social areas rather than focusing strictly on the traditional baseball experience.

Yeah, Vernon Wells in 2007 is definitely one that comes to mind. He had just signed that huge contract after coming off a monster 2006 season offensively, and then really struggled in 2007. He was also pretty bad again in 2009. He had some decent years mixed in - 2008 was okay and he was really solid in 2010, but unfortunately it never felt like he lived up to that contract. Because of that, he was basically public enemy No. 1 in Toronto for years. At the time, though, that 7-year/$126M deal wasn’t completely out of line with what other big-name free agents were getting. Alfonso Soriano signed a massive deal around the same time, and Barry Zito did as well. Josh Towers in 2006 is another one. He was arguably the Jays’ best pitcher in 2005, putting up around 3.6 WAR, and then completely fell apart the following season. Jays stuck with him for such a long time in the rotation. Kyle Drabek too. He was the main piece coming back in the Halladay trade and everyone thought he was going to be a fixture in the rotation for years. It just never happened. Aaron Hill and Adam Lind after 2009 were probably two of the most disappointing for me. Both looked like they were just entering their primes and were going to be middle-of-the-order bats for years. Then things fell off so quickly for both of them. Jose Bautista’s breakout in 2010 really did save this franchise in a lot of ways. Without that happening when it did, those early-2010s teams would have been a whole lot uglier.

Yeah, even getting downtown yesterday was an adventure with the TTC closure and shuttle buses. Ended up walking a bit, although thankfully the delay was resolved quicker than usual. The vibe at the games definitely feels different now too. I sensed it yesterday. It feels a lot more bougie compared to before. A lot of people seem to be there more to socialize over a couple of drinks, make TikTok videos and spend half their paycheque on overpriced beer and food than actually watch the game. It’s also just tough to get excited about this team compared to previous seasons. Even when you look up at the lineup on the scoreboard, you’re already thinking it’s going to be a struggle just to score three or four runs. Most likely my last game of the season. Between the ticket prices, the cost of everything inside the stadium and the aggravation of getting downtown, the overall experience just isn’t worth it to me right now. I prefer watching the games on TV in the comfort of my own home or at a local bar.

Geez, did I ever go on a rant last night 😂 Sorry again for all the rage. Drinking my morning coffee now and feeling much more relaxed. Even though the game was a complete blowout, there were still some positives from the experience yesterday. The Rec Room bar before the game was actually pretty cool. First time I’d been there. Beers are a little pricey, but considering it’s right next to the Rogers Centre, it’s a great spot to crush a quick beer before first pitch and still be inside the ballpark within five minutes. I was sitting in Section 146 and actually really liked the outfield seats. The view was much better than I expected and I definitely wouldn’t mind sitting there again. Perfect weather last night as well. Got to enjoy those few remaining summer nights we have. I also got a ton of compliments on my Bobby Witt Jr. City Connect jersey. One of the staff members even came up to me and mentioned that the “Hey Hey Hey” stitched inside the collar is a reference to the Beatles’ 1964 performance at Municipal Stadium. Pretty cool little detail. And at least it was nice seeing Springer hit a dinger especially since I own him in BORED and I’m playing Spanky this week 😂

Sorry for the meltdown but damn, holding it in all this time and going down to the game to watch this f***ing performance was one of the most disappointing baseball experiences ever. Never ever felt this way about the Jays but wow.