jaysblue

Cardinals are considering Kyle Leachy for the rotation next season I read. Not sure if there are any free agent BP arms this offseason who are open to converting to a starter. Kelvim Escobar with the Jays came up as a starter and then went to the pen and then the Jays tried him as a starter again in 2003, and he found success after later that season and with the Angels afterwards.

How many wins were the Jays projected to win in 2025 at the end of last year? Vegas I think had them at 77 or 78. One of my friends made the bet with the over, and is going to cash in soon. Atlanta was hit with a lot of injuries this season combined with some mixed results offensively from their star players like Riley, Albies and Harris. If healthy and if players play to their expectations (most are still under 30 so not unreasonable to expect), they should be back to being a competitive team in the NL East. They will have to be active this offseason whether they spend via free agency or get creative on the trade front. Again, a lot will depend on the health of their core guys, though they will have to add in order to make further improvements. From what I read, Dylan Cease is from the Atlanta area and has always wanted to pitch for the Braves. We'll see however if the Braves open up their wallets for him. As for their rotation, it's still very solid with a healthy Sale, Schwellenbach, and if Strider returns to his elite form. The rest of the rotation is rounded out with Lopez, Holmes and Hurston Waldrep (who has looked really good thus far). Tough break on losing AJ Smith-Shawver to TJS. Adding a top arm like Cease would definitely negate the risk in the rotation. If Vegas is giving you 79 wins for the over/under, would definitely bet the over.

Yeah agree Pirates make more sense than the White Sox. Definitely would be a very cool division. Would be fun to have two away series every season in Detroit, Cleveland and Pittsburgh for driving purposes.

Only Chicago would be in a different time zone correct? 1 hour difference. Detroit and Cleveland are the same time zone as Toronto. If they moved an NL team into the AL, Pittsburgh would actually be better than Chicago. A division of Toronto, Detroit, Cleveland and Pittsburgh. Each team is like a 5-6 hour drive from each other haha.

American League: East Coast: Yankees, Red Sox, Orioles, Rays Great Lakes: Blue Jays, Tigers, Guardians, White Sox Midwest: Twins, Royals, Astros, Rangers Pacific Coast: Angels, Mariners, Athletics, expansion team (Salt Lake City or Portland) National League: East Coast: Mets, Phillies, Nationals, Marlins Great Lakes: Pirates, Brewers, Cubs, Reds Midwest: Cardinals, Braves, Rockies, expansion team (Nashville) Pacific Coast: Dodgers, Padres, Giants, D'Backs Meh, just off the top of my head if they went to 4 divisions. You might be able to reshuffle some AL and NL teams.

Geographically, the Jays should be realigned with Detroit, Cleveland, and Chicago.

For sure you'll likely get regression from all those 4 guys. However, if they're on the bench and not starters, that regression likely won't hurt as much. They'll likely even be some regression with Clement. If Clement is either the starting 2B or SS next season, the Jays have to find another versatile infielder who can play every infield position.

A lot of SP's available to choose from, but we'll see how the market plays out for them. Like last offseason, you either had to sign them early or play the waiting game until February since prices were kind of absurd for mid-rotation arms. The top arms available will be Cease, Woodruff, Framber Valdez, and Bieber (if he pitches well coming back from the IL). As for other arms, King, Scherzer, Kelly, Flaherty, Gallen, Eflin, Ranger Suarez, Buehler, and Bassitt + others are available. As for bats, a lot of guys likely will decline their player options (Alonso, Bregman, and possibly Bellinger). Tucker, Schwarber and Eugenio Suarez are the big free agents followed by guys like Torres, Naylor, Ozuna, Arraez, O'Hearn. A lot of DH type of bats.

I know some people on here own Eovaldi shares in fantasy baseball, though I hope the Jays bats could still pad up some their offensive numbers even if this game seems out of reach.

Bassitt is likely gone as a FA. Berrios will be back next season. During 162 game season, both are valuable arms since they can provide innings and durability. However, if the Postseason started today, neither of them are on the Postseason roster IMO. Will be a tough decision once Bieber is back, do they remove one of Berrios or Bassitt from the rotation or go with a 6-man rotation for September.

Yeah and even in an ALDS, you only need 3 starters really that series, depending on the amount of off-days.

Pretty much if you buy an Auston Matthews rookie card for $2K right now, it's like making a $2K bet on the Leafs winning the Stanley Cup in the next decade. If Matthews wins a Cup, definitely that card will increase. How much of a bump do you think it would get? If Matthews never wins a Cup, I just don't see a lineup of people willing to pay $2K for it. I think it'll continue to decrease and be worth under $1K especially after he's retired and when the newer generation of NHL Fans won't even care who Auston Matthews was. You're better off gambling on McDavid or play it safe by investing in a Crosby rookie card which likely will continue to increase as he retires, gets inducted into the Hall and gets older.

