Brownie19

I wish we were in a better position right now - I do. But what is wrong with having 3 players extended who are 25 or 26 and who project to be 4-6 WAR players? Isn't that the type of position most teams want to be in? We also have a productive hitter in Tony Taters, plus some ML ready prospects in Roden, Wagner, Barger, Orelvis, etc. whom you hope can add to that core. Obviously a lot hinges on Gimenez hitting well and some of the young players becoming regulars, but I don't think this some dire situation that requires a major blowup. Do we need to develop better? and do we need success out of Bloss/Ricky/Yesavage/Nimmala? You're damn right we do - but that could happen. And yes we'll probably still need to be aggressive in the FA market, but if you step back, the franchise really isn't in that bad of a place. I'm still hopeful, but realistically, we probably fall short of the playoffs this year. We could now be major sellers at the deadline. Moving Bo, Gausman, Bassitt, Green, Scherzer, Springer?, Varsho (maybe?), etc. could really change the trajectory of the future. We could enter 2026 with the following positions filled: C - Kirk 1st - Vlad 2nd - Wagner SS - Gimenez LF/RF - Roden/Taters CF - Varsho (if he isn't dealt - could be an extension candidate) Rotation - Berrios, Francis Pen - Hoffman, Garcia, Little, Sandlin, Yariel Then you should have Barger, Orelvis, Clement, Kasevich, McAdoo, etc. knocking on the door offensively, with Bloss, Ricky, Yesavage, Rojas, Macko, etc. ready to contribute on the pitching side. Plus all the players you picked up at the trade deadline this year. Plus a ton of money available to sign free agents. I just don't think it's all doom and gloom. I could see us contending again as soon as 2026, but if not, soon after. Certainly while we're still in the prime of Vlad/Gimenez/Kirk. A lot of this will depend on how good that Roden, Wagner, Barger, Orelvis, Nimmala, Bloss, Ricky, Yesavage become...we REALLY need several of them to become quality major league starters. Just my take. As always - I'm excited to see it playout.

Man - you worry about a lot of things on here. I think the last thing you need to get too worried about is what will happen with Vlad and the Jays in 2033-2039.

Are people actually worried about what happens in the last 7 years of this deal? I certainly am not.

I believe Lucas came through the last time it was a must win game. Kid has balls of steel!

The good news is farm systems can turn around in a hurry.

I think this is really positive for the Blue Jays and their franchise. I 100% think ownership stepped in and forced this to happen at a price well above what the FO believed was fair, but I'm glad they did. We need this stability. I really don't like Vlad at all, but the bat is legit and he certainly has the ability to be a HOF hitter. I'll take Vlad, Kirk, Gimenez locked up, entering their prime years all day long. We should get the 4-5 best years of those players. Add in Santander as the vet bat and it's a solid little core. That said, we need a 110-120 wRC+ Gimenez. The ceiling of this core drops quite a bit if he's a 90 wRC+ bat. We 100% need to develop better to fill in around these guys to field a winner. I hope we can.

oooof - it has been painful. Apparently Santander is known to be a slow starter, but we need to get it going boys.

You're going to start this nonsense already? wicked

We brought in a new hitting coach this year. It's going to be interesting to see if he makes any difference. Some people on here were adamant that the hitting coach has a tangible impact and our last hitting coach was the issue. So far - this looks very similar to the past 2 years unfortunately.

Caleb Joseph said on the Jays broadcast that Ketal Marte was using one in 2019 when he played with him on the Diamondbacks...

That's fair, but our core isn't 35 either. They are all signed and entering their prime at least. It's not a terrible situation to be in - especially if you believe in strength up the middle. I loved the JB/EE/JD core. Loved it, but we had that great core for all of 2 years. Gimenez is the wildcard. If he's a 5+ WAR player, then that is a core you can build around.

Yeah - I'm with Dinger. I think it's a good thing to keep Vlad. Vlad, Kirk, Gimenez becomes the young, comtrolled core you can build around.

And when this doesn't happen, you'll claim the entire organization is moronic right? Same thing you did yesterday...

Laika is spot on IMO. We're talking about the last couple of arms in the pen. I think most teams struggle to fill those spots with reliable arms. It's not like we penciled Swanson in as the setup guy. We broke camp with Lovelady over Fluharty because Flu had options. You're typically trying to find lightning in a bottle with those last few spots and roster management is used to give you as many chances as possible to catch that lightning. This isn't new. Almost every team does this. Criticizing this approach is silly.

Didnt see that. Saw him pitch v. the Dbacks a couple days ago and he was only sitting at like 92.

He plays for the Yankees. You want to trade for him?

This isn't true. It's sad fans think this. Barger is yet another lefty who can't hit LHP. You don't want Barger rotting on the bench - he needs regular at bats, which aren't available on this team right now and won't be until they give up on Roden. Schneider probably blows, but pinch hitting is always difficult, as it playing once every 4 days.

Clement looks lost

Those are some irrational opinions guys. Have a good day.

You do? Im not saying I want Fluharty there either. Not many Jays pitchers I'm comfortable with facing Soto there. Gausman was not dominant today guys. Almost zero swing and miss. He's no better of a matchup against Soto for the 3rd time.

To be fair, Soto is like 8-15 with 12 walks against Gausman in his career. He didn't make anyone miss today (despite good results). I don't like Gausman facing Soto either.

Buck can't tell the difference between an 89 MPH fastball and an 81 MPH sweeper. Ugh. Roden's arm is so awful. This game is getting away from them.

If (big If) Gimenez's bat returns to a 115-125 wRC+ bat, building around Vlad, Kirk and Gimenez isn't a pretty good core. If Varsho is extended at a reasonable price, that a good group of young, talented players. Gimenez's bat being legit is a massive turn of events for the future of this organization. I hope it's for real.

D-backs have jumped all over Yarborough and his 84 MPH slop. Trying to claw their way back into this game. First 3 all reached base and then Perdomo hits the grand slam. Hasn't gotten anyone out.

If (big IF) Gimenez is a 120 wRC+ bat, you don't think he's a core player moving forward?