To Chuck's point about Buck and Pat; their 5 year contracts signed late in 2014 are up after the season. I'd bet the farm this is it for them, and it's long overdue. Hopefully, the emergence of Vlad and the youth movement this season generates enough excitement to convince Dan Shulman to re-commit to the Jays full-time. They could then take some time to audition other men/women for the role to see who fits best with Dan.

Some copy and paste from MLTBR:

The Blue Jays announced that they’ve put lefty Clayton Richard on the 10-day IL due to a stress reaction in his left knee The Jays didn’t provide a timeline for Richard’s return, but a stress reaction has the potential to keep him sidelined for a substantial period.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. began taking some at-bats in extended Spring Training games this weekend, tweets Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet. He’ll still need to get back into his routine at third base and play in some rehab games before he emerges as an option at the MLB level. TSN’s Scott Mitchell tweets that Clay Buchholz will throw tomorrow and could start for Triple-A Buffalo on April 7, which signals that the veteran righty is on track to join his new club sooner rather than later. Ryan Tepera and Ryan Borucki are throwing ’pen sessions, meanwhile, and could return by month’s end. Bud Norris’ timeline is less concrete, per Shi Davidi of Sportsnet. Norris is still throwing in the 90-91 mph range — well south of his usual mid-90s heat. He did get a late start by signing in mid-March, so he’ll continue to build up arm strength without a set return date in focus just yet.

No- hitters against, it’s an interesting marketing strategy. Third time in 6 games. Again, the opposing pitcher has been sharp but there have been some bad ABs. At some point it’s not them it’s you.

On the plus side Pannone has been a pleasure to watch.

89-92 Pannone is Fun Pannone. Man, his stuff looks good tonight, and it's been sustained for 4 innings.

I wonder what the record is for fewest hits in a season by a team - this good be fun in a macabre way - the fun of expecting a no hitter every night. Nigel, this is your prophecy!

So next time the #5 starter spot is up, start Pannone and SRF in the bullpen? It will be against Cleveland.

Why not plan on a Pannone/Gaviglio tandem start? Seems like the best choice right now and bring up another reliever if needed in the interim.

I guess yesterday's use of Gaviglio (8 pitches) looks smart in hindsight since they needed him for 3 innings tonight. I'm sure the Jays will be using tandem starters/openers at some point. Seems like the type of role someone like him can be useful in.

gurriel reminding me of pillar at the plate.

With negative defensive value. I know the talk is of moving him to the outfield, but he should really be moved to Buffalo.

That was the 4th start of David Hess' career against the Jays. He's gone 2-1, 0.71 with a 24-5 K-W ratio. He's allowed just 12 H in 25.1 IP. Against the rest of the major league world, he's 2-9, 5.63. He's allowed 95 H, 20 of them HR, in 86.1 IP. The Jays may need a new scouting report on this guy. Or at least the same one everyone else has.

You're wondering how Toronto ever managed to beat Hess that one time? It was last August, when Pannone threw 7 one-hit innings, and Kendrys Morales finally broke up the scoreless tie with a solo homer off Hess in the bottom of the 7th. The Jays then tacked on 5 eighth inning runs against Miguel Castro.

the fun of expecting a no hitter every night.

Vlad will be coming to put an end to your fun. No fun for you!

To Chuck's point about Buck and Pat; their 5 year contracts signed late in 2014 are up after the season. I'd bet the farm this is it for them, and it's long overdue. Hopefully, the emergence of Vlad and the youth movement this season generates enough excitement to convince Dan Shulman to re-commit to the Jays full-time. They could then take some time to audition other men/women for the role to see who fits best with Dan.

Thanks Petey, I didn't know their contracts were up.

I can't watch games that they're calling, at least not with the volume on. It's just not enjoyable. I'm cool with the radio team though. Wilner tries a bit too hard and his chemistry with Wagner is still developing, but they focus on the the aspects of the game I'm actually curious about and paint a solid picture of what's happening. Sounds like they're actually having fun, too.

