jaysblue

This pitching matchup is junk.

Posting up 5.6 and 5.5 WAR seasons in your first two years is nothing to sneeze at. Blue Jays fans or any teams fans would be doing the same thing lol.

Definitely up there at either #1 or #2. Would say the Scherzer/Kershaw pitching matchup in LA at the beginning of the month was No. 1 in my books. The nostalgia and build up before the game. As well, that game had October vibes to it.

Definitely tuning into the game tonight! Should be a great night for baseball! Bieber's debut, Red Sox/Yankees and Dodgers/Padres)! Perfect Friday summer evening!

Matt Wieters 2.0

Defensively, Bo is going to continue to regress at shortstop and will need to move off the position. Secondly, his offensive skills seem like they could deteriorate in a hurry as he ages. Relies heavily on putting the ball in play and doesn't walk enough. He needs to hit .290-300 in order to have an OBP around .340 and his max is likely 20-25 HR's per season. Feels like a Javier Baez contract waiting to happen, worst case scenario. With an emphasis placed on team defense, the Jays might not even be interested in bringing back Bo. They might prefer a glove-first shortstop, or plan on moving Gimenez over. We'll see what happens. For sure the front office has an idea of what direction they want to go in. As well, the Jays will need to sign at least two arms this offseason (preferably an ace and a solid mid-rotation arm), which will cost money. As from a fan/PR perspective, Bo is a fan favourite and definitely is a marketable player. When people think of this Jays team, they think of Vladdy and Bo. He's definitely cemented himself as one of the core players and faces of the organization. So the Jays & Rogers will have to weigh in that impact of either letting him walk or re-signing him to an extension. What will the market be like for Bo? Not sure. Many of the big spending teams are set at shortstop (Yankees, Red Sox, Cubs, Mets, Giants, Phillies, Padres, Dodgers). Off the top of my head, the only two teams that might be interested in Bo could either be the Braves or Mariners, and that's if they want to spend that kind of money for him.

Should be a fun series to watch this weekend. Same with the Dodgers/Padres.

I could see some team trade for him this offseason and the O's get a pitcher in return. Adley could be a change of scenery type of guy. Don't think they keep him around to DH, but who knows.

Heck, the Dodgers got swept by the Angels in both of their series and also lost two of three to the Rockies lol.

I agree, but I'm sure if its close, it does play to the back of some voters' minds, but not a huge factor like you said when it comes to the Cy Young. Definitely more of a factor for the MVP vote.

Trevor Rogers has been really good for the last 1.5 months haha. Already at 2.8 fWAR in 12 starts. So it's not turning out as bad as originally thought. But yeah still would prefer Stowers, his controllability and his breakout being an everyday player. Was flirting with a 5-6 WAR season before he got hurt.

Skubal: 5.9 WAR Crochet: 5.0 WAR Otherwise, wins, innings, ERA and K/9 are very similar. Skubal has a better FIP and BB/9. But yeah might come down to the last month of the season. Also, voters might go with Crochet if it's close and if Boston grabs a WC spot. What about Skenes/Sanchez? Skenes with a 5.1 WAR and Sanchez with a 4.7 WAR. Skenes with a better K/9 and lower ERA, though their FIP numbers are pretty similar. Sanchez has the W-L record to his favour. Might come down to the last month.

Yeah I think if there is any tossup, it's for NL ROY and maybe AL MVP. I still think Judge deserves it as of now, but Raleigh has had such a special year as a catcher and if the Mariners win the west, he'll get some votes. Also, if Judge has a slow September and the Yankees tank, hurts his chances. Benefits the Jays as well haha. For NL ROY, tough call between Collins and Baldwin. Would lean more Baldwin since he's a catcher, but can't ignore Collins with a 131 wRC+ and helping the Brewers as a first place team. Collins doesn't seem like anything special.

Right now favourites for MLB Awards: who ya got?

Haha he beamed A-Rod back in 2007 at the Rogers Centre. Bring back Brandon League!

Bring Josh Towers out of retirement haha.

Wednesday it is.

If they decide to plunk him, would do it tomorrow near the end of the game or his last AB.

Yeah in the bigger picture, not worth it. Still another game tomorrow as well. Last thing we want is a key player hurt either in a scuffle or in a retaliation HBP.

I'm guessing Pham gets beamed tonight?

Austin Riley could be the biggest disappointment. 5+ WAR player for three straight years from 2021-2023 and now he looks more like a 2-3 WAR guy the past two seasons. Injuries haven't helped, and he's still young (28) to right the ship, but yeah his decline is a big worry. Murphy has produced 2.3 WAR this season so far despite the very poor offensive numbers and luckily the Braves have Drake Baldwin who looks like their No. 1 option behind the plate. Murphy defensively still is really good. I'm guessing the Braves will go with a timeshare behind the plate again in 2026. Harris is still just 24 damn haha. Could be a change of scenery guy. He's been starting to turn it around with the bat as of late, but yeah hasn't come close to being the 4-5 WAR player he was in his first two seasons.

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.