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***Official Jays Thread*** Lots of optimism, again. (2 Viewers)

Northern Voice said:
Stubhub is probably a good bet, they pre sold tons of tickets based on last year's success and the slow start likely means a fair number are being resold. Under $25 will put you upper deck but just over $25 may get you 100 or 200 level outfield, which is where I generally sit when I don't want to spend big $$$ on seats. The upper deck in Toronto is way up there.

you won't have to buy a ticket for your 1 year old, if that makes any difference.
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BTW thanks for the tips.  Went to the game on Sunday and ended up sitting in the upper deck (since ticket prices were significantly cheaper).  It actually worked out well with the 2 kids because we were so high up that we weren't bothering anyone.  As I suspected, my son was bored after about 5 minutes so we were only able to make it through 5 innings.  Nice stadium (nothing flashy) and we love Toronto.  

 
fred_1_15301 said:
BTW thanks for the tips.  Went to the game on Sunday and ended up sitting in the upper deck (since ticket prices were significantly cheaper).  It actually worked out well with the 2 kids because we were so high up that we weren't bothering anyone.  As I suspected, my son was bored after about 5 minutes so we were only able to make it through 5 innings.  Nice stadium (nothing flashy) and we love Toronto.  
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It's nice it all worked out! I think Sunday was a nice day weather wise, dome open and a good size crowd, so you got a decent experience in terms of the stadium. It's nothing special at the best of times - last one built before Camden/Jacobs etc... changed what a baseball stadium vs. a multi-purpose stadium meant. Games with the roof closed and 15K people in there can be downright depressing.

The area around the stadium and downtown Toronto in general are really great IMO, glad you liked it.

 
Jays go into tonight's game 0-6 so far this season in games that could have got them back to .500 - for all their better play since the brutal start, that is frustrating as hell.

 
Tulo is garbage. Was supposed to be this colossus! This great, legendary thing. Not even sure he's a plus defender any more.

 
Grilli DFAd. I've been waiting for this. Man did he hit the wall!! At least they waited until after the Fire Up the Grilli night (or maybe that's why they waited)

It is a wonder they are still in the hunt for a wildcard with their injuries and poor performances from guys they were expecting to produce.

 
falguy said:
I'm convinced the jays will finish 80-82 for the season going 0-for-38, getting outscored by 100 runs in games when the could reach .500.
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I've never been good at predictions. They'll never get near .500 again this year. 

 
3 straight wins. 

Beyond that, the Bichette and Guerrero hype is real, and it's spectacular. Both being promoted to High-A Dunedin after the Futures game. Bichette leads the Midwest in basically everything (average, total bases, OPS). Guerrero hitting .317 with bombs all over and is 18 years old. They are the youngest players on both teams in the futures game.

Now just don't trade any of Stroman/Sanchez/Osuna in the meantime... while we wait for them in a couple years.

 
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Hey Jays fans, anyone know who the hot blond serving girl is behind home plate? Every time the Yankees play in Toronto I can't stop watching her when she comes out. It's actually distracting...

You guys must know who I'm talking about, right?

 
Two fantastic articles about Jose Bautista by Drew Fairservice on how he was kind of always in the right place at the wrong time and Andrew Stoeten on the colossal amount of #### he's taken over the years, including at times from Jays "fans" and media.

It's legitimately tough to watch him not be able to square up a fastball anymore. Has a chance to finish with Blue Jays records for most strikeouts in a season and lowest batting average in a season for a guy who met the qualifying number of PA's to go along with all the other club records he has.  :(

 
Zigg said:
I hope I never understand Zaun and others stupid line of thinking.
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:towelwave: In the least surprising piece of news anyone has ever heard, Gregg Zaun has been fired by Rogers/Sportsnet after multiple complaints from female employees about inappropriate conduct and comments. http://www.cbc.ca/sports/baseball/mlb/gregg-zaun-rogers-sportsnet-fired-1.4427565

This is the guy who called himself "The Manalyst" and in 2012 tweeted about "Tubby, unfortunately manish, and super stuck up" girls at a Toronto club. 