Hindsight prefers Gaviglio throws his 3 innings of 1 run ball on 35 pitches on Sunday in a 0-0 game (and at that point, haven't not pitched in awhile, he would've been fine for a 4th inning). That would've left Luciano available to pitch tonight down 5-0 instead of coming into a 3-0 game with 2 runners on base.

On the bright side, Pannone and Gaviglio looked good and proved they can handle a AAA lineup tonight; Reid-Foley, not so much.

Reid-Foley didn't look good in his last preseason game either. You'd have to wonder if it's his last chance at starting with the big club for a while.

he should really be moved to Buffalo.

Given the three teams we've seen this year (Detroit, Baltimore, Toronto), it's not clear to me that we're not all in Buffalo right now.

Gurriel deserves to be in Buffalo but there are no infielders left on the 40 man roster to replace him - I'm for giving Urena some run at 2B.

"Gurriel deserves to be in Buffalo but there are no infielders left on the 40 man roster to replace him - I'm for giving Urena some run at 2B."

Urena had a WRC+ of 61 in Buffalo last year. Gurriel had a WRC+ of 103 in the majors. Gurriel looks lost, but it's 16 PAs. Urena has 7 PAs. If he still looks lost by the time Vlad is ready, send him down by all means but you can't go crazy based on a bad series.

With Gurriel, it's not one bad series. He was an atrocious defender last year and looks no better this year. Yeah, he will almost assuredly hit better than Urena, but whatever value Gurriel provides with the bat he gives back defensively. Once Vlad is up, Gurriel should go down and work on his defence, be it in the infield, outfield or whereever.

This FO must be having a wake up call right now. Either that or they are and always were planning to get a top three pick in 2020.

This line up is terrible and the team is struggling to beat two of the worst teams in baseball. With better managing we could be 4-1 instead of 2-3...or at least 3-2.

If you have to run out players with no experience (or skill) to see "what you have" then you will constantly be giving games away. Expect to get what many posters have been asking for...Teoscar Hernandez getting clean up duties along with Gurriel, SRF starting games and giving up runs before we even bat...i hope those posters who were begging for this last year are truly enjoying watching these players "learn" and "cope" every game and yes, it's a cop out for said posters to want to send these players down to AAA. Sit down and enjoy the development you've all been asking for...you know...the development that usually happens in the minors. Should be fun going to 30+ live games this year!

Cant wait until the FO trades Stroman/Sanchez/Shoemaker...then we will see more development because winning 70 games is always better than winning 80 or more.

for the record, at Urena's current age, Gurriel was posting a 77wrc+ in AA and a 33wrc+ in A+.

Tulowitzki and Bichette would be a more interesting combo than Gurriel and Urena, of course.

Urena's development has really been hurt because he was up with the ML club due to injuries when he should have been getting regular playing time in the minors the last 2 years.

I'm down with a top 3 2020 pick - I'd keep Vlad in AAA until he's in better shape, probably June - the Miguel Sano disaster in Minnesota should be a cautionary tale.

Who is an example of a good comp for Gurriel where things worked out well? Such players may exist but I just can't think of anyone obvious.

He seems to be athletic and with very good bat speed, but his strike zone judgement is poor and his defense can generously be described as a work in progress.

Any basis for optimism has to be tempered by the glaring holes in his game. I don't see a starting MLB player here. At best, a versatile, utility player whose defense is passable at a few positions.

I don’t think that Gurriel’s a middle infielder or that he’s anything more that Pillar at the plate with a bit more power, but now is the time to find out and give him his proverbial 500 ABs. It may be painful but this is a bad team, so why not? I do wish that they would have tried him at 3B or the OF in the spring to see if those are places he could play without giving up all the offensive value he can provide.

No way we'll have a top 3 draft pick. Sanchez and Stroman won't both get traded.

Gurriel's may look lost at the plate right now, but he will come around as a hitter given his contact quality. I would not have any reason to play Urena over Gurriel as he has even worse plate discipline historically, his contact quality is much worse. Gurriel Jr has a career xwOBA in the Major's of 0.334 compared to Urena's 0.270.

