glory

IKF signing somewhere else is one of the best Jays moves of the off-season.

They wouldn’t trade Gausman and Yesavage, and obviously not Cease and Ponce, so that leaves Berrios and Bieber. Even if Biebs is a question mark health-wise, I would think the Jays were pretty happy that he opted in as the cost was practically nothing given his upside. Berrios is really the only option, realistically. The contract is awful and he ain’t opting out of 2/48 after this season, so you just have to hope there’s a bad contract swap somewhere. But that’s only a bridge to cross if they signed another SP (Framber). As is, the Jays need as much SP depth as possible and if Berrios is your #6, then that’s not terrible. Another option if they signed Framber would be moving Lauer (I guess) to save $5M, as Berrios could be the (disgruntled) long man/7th starter, but they’d have to determine if having an unhappy Berrios around would be worth it. Either way, Atkins moves in silence usually. The fact that Heyman specifically mentioned the Jays leads me to think it’s a nothing burger.

The Jays value defense and contact more than most teams, so I don’t think they would have been in on Suarez either way. The only hacker on the team is Varsho and he plays elite CF defense, and the only poor defensive player is Santander and he puts the ball in play (typically) a lot more. I think it’s fair to say that if Atkins could have one back, he’d definitely pass on Santander last winter. They clearly expected Springer to play the OF a lot more than he did, but now that he’s firmly a DH, it makes Tony’s fit on this roster a lot more clunky. With that said, the contract isn’t terrible due to the deferrals. Just have to hope he has a couple of 30-40 HR seasons left in him.

Figured the A's owner would start spending money as soon as the team was a lock to head to Vegas. They've made some pretty good deals to extend their existing talent.

I'm in the US and it's a mix for me. If I'm on my phone, then I probably see ads (don't really pay attention either way), but if I'm on my laptop then I have an ad blocker so it won't be visible.

Yu Darvish wrestling with wanting to retire but not wanting to give up the AJ Preller lifetime contract that usually comes with AJ Preller extensions/contracts.

How much does the MLBPA hate Jose Ramirez? Dude has probably left like $200-300M on the table to stay in Cleveland.

The issue with Varsho, especially if he's a Boras guy, is going to be how much do you want to commit to him starting at age 30/31? A five year deal takes him to age 36. I just don't know how smart of an investment that would be unless his bat has taken a sustainable leap forward on the power side and he can be an above average hitter as he ages even if his defense dips. Not sure I'd want to take that risk at a Boras level contract, though I guess a lot will depend on how he does in 2026. Finding a CF who can field and hit is hard.

It would depend on what it would take to get Nootbaar obviously, but I think there would be real upside there. He's already had a couple of 3 WAR seasons in his career, and last season despite battling injuries he was well above average to very good in Avg EV, hard hit %, bat speed, chase, whiff, etc. Realistically, there isn't a position where the Jays could significantly improve unless they trade for Marte or something like that. I guess maybe if they sign Framber and dump Berrios, but on the position player side, the only meaningful upgrades I could see would be a 2B against RHP (Clement isn't good against them historically) or a move like this where if you believe you're buying low on a ~120 wRC+ bat with some injury risk to replace a more average-ish 4th OF. Plus, I believe Noot is popular in Japan due to the last WBC, so it would give the Jays another player that can help to kiss more Japanese backside as they try to grow their brand there.

Trading for Nootbaar and putting him in Lukes' role would be a pretty good move, IMO. At the very least it would add a bit of upside to the roster, which Lukes doesn't have.

Whit was part of the boring ass 2023 team that wanted to become "more serious" and would routinely act like Vlad committed a crime every time he dumped water on them. His perspective is likely based on that mindset, so it's not one I'd particularly care about.

The Jays starters in 2025 and their MLB rank: WAR: 23rd ERA: 20th xERA: 23rd FIP: 24th HR/9: 28th This rotation had no business being a 'slightly bigger IKF lead off 3B' away from winning a World Series. Their biggest weakness was clearly the rotation, and between Bieber opting in, and the signings of Cease and Ponce (plus an expected full season out of Yesavage), there's a good reason to believe that what they've spent the most money on this winter will make the biggest impact on the 2026 team compared to the 2025 team. They tried to make the big splash for the offense and it didn't work (Tucker). Beyond that there's not much they could have done to add multiple wins to the offense unless they find a way to trade for Marte now (not likely).

Bellinger must have jumped head first into that Yankee offer as soon as he and Boras saw the Luis Robert trade happen.

If the Mets are out on Bellinger, then I’m not sure what Boras is waiting for. The Yankees offer is great and I can’t see another team topping it unless it’s a Tucker/Bo type of deal that’s a ridiculous AAV for fewer years.