I am so so happy to see this ####### off the Jays broadcasts.

 
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Northern Voice said:
:towelwave: In the least surprising piece of news anyone has ever heard, Gregg Zaun has been fired by Rogers/Sportsnet after multiple complaints from female employees about inappropriate conduct and comments. http://www.cbc.ca/sports/baseball/mlb/gregg-zaun-rogers-sportsnet-fired-1.4427565

This is the guy who called himself "The Manalyst" and in 2012 tweeted about "Tubby, unfortunately manish, and super stuck up" girls at a Toronto club. 

I am so so happy to see this ####### off the Jays broadcasts.
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They're not called the Tools of Ignorance for nothing

 
Parmcat said:
Goin to miss Goins....

Classy guy, and extremely under rated
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I'll miss him too but I think he was rated perfectly. Good glove at multiple positions, terrible at the plate.   Aledmys Diaz is passable at multiple positions but way better at the plate, I hope...

 
I don't know where this team goes right now. They insist they aren't trading Donaldson but he will be a free agent after the season, so if they don't trade him they have to look to get better for this season. Fangraphs has them right now as an 82 win team, which feels optimistic after last season but it's basically just counting on Donaldson to get somewhere near his last few seasons and Martin/Tulo/Sanchez not being completely awful. Fangraphs still has the Jays as the #10 offense based on those WAR projections. 

In theory they only need to pick up 7-8 wins to be a wild card contender (forget the division IMO with the Yankees moves and Red Sox clearly have a better roster). The obvious upgrade spots are:

Corner outfield positions. Right now Steve Pearce and Teoscar Hernandez are penciled in as the starters. Ezequiel Carerra is still around. 

#5 Starter. The pitching staff still has Stroman/Sanchez/Happ/Estrada, but Biagini is the #5 right now and he was bad in the rotation last year. Koehler was (I guess?) the #6 but they rightly didn't tender him a $6 million contract. 

Middle Infield. Counting on Tulo and Devon Travis being healthy would be insane. The trade for Aledmys Diaz gives a bit better offensive depth/versatility but still room to improve here. 

Bullpen is meh but they'll do what they always do and add cheap pieces that mostly don't work then trade for different cheap relievers that mostly don't work in season. 

They probably only have like $20-25 million to make all those upgrades, which will be tough... and even then, they're counting on a lot of things to go right. 

Alford, Vladdy and Bichette all getting closer - Donaldson trade to add to that core and then lock up Stroman/Sanchez makes a fair bit of sense but Rogers has also admitted publicly they are considering selling the team, so you wouldn't think a rebuild and possible dip in attendance would be too palatable to them right now, which I fear brings about the possible worst case scenario where they're stuck in the middle, not good enough to win, unwilling to rebuild and they miss the window to cash in on a Donaldson trade.

Of course, they could just give him a big Extension and have him be the bridge from the big 15/16 years and hopefully the Vladdy/Bichette led years.

 
If there's anything to the Rogers sell-off rumors, that could be the biggest factor in the Blue Jays off-season plans.  I would assume management would try to keep as much payroll flexibility as possible if the franchise is going on the block. 

I've seen some speculation about taking on a short-term lefty bat like Carlos Gonzalez or Jay Bruce.  CarGo's non-Coors splits are scary though.

 
:eek:

@MStrooo6
Lost arbitration. Is what it is. Looking forward to going out and dealing again. The negative things that were said against me, by my own team, will never leave my mind. I’m thick-skinned so it will only fuel the fire. Can’t wait for this year! #HDMH

 
Northern Voice said:
:eek:

@MStrooo6
Lost arbitration. Is what it is. Looking forward to going out and dealing again. The negative things that were said against me, by my own team, will never leave my mind. I’m thick-skinned so it will only fuel the fire. Can’t wait for this year! #HDMH
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Stroman's WAR last year was 6.0

These 3: Odorizzi (0.0), Bauer (3.1) and McHugh (1.2) combined for a 4.3 WAR and all won their respective cases.