I will say that at least last year, Gurriel did show a better ability to hit balls outside of the strikezone than pillar did - but his tendency to keep swinging at those pitches was still worrying, and now it seems the pitchers are content to throw him junk and watch him get himself out.

not giving up on him yet but watching pillar and gurriel hacking away together got me a little annoyed.

I’d feel better about Gurriel if his minor league numbers painted a picture of a different hitter.

It is frustrating watching bad ABs but Pillar and Gurriel aren’t the only culprits. Unsurprisingly, this is a line up full of players with either big holes in their swing or hackers. Visually pleasing doesn’t spring to mind.

I did get nostalgic for Jimmy Key last night watching Pannone.

I am with hypobole, I am taking the over on us getting a top 3 draft pick.

We should get a pick in the low to mid 20s. That is being conservative because the season has just started and a lot is still going to happen.

LAD, Seattle and Philadelphia will pick lower than us according to the math. This is too small a sample size. There are another 4 teams that are only slightly better than us.

Pillar and Gurriel have similar plate discipline issues, but Gurriel posted a 45.1% hard hit% last year compared to Pillar's career best 36.4%.

The games are tough to watch and the line-up lacks high end talent, but hopefully a few bright spots start to emerge.

Jon Heyman
@JonHeyman
#SFGiants and #bluejays are in trade talks regarding CF Kevin Pillar

11:36am · 2 Apr 2019 · Twitter for iPhone

Ignoring the hitting for the moment -- I'm really curious how the staff will look when it faces a good line-up. With BOS up next, we'll soon see. There are enough bats in the system, but if the staff takes a step forward then the team could be rebuilt by early next year, especially if they'll pay Stro/Sanchez. That's the optimistic take... it's early and the hitters are often behind the pitchers in April, but, boy o' boy it has been ugly to watch the hitters. Tellez and Galvis seem to be the only ones who don't look lost.

Toronto Blue Jays @BlueJays
3m
OFFICIAL: We've acquired INF Alen Hanson, RHP Derek Law and RHP Juan De Paula from the @SFGiants in exchange for OF Kevin Pillar.



good.

don't even know who those guys are. but good.

now do smoak.

No way we'll have a top 3 draft pick. Sanchez and Stroman won't both get traded.

In a Ken Rosenthal story on The Athletic, Mar. 31, he says "Stroman, another pitcher the Padres have discussed, is almost certain to be traded this season, along with his teammate, righty Aaron Sanchez."

The 1908 Brooklyn Superbas only had 1044 hits, seems to be the lowest I can find once I exclude seasons with less than 150 games.

Hansen was DFA'd this week, a utility guy. The Jays could even release him, it was probably a salary offset. Law is an up and down reliever. DePaula is young and a prospect so he is probably the "get" here.

MLB Pipeline on DePaula, the Giants #18 prospect.

Signed for $175,000 out of the Dominican Republic by the Mariners in 2014, De Paula pitched well in two seasons of Rookie ball before coming to the Yankees along with fellow right-hander Jio Orozco in an August 2016 trade for Ben Gamel. He was one of the best pitchers on a loaded Staten Island staff in 2017, ranking second in the short-season New York-Penn League in opponent average (.191). He pitched well again in the NY-P this year before heading to the Giants with infielder Abiatal Avelino in an August trade for Andrew McCutchen.

De Paula could have three solid or better pitches once he's fully developed. He shows the aptitude to move his fastball around the strike zone and continues to add velocity he fills out his skinny 6-foot-3 frame. He presently works at 92-97 mph after sitting in the upper 80s when he turned pro.

De Paula also displays the ability to spin a curveball and deceive hitters with his changeup. His secondary pitches and his control lack consistency, as they do with most young pitchers, but the ingredients are there for a No. 4 or 5 starter. If his fastball takes off as he matures physically, he could be more than that.

Hanson - 26yr old with no real position and doesn't hit much. nothing here.

