glory

Yeah now that they struck out in free agency, this season should be used primarily to develop existing talent, integrate new talent from the minors (Pearson, Kay, etc), and find a way to add players to the core either via trades or player development. You can’t force contention. Just have to keep adding as much talent as is available and hope the young players develop. Giles is the last remaining vet that they haven’t moved yet so they have to get a good package for him as well.

Reports say the Jays made an offer to Gibson who wanted to play in Texas (this was from Shapiro himself), and I think Davidi mentioned the Jays offered more for Porcello than the Mets did but he's from Jersey and decided to sign for less with NY. It's easy to say "just sign (insert player)", but free agency is a combination of overpaying and the player actually wanting to play here. AA thought it was so hard to attract free agents to Toronto that he traded a zillion prospects for players with free agent contracts, and AA is someone who would actually overpay for a free agent if he wanted him bad enough (not as risk averse as Shatkins). Either way, I don't think the rebuild will last beyond 2020. Next winter, I think the Jays make a real effort to contend. Whether that works or not is a different story, but let's keep in mind this front office wanted to lose games last year. You don't go from outright tanking to blowing your wad in free agency in a span of 12 months unless you have a roster ready for that type of jump. The best plan is to just be opportunistic and improve where you can. If we can sign Ryu, great, but that's probably not happening. Just find the bargains where you can, try to maximize roles, and maximize trade returns. Also, wrap Pearson's arm in bubble wrap.

I hate almost everything about the Rays, so hopefully the Jays are not trying to emulate them going forward, but in 2020 if they need to spam the opener option in order to win games, then by all means do it.

Yet incredibly fitting for Tanner Roark. Boring all the way around.

Sounds like Hernandez will be starting the OF again this season, and Fisher will get plenty of AB's (probably as 4th OF/DH). I was expecting that anyway, but with Shapiro specifically mentioning them by name, it certainly adds some substance to that. Of course it's all talk until the season starts. Things can always change.

Looking at the 40 man roster, I think that's the direction they plan on going in until Pearson and others come up. They already have Font who has had success as an opener. Yamaguchi might be someone who could succeed in a similar role. They have a bunch of fringey SP types on the 40 man roster who may not be successful 180-200 IP starters but use them after openers and they could maximize their talent. I'm not sure how Montoyo is going to pull it off, but I expect them to use it a lot. Roark and Anderson might be the only guys who consistently start games, and that's only because they could get through 5 innings whether they are on or not.

Band aid. If the Jays are going to use up payroll space over a 3-4 year period, then it should be for a player they really like, not someone like Keuchel who is likely a stopgap himself and not a difference maker. Another option would be to trade for someone who another team wants to move for salary reasons and doesn't take much to acquire.

Yeah whether the Jays sign Ryu or not, it seems like the main storyline(s) for 2020 will be integrating Pearson into the rotation, and seeing who else from the hoard of AAA SP prospects can make it as starters in the bigs. Anderson and Roark are being paid to eat up average innings. If we sign Ryu then at least there’s a real difference maker in the rotation but if he signs elsewhere as I suspect he will, then it’s going to be a rotation full of vet innings eaters until the kids come up, imo.

Yeah, 4/80 is what I thought would get him. I'd be surprised if anyone offered more, but who knows with this market.

This does seem to be like Boras trying to use the Jays as leverage to get the Dodgers to come back and offer something. I don't see Shatkins going crazy with an offer, so the only way I see it happening is if the Dodgers and Angels are both out, and it's between the Jays and Twins. The Twins are higher on the win curve, but I refuse to believe we'd get outbid by the damn Twins for a Boras client.

MadBum signing a five year deal with the DBacks. I’m going to guess this makes Ryu back to the Dodgers more likely.

Kluber on a 1+1 deal seems more sensible than overpaying someone in free agency, especially if the cost was minimal. I don't know who the Jays have that Cleveland would perceive as equal or better than Clase, but I'm sure something could have gotten done without having it hurt the Jays farm system. A minor league reliever and an arb elible replacement level OF doesn't seem like a price that would be hard to beat.

Rosenthal just retweeted this, so looks like it might be just the 2-for-1 originally reported.

Heyman has a reputation as a shill for Scott Boras, but there seems to be a lot of smoke with the Jays interest in Ryu. Doesn't mean they will get him but their interest is probably sincere.

Shithole stadium, no fanbase, a front office that underpays big league talent and trades them away at the drop of a hat for having the audacity of being arbitration eligible. I mean I know it's Florida so it will have advantages, but for the life of me I can't understand why anyone would voluntarily sign there, much less take less money to do it.

I feel like any player who signs with the Rays, as a free agent or an extension, deserves what they get.

On the bright side, it has been 7-8 years since we have heard a "Jays are a front runner for (insert Japanese player)" rumor only to see him sign elsewhere, so at least that trend lives on.

Travis Shaw makes the most sense. Even if he signs a one year deal he'll have a 2nd year of control through arb, he can cover multiple positions, and is a bounce back candidate with the bat. Although at the rate the Jays are getting spurned by free agents, maybe they do bring Edwin back if for no other reason than he actually doesn't mind playing here.

He's a Ray, which means he's actually really good. Damn.