 
Fangraphs pegs the Jays at 85-77 with the Jaime Garcia signing.

It seems like every move the Jays have made this season has been about "raising to floor". On their own, they are all very meh but as a group, this is a better team than last years. There's less variance in this team but not a ton of upside either (for this year - Guerrero, Bichette, Alford, Pearson and Jansen loom).

Jaime Garcia starting rather than the Liriano/Biagini mess is an upgrade that maybe nets one win. Biagini is still around as the #6 starter if/when they need him.

Yangervis Solarte and Aledmys Diaz are a big upgrade on Goins/Barney in the backup infield positions. That pair getting 821 PA's and having wRCs of 59 and 68 was a disaster. I guess there is in theory significant upside in the middle infield if Tulo isn't finished and Travis is healthy but I'll believe that when I see it.

Granderson being a left handed bat better balances the lineup and means Ezequiel Carerra isn't playing every day. I believe a Granderson/pearce platoon could actually be pretty good.

Grichuk is a big improvement on 2017 Jose Bautista :(  

I think the moves above, plus a healthy Sanchez and Donaldson mean the Jays finish with a better record than last season, probably a low-80s win team.

C - Martin/Maile (Jansen)

1B - Smoak (Pearce)

2B - Travis/Solarte/Diaz

SS - Tulo/Solarte/Diaz

3B - Donaldson

LF - Granderson/Pearce (Carrera)

CF - Pillar (Alford)

RF - Grichuk

DH - Morales

SP - Stroman, Sanchez, Estrada, Happ, Garcia

RP - Osuna, Tepera, a bunch of guys.

 
Northern Voice said:
Fangraphs pegs the Jays at 85-77 with the Jaime Garcia signing.

It seems like every move the Jays have made this season has been about "raising to floor". On their own, they are all very meh but as a group, this is a better team than last years. There's less variance in this team but not a ton of upside either (for this year - Guerrero, Bichette, Alford, Pearson and Jansen loom).

Jaime Garcia starting rather than the Liriano/Biagini mess is an upgrade that maybe nets one win. Biagini is still around as the #6 starter if/when they need him.

Yangervis Solarte and Aledmys Diaz are a big upgrade on Goins/Barney in the backup infield positions. That pair getting 821 PA's and having wRCs of 59 and 68 was a disaster. I guess there is in theory significant upside in the middle infield if Tulo isn't finished and Travis is healthy but I'll believe that when I see it.

Granderson being a left handed bat better balances the lineup and means Ezequiel Carerra isn't playing every day. I believe a Granderson/pearce platoon could actually be pretty good.

Grichuk is a big improvement on 2017 Jose Bautista :(  

I think the moves above, plus a healthy Sanchez and Donaldson mean the Jays finish with a better record than last season, probably a low-80s win team.
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I am not Craig Edwards but this says basically the same thing. But I said it first https://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/blue-jays-continue-sneaky-good-offseason-with-jaime-garcia/

 
Seung Hwan-Oh signed.

Pete Walker has said bullpen will have Osuna, Hwan-Oh, Tepera, Barnes and Loup as locked in to spots.  Final spots will be some combination of last season's callups/surprises (Dermody, Ramirez, Mayza, Santos) and/or the offseason fliers (Alburquerque, Breslow, Axford). Either way, should be perfectly fine there. 

 
Jays make Seung Hwan-Oh signing official and DFA Ezequiel Carerra.  I can't imagine there's much of a market for Zeke with all the other FA outfielders but he did basically everything the Jays asked for and hit 282/356/408 in 325 PA's last year.

One less player in the way of Alford/Teoscar/Pompey.

 
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Anthony Alford has a 1B, 2B, 3B and HR over the last two days and I am so ready to run Pillar out of town, let's get the real skilled guys in this lineup.