Law - 28yr old borderline mlb (mostly AAA) reliever that had a really good year a couple years back. delabar type.


De Paula- legit young 21yr old pitching prospect, probably reliever upside

That was the 2018 report on DePaula. Now he was the Giants #19 prospect, here is the updated commentary.

De Paula is still in the early stages of his development, succeeding mainly thanks to his fastball. He has added velocity as he has gotten stronger, with his heater rising from the upper 80s when he entered pro ball to now ranging from 92-97 mph, and his 6-foot-3 frame still has room for more muscle. He uses his size and high-three-quarters delivery to throw on a steep downhill plane, making it tough for hitters to lift his fastball.

While he has the potential for a solid three-pitch repertoire, De Paula lacks consistency with his curveball and changeup, with the latter a bit more reliable. His control is also a work in progress, though he does a nice job of working the bottom of the strike zone with his heater. He has a ceiling as a No. 4 starter if he makes the necessary improvements and also could develop into a fastball-heavy reliever.

I'm honestly a little sad for Pillar, even though I fully support this move. I think he outperformed any expectations, and then became the poster child for "he's overrated!!" vs "he's superman!!" debate. I assume he's aware of all that and that's tough.

I appreciate everything he did for the organization, even if I'm excited that this happened because I think it's best for the franchise. I imagine Smoak will probably be dealt soon, and we'll have Rowdy and Alford manning those spots. Good time to figure out what you have in those two.

I'm sad to see Pillar go. He's made several of the best defensive catches I've ever seen an outfielder make in person. While he didn't have sprint speed of some of the elite center fielders, his willingness to sacrifice his body was unrivaled. Offensively, he was obviously limited, but he had his moments. Pillar also appeared as if he genuinely learned and was remorseful for the two biggest negative incidents during his career here, which came as a hot-headed rookie and as when he uttered a slur in 2017.

It makes sense to make this move, even for an underwhelming return (and I understand why San Fran wouldn't give up much), but it doesn't mean it isn't a little bittersweet at the same time.

Agree with Gerry. I'm guessing that Hanson is a short-term addition, with Urena going down to Buffalo to play full-time. Law gets added to the bullpen, taking SRF's roster spot, with Pannone getting the next start.

De Paula is a 21-year-old with an excellent track record who is now with his FOURTH organization (SEA, NYY, SFG, TOR), after being traded for Ben Gamel, Andrew McCutchen, and now Kevin Pillar. He's definitely the prize here, though I'm skeptical when a prospect gets traded this much so young.

I wish Pillar the best. He was an underrated player for a while and gave the Jays some incredible defense for years. That being said, it was time for him to go and the return looks better than I thought. (was expecting a return like this without someone like DePaula). It's going to be a hard year but also fun to watch the young Jays.

BA's scouting report is similar to MLB's.

Scouting Report: A skinny, 6-foot-3 righthander with plenty of room to add weight to his frame, De Paula has a plus fastball that sits in the mid-90s and touches 98 mph with above-average life. He has feel for both a changeup and curveball, although both pitches are currently below-average offerings with the chance to become average or above-average pitches in the future. De Paula's secondary pitches and overall control lack consistency at the moment, but that's widely to be expected from a 21-year-old with only one, late-season start in full-season ball.

The Future: De Paula has the three-pitch mix of a mid-rotation starter. He's raw and needs to improve his fringe-average control, but he'll receive much-needed experience at low Class A Augusta in 2019.

De Paula seems like a prospect with some upside and more of the lottery ticket type that many have loathed the front office for avoiding. He is probably a similar prospect to Luciano at this point, ahead of Maximo Castillo but behind Yennsy Diaz. 

Pillar was an obvious fit for the Giants, but I am not sure we received enough in value for Pillar.

CF Grichuk
RF Hernandez
LF McKinney
3B Drury
SS Galvis
2B Gurriel
1B Smoak
DH Tellez
C Jansen

OF Alford
IF Urena
C Maile


OF defense will take a big hit. Though maybe they intend Alford to play regularly.

“I wish Pillar the best. He was an underrated player for a while and gave the Jays some incredible defense for years. That being said, it was time for him to go and the return looks better than I thought.”

Well said Glevin. My thoughts exactly. Decent guy and I wish him well.

Guess I could eventually get my wish re Pompey, though after 3 concussions my expectations are very low.

Kudos to the FO for pushing on most of the buttons. But good lord, I hope they start to hit. They must be at 75% of innings played without one.

Good move for SF. They have 8 pitching prospects ranked higher than De Paula. They are trying to win this year. Hoping that the veterans from the championship teams have something left.

Pillar was definitely a good player for the Jays despite his frustrating offensive profile. Great value out of a late pick. The trade is what it is. A lottery ticket and a couple of fringe big leaguers. I think Pillar for De Paula alone probably would have sufficed, but maybe the Jays like Hanson and Law (the latter was good in 2016).

Hopefully, Alford gets most of the playing time in CF. I suspect his bat is not ready yet so it might be tough to watch at times, but this whole season is going to be long and filled with growing pains, so at least let him get some adjustments out of the way.

Is this in response to Pillar speaking out about Morales last week?

Don't get me wrong, I fully endorse this trade. I just wonder why now. This match has been natural for the past 2 seasons so who blinked 3 games into the season?

Regardless, I say good riddance.

I was thoroughly tired of his lack of plate discipline that was somehow getting worse.

His defense was always overrated. Call me boring if you like but I'd rather watch Vernon Wells or Devon White glide to the ball that they were perfectly positioned for than watch Pillar scramble to make up 3 steps and then dive for it.

Add on his non-performance issues that some here seem ready to give a pass on and I'd say that this trade was probably 3 years too late.

Braves sign Acuna for 8yrs, $100m.

another example.

It was reported that Alford was in Toronto before the season started. I also kept hearing that SF was linked to Pillar. So this is not a big surprise because of the information leaks.

"Braves sign Acuna for 8yrs, $100m.

another example."

Is this another example of where offering him 200 million was a poor idea?

forest /= trees

Pillar's trade value just kept going down.  His defense has slipped (from astronomical levels), and if he is not carrying the team with defense, his offense is not up to par.

The Giants' OF could still use him, so I understand why they would take him.

I would rather have Hernandez/Alford/Grichuk than McKinney/Grichuk/Hernandez

I think most of us value Pillar based on his numbers and what he does on the field, not non-performance issues. If that is really a major criteria then you should be advocating for the trade of Vlad Jr and his "non-performance" issues with weight and conditioning, never mind defence.

What I don't get is how the FO can keep Bo or Vlad down much longer when half the players I am watching are less developed than those two.

Come on Dalton, get well soon

Huh, so long Pillar, got a lottery ticket and some filler for him. Great highlights, never doubted the effort, hope he has a few good years in SF. That's a big CF there, so he better hope his speed doesn't desert him at all (since it's already marginal for a defense-oriented CF). Good luck to him.

De Paula seems...fine? K's are good, his walks aren't too high. I've never understood the "ceiling as a No. 4 starter" type of scouting report for his type of arm (throws hard, looking for plus secondary pitches)...his "ceiling" should mean you can't see any way a player is better than that. I'll go ahead and say a guy who throws mid-90s and isn't a complete basket case has obvious potential past a #4 starter. Likelihood of outcome has nothing to do with ceiling.

With Pillar gone, Smoak becomes the longest serving position player, and Stroman the longest serving player, right?

I just wonder why now.

My guess: Because the payments on his $5.8 million contract starting coming due this week and his replacement will cost a fraction of his salary. To me, it's just that simple. He was a non-tender candidate last fall (maybe not a serious one) and isn't likely to improve whatever trade value he has accrued.

Maybe by seasons end, Luciano might be longest tenured Jay!

With Pillar gone, Smoak becomes the longest serving position player, and Stroman the longest serving player, right?