You need to grade cards in order to sell them at maximum value. It makes sense to grade cards when they can be graded a 9 or 10 and if they can sell at high prices. Like for example, a card that is only worth $100 graded a 10, and yours grades only a 8.5 or 9, then technically you won't recover the cost. If the card lets say can be worth $2K if its graded a 10, then its worth getting it graded. However if that card grades lower, likely depends on how much the 8's and 9's book value, then maybe it's worth $400. Again depends on the card company, player etc.

Yes a lot of cards in the 80s and 90s were over produced, will give you that. But still... If Auston Matthews never wins the Cup with the Leafs or any NHL team, his rookie card drops below $1000 guaranteed. Good luck trying to get book value for one as well afterwards. It never will be worth $2K or more unless he wins a Cup with the Leafs or another team.

Hey Havok, how much does a Mats Sundin Rookie Card PSA 10 go for right now? Thank you!

An Auston Matthews Rookie Card PSA Grade 10 let's say right now is worth $2K. If he never wins a Cup with the Maple Leafs or even another team, that card is not increasing anymore. Most likely it decreases and is worth a couple of hundred bucks instead.

You're not fooling the 29 other teams in thinking Lukes is a legitimate everyday MLB outfielder. He's not going to sway any deal as a final piece. He's more valuable to the Jays as OF depth and since he's not arb eligible until 2028. No harm in keeping him around.

As well, given the Canadian market, hockey cards are the most popular here for collecting and resale. If you really want to pour some money into this hobby, look for a Sidney Crosby rookie card graded a 9 or 10, and hope that it continues to increase in value after he retires, which it should. He's already won a couple of Stanley Cups and the Gold Medal for Canada. His card isn't going down in value over time. It's a safer bet than McDavid or an Auston Matthews rookie card haha. If McDavid or Matthews never win the cup, their rookie cards are worthless.

It's a scam IMO and a business. You need to hope you get that special rookie card in that set and that its in perfect condition for it to be worth money. These companies like Beckett and PSA make money from grading cards. Costs $40-50 to grade one card and you have to send it to California. If I have a card that is expected to worth a couple thousand, I ain't doing that haha. You can usually get cards graded on the spot when they have the sports show every fall and spring at the International Centre in Toronto. As well, they control the market in terms of how many 10's or 9's there are. What happens if your card is really a 9+ but they only give you a 8 something? So your card is worth less, even though it could be worth more. If you have a card worth lets say $5K book value, you're never getting that full book value when you sell. Lastly, it's the eye of the beholder. You need to find the right buyer for a certain card or sports item which could take time. Even if a card is worth $10-20K, you can't just unload it right away unless you find the right buyer. Not many people have that kind of cash lying around especially in this economy. At least with stocks, you can cashout anytime and get your money within 48 hours. As well, given the current state of the economy and high cost of living pretty much across Canada and the US, people have less disposable income and are going to think twice about spending that money on hobbies like sports cards and memorabilia. Trust me, even as a die-cast model collector, I see it in that hobby as well now.

Yeah good luck getting $26K USD for it lol. Even if you buy it for less like $10-15K, if you need to sell it tomorrow, who is giving you $10-15K for it right now?

If the Jays don't bring back Bichette, Clement is likely guaranteed a starting role in 2026 whether at second or short. Jays likely would roll with an infield of Barger at 3B, Clement or Gimenez playing 2B or SS, and instead spend money bringing in an outfielder to replace the offensive production of Bo.

He's primed to be traded? He's a 30-year-old journey-man outfielder who will be under 400 AB's this season. What do you expect the Jays will get for Lukes in a trade? It's better just to hold onto him as he's proven to be solid insurance in case someone goes on the IL and he's someone you can rely on starting over a 2-3 week period if need be without hurting the lineup and defense.

Look I love the job Lukes has done this season, but let's not get too attached and ahead of ourselves. He's a guy who you can pair with in a timeshare or someone who can fill-in for a short period of time when another player is on the IL. He's not a full time outfielder who you should be relying on getting 600 PA. I don't want him penciled in as a starting OF in 2026. He'll likely work his way into 300-400 PA anyways with guys like Springer/Santander and Varsho in the fold and if they hit the IL or need rest at any point during the season. Lukes shouldn't be the roadblock in going after an outfielder like Tucker. Plus if the Jays don't resign Bichette, they need to replace that offensive production somewhere and most likely will be in the outfield.

I know some posters own some fantasy baseball shares in Patrick Corbin, but I hope he implodes today and the Jays torch him!