 
Northern Voice said:
Anthony Alford has a 1B, 2B, 3B and HR over the last two days and I am so ready to run Pillar out of town, let's get the real skilled guys in this lineup.
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What? No love for Superman?  He's 4 for 6 last 2 games with a homer. ;)

In other not-so-shocking news Tulo won't be ready for the start of the season.  I always find it surprising when a guy who's been out since the summer can't be ready for Spring.  Guess I'm not really that shocked when it comes to Tulo, however.

 
Jays sign Clippard to a minor league deal. He joins the competition with other veterans Axford, Alburquerque, Breslow etc... and all the holdovers (Mayza, Ramirez, Dermody)for final two bullpen spots.

Osuna, Hwan-Oh, Tepera, Barnes and Loup are locked in to spots.

Mike Wilner likes Axford and Clippard for the last two spots. Barnes and Clippard are reverse splits guys, so no second lefty in that scenario.

 
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I used to think spring training games were meaningless but yesterday, this happened

Vlad Guerrero Jr: 4-5, 2 R

Bo Bichette: 2-3, 2 RBI, R, SB

Anthony Alford: 3-4, 3B, 2 2B, 3 R, RBI

So now I think they have all the meaning.

 
falguy said:
In other not-so-shocking news Tulo won't be ready for the start of the season.  I always find it surprising when a guy who's been out since the summer can't be ready for Spring.  Guess I'm not really that shocked when it comes to Tulo, however.
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Now saying he might be back for the end of April. Let the Aledmys Diaz era begin, I guess (I don't think Solarte is all that great defensively at SS, though I'm also not sure Diaz is any good). Likely means Gift Ngoepe makes the opening day roster as well as the second backup infielder.

 
Stroman won't miss a start but is pushed back to the 4th game of the season as expected.  Rotation is Happ, Sanchez, Estrada, Stroman, Garcia. Championship.

 
Northern Voice said:
Stroman won't miss a start but is pushed back to the 4th game of the season as expected.  Rotation is Happ, Sanchez, Estrada, Stroman, Garcia. Championship.
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Strong rotation. Obviously they need to stay healthy - Sanchez especially - as they have no depth. Bullpen looks good from what I've seen in spring training. This team could surprise. 

 
Strange that the Jays haven't set their roster yet. I know they need a spot on the 40 man for Axford, who will be on the team - I guess it may depend on whether or not Tulo goes on the 60 day DL or if someone has to be DFA'd. They've already told Teoscar he's starting in AAA, so I don't know what other decisions are even out there - Espinosa or Ngoepe as the backup SS, I guess.

 
fred_1_15301 said:
So something is seriously wrong with Donaldson, right?  He couldn't throw the ball to first today.  
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I was at the opener and he was constantly trying to stretch it out. He's always been a fidgety guy in the field though so who knows if that means anything. The team insists it's just dead arm.

Have to be happy with a split in the opening series, especially after dropping the first two. Bullpen looks good so far and I'm officially believing this is who Smoak is now. Beyond the game winning grand slam yesterday, his at bats are just all so strong. Still not buying Pillar but stealing all three bases on Saturday was awesome. 

Not sure Diaz/Ngoepe can cover two months (or maybe forever...) without Tulo. Solarte looks solid but I guess he needs to play 3B for the time being while they figure out what the deal with Donaldson is. 

 
Sure, the Jays beat Baltimore 7-1 tonight on a Donaldson grand slam to move to 7-4 (they look good!), but in more important news, Vladdy Jr. was 3/3 w/ HR, 2B, BB, 6 RBI in AA :wub:  

 
In his first week in the Eastern League (AA), Vlad Jr. is Eastern League player of the week. 361/419/639 with 2 HR, 12 RBI. Vlad is the second youngest player in AA (Fernando Tatis Jr. in the Texas league is younger).

Teammate Bo Bichette is only hitting 350/422/450 in his first week in AA.

 
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