I was just looking this up. The Top 5 in terms "tenure" are Stroman (May 2014), Sanchez (July 2014), Pompey (Sept 2014), Travis & Smoak (Apr. 2015)... Smoak has longest tenure of all roster players, but you could make a case for either Travis (started the opener that year, while Smoak entered in the 8th inning) or Pompey (joined team earlier, though rarely seen since).

dalimon there's a difference between not managing your weight and uttering racial slurs. The crux of my post was that Pillar wasn't worth the trouble because of his performance.

My sense is that vlad Jr will not have issues "being worth the trouble".

If Pillar's defence takes another step back, he'll be replacement level or close thereto. It's hard to be critical of the return in the circumstances. I wish him well.

It leaves the OF in a real mess defensively - Grichuk in CF isn't a great option (other than on a one off basis). It will largely wipe out the his positive offensive contributions. Alford could really use some time in AAA given what happened to him last year though.

Pillar is at the point in his career where the money is going up and the performance is going down, so the deal makes sense.

He gave the team terrific value for the money, 10-15 WAR (based on who you believe) for shy of $5M. He's now about to give the Giants 1-2 WAR for close to $6M. And next year his arb value will be higher yet.

I didn't see a career here. I saw maybe a platoon player. Kudos to Mike Green who saw more in Pillar than many of us did.

Pompey (joined team earlier, though rarely seen since)

Pompey and Travis are in witness protection. We may never see either again.

10K fans at the Dome last night... I guess we can all agree it can only get better from here.

Actually, I think it can and will get worse from a W/L perspective. I don't think that the current roster is even a 70 win team. Now, a return to health for Borucki and Buchholz and a Vladdy promotion will definitely help things. The team does get more interesting as we move along though.

So long Pillar and thanks for all those great catches!

I hope the best for Pillar but I am glad I'll never have to watch him flail at the outside pitch again (despite those brief spells where he'd tease us with increased patience). I agree with the sentiment that I'll take a CF who makes things look easy over one like Pillar. Here's hoping Alford get the call. He deserves a shot.

We have 2 years to find/develop a CF. Alford, J Davis, Pompey and Palacios are my leading candidates.

I believe Grichuk stays in RF.

An emotional Pillar was just saying his goodbyes on the TV. When he stops to think about it, he's happy to be going home to California. He's also happy to get a chance to play for Bruce Bochy. He's happy to finally get to play a game in Dodger Stadium, his hometown park. (The Giants are there tonight.) But he's mostly emotional about his time here and the way the fans supported him. He was exactly the kind of ball player a hockey town would love, a guy who left it all on the field. He turned out to be better than anyone except Mike Green expected (and somehow still not as good as one wanted him to be.)

This type of deal was such an obvious no-brainer that even I saw it coming last fall. My ideal scenario saw Alford beat up on AAA pitching for a while and Pillar get off to one of those hot starts of his. Neither of those things happened, but Atkins made something happen anyway.

And the Giants will be here in three weeks. Cool.

"non-performance" issues with weight and conditioning"

I'm not sure I understand how weight and conditioning are independent of performance?

Jays have acquired Socrates Brito from the Padres for Rodrigo Orozco. Lets of wheeling and dealing.

we just traded OF rodrigo orozco (24yrs, A+/AA) for CF Socrates Brito (26yrs, AAA/MLB).

brito had a great year in AAA last year, and can field.

Pillar is gone! I am so happy. I enjoyed his defense, but he was just hacking at the ball at the plate. Please, either have AAAA players, or give young players a chance to prove themselves. No more low ceiling guys.

Pillar - Gone
Morales - Gone
Smoak - please be gone soon.

The Acuna extension does provide an idea of what a VGJ extension could look like, maybe before the season is done.

Thumbs Up on the Socrates Brito deal - worth the gamble on an upside play (5 years of control) while allowing Alford to get AAA time.

Ben Nicholson-Smith reports on twitter that Alford is on his way to Toronto.

so much for buying time - Alford on his way up.

Brito isn't going to be in Toronto, is he? That seems like a depth deal. Unless I am mistaken he has something like 50 major league at bats in the past two years.

Dan Szymborski @DSzymborski
2m
The Blue Jays now have Socrates and Pompey. I guess Cato was unavailable.

I like Brito, but he's awfully similar to Dwight Smith Jr. to me... LH hitter, an experienced & productive minor leaguer, but most likely a career AAAA outfielder. Brito has 9 professional seasons now, he most likely is what he is. Though this is certainly the year to take a flyer on guys who just might become the next JB or EE.

Brito is out of options, so unless he was not claimed when the Padres DFA'd him, he will need to stay on the active roster - Alford could be up for 1 game or maybe Tellez goes down allowing jays to rest more players (Grichuk etc.) in the DH spot.

Don't think Smith is the right comp - Brito is a legit plus fielder who can handle CF and excels in the corners.

Smith is more of a DH type fielder.

Brito more comparable to Pompey, really....though Brito had the AAA explosion last year that we're still waiting to see from Pompey.

Whether its Alford or Brito, management appears to have decided that Grichuk-CF isn't a good choice. That's progress for the management team. Two thumbs up all around.

Smoak - please be gone soon.

It's the next logical step, but it may be harder to find a partner. Pillar instantly becomes the Giants' best outfielder. But who's actually looking for a first baseman?

I am in no rush to see Smoak on his way.  I think that they first ought to figure out where VGJ is playing.  If it's third base, I am fine with Smoak remaining to provide decent defence at first base for the benefit of the young pitchers. 

I am fine with giving Brito a shot. Like Drury, you hope that these guys figured something out in AAA last year and are different players. Unlikely, but worth the risk. I'd keep Alford down and see what he can do in AAA because he was awful last year so you want to see some improvement. Smoak will be traded if there's any market. If not, Jays can keep him. There are enough ABs to go around now even with him there.

While I think moving VGJ to 1B now would be smart, the jays have been hyping golden boy VGJ for some time & I'd be surprised if they didn't allow the potential face of the franchise to at least debut at 3B - also, I think when Smoak goes sometime this season, I'd expect Tellez to get that playing time, keeping the DH slot open. Depending on Drury's play I'd likely keep Drury at 3B, Vlad/Tellez to play 1B/DH.

The thing about Brito - he's already 26 years old, and his fine season at AAA last year was his third year at the level. (And it was the PCL, of course.) Late bloomers do walk amongst us, but they're not all that common.

Socrates Brito instantly becomes the Jays fastest player by a mile, as his sprint speed is in the 99th percentile. In 2018 he also started to pull the ball more and his ISO% in AAA jumped by 0.070 from the previous two years, and his hard hit% in the majors also jumped to impressive levels. Overall there are enough inconsistencies in his performance to not fully understand what Brito really is, and I guess that is what is worth taking a chance on.

Pompey moved to the 60 day DL.

Brito has 60 speed and 60 arm, but an average fielder per FG. Placeholder CF probably. Alford up till Brito arrives I guess.

I was just looking this up. The Top 5 in terms "tenure" are Stroman (May 2014), Sanchez (July 2014), Pompey (Sept 2014), Travis & Smoak (Apr. 2015)... Smoak has longest tenure of all roster players, but you could make a case for either Travis (started the opener that year, while Smoak entered in the 8th inning) or Pompey (joined team earlier, though rarely seen since).

So, when we inevitably jettison Smoak and DFA Travis later this year, our "longest tenured position player" will be Dalton Pompey - who has had all of 13 PA over the last 3 seasons.. And just over 150 PA in total. Almost as if Nathan Horton became the Leafs longest tenured player...

From the Atkins remarks in presser, it seems obvious Alford is only here till Brito arrives. Brito will be in TO as will Hansen which means tomorrow or next day either Gurriel or Urena will be optioned to Buffalo. Law will report to Buffalo. DePaula will go to A ball...which team as yet undecided.

I mean i guess it's always possible that one of these mid-20s guys explodes into an everyday player, but all this just seems to be a bunch of shuffling deck chairs until the