I’m not sure most owners want a cap. A cap system and more centralized revenue will increase franchise values, but the current system involves significant revenue sharing, no salary floor, and the players likely getting significantly less than 50% of league revenue, all while league revenue increases every year. A cap system would likely reduce revenue sharing (or eliminate it completely), have a floor, and will lead to players getting more of the pie. Not sure the juice is worth the squeeze for the owners. Going into every negotiation saying “we want a cap and are willing to wait for one” is a good bargaining tool, and that’s what I think this is. If anything they had more reason to miss games during the last lockout coming off two seasons impacted by Covid and they still caved in the end to avoid it. With that said what the Dodgers are doing is not good for the sport. We know Skubal is signing there next year and probably Henderson when he’s a FA, and Skenes, etc. My guess is the next CBA (assuming they don’t do something stupid like miss a season for a cap) will tax the Dodgers an insane amount. Like 150% or 200% for going over a certain threshold. Will that deter them? Maybe, maybe not, but it’s more likely than missing games for a cap, IMO.

That's my sense. Both sides were ready to move on. I'm sure Bo would have come back if the Jays offered the most, but they traded for Gimenez a year ago likely for this reason. The Okamoto signing just confirmed it.

The Jays gave IKF 40 (!) playoff plate appearances (whopping 7 wRC+) instead of putting DS at 2B or even DS in LF, Barger at 3B, and Clement at 2B. I think they view him as a platoon guy who only faces RHP in specific matchups (or moments sheer desperation). I wouldn't consider him a 2B option on this team with the current structure, either because they don't like his defense there, don't trust his bat, or both. Someone like Jimenez makes sense in a bench role. He's historically hit LHP well/better in the minors, and can cover 2B/SS. If the existing bench is Lukes/DS/Straw, then not much middle infield coverage there, especially in case of injury or in case of Clement/Gimenez badly struggling.

Only thing that will prevent Clement from getting 650 PA in 2026 is injury. He's playing everyday, for better or worse, and I expect him to be around the same as he was in 2024-25 (~95 wRC+). We just have to accept that the middle infield as presently constructed is going to be below average offensively, but great defensively and on the bases. I know the Jays don't steal much, but if Gimenez is healthy, then he really needs to run a lot more when he's on base. I'm assuming his lower body injuries prevented more of the running game, but with his bat, he really needs to maximize base running as well as defense.

If they don't think he can be a starting caliber CF for even a couple of years then it would be a hard pass.

Bellinger being able to play CF is really the only reason it might make sense. The Jays will need a CF after 2026. They have no one in the minors who looks like a realistic 2027 CF option, and there isn’t a CF FA option that looks appealing either. Not sure I’d want Belli for the contract that he is looking for as there is a lot of risk in his profile and performance. His skill set is exactly what the Jays like, though, and if a CF does emerge then moving Bellinger to LF/RF is always an option. You’d have to hope that he’s a 120 wRC+ or better bat for a few years.

I'd definitely take the under on 110-115 for Clement. If he reaches 100, then I think we're all pretty happy. A part of me is still doubting that the Jays (who value defense more than any team in the league) is going to put Santander in the OF everyday, so I'm legit stumped on how they proceed from here. If they add another bat, my guess is it will be a LHB that will be able to slot between Springer and Vlad in the lineup. Only realistic options there are Bellinger or Kwan. I haven't heard the Jays linked to Bellinger at all (whose market appears to be the Yankees or tumbleweeds), and Atkins and Boras are BFF's now, so maybe that's the plan. Or they could just stand pat and hope for a Taters bounce back. I guess that's the fun (and agony) of a baseball off season. It's a waiting game now.

A trade for a controllable OF is probably a reasonable next move if one is coming on the position player side. They can figure out the roster crunch later. Stay away from Bellinger given the price tag he wants. I joked about it at last year's deadline and heading into the off-season, but Kwan's offensive profile is what Atkins dreams about at night, so I'm going to assume they'll at least pursue that, especially given the history of trading with the Guardians. Not sure who else is out there that makes sense. Maybe Atkins has a surprise up his sleeve.

I'm a little relieved Tucker went elsewhere if that offer is true. I know 10 years was offered to lessen the luxury tax/AAV burden, but for a RF/LF who has already seen diminished defensive ability, that wasn't going to age well. Definitely would have helped for 2026-27 though. The only FA move that I'd be in favor of at this point is Framber, assuming the Jays feel comfortable with his personality. He's probably the only FA left with a good chance of being a 4+ WAR player next season. Beyond that it's likely the trade route.

Adding an outfielder involves moving parts, which is fine when the upgrade is someone like Tucker, but if it’s someone like Kwan or a player of that ilk, then it might make more sense to just stick with what you have and maybe add to the bench (ex. a good utility IF). Of course if they have given up on Santander (they have more info on him than fans do) then that’s a different story. If they believe he’s a bounce back candidate then you’re probably not adding a 4-5 WAR OF that will justify moving him in a trade or to the bench. With that said, a Ross Atkins team playing Santander in the OF all season seems very out of character, so I could see a trade for an OF. How they’d make it fit is the question.

Tucker has negative aura. That has to factor into the WAR calculations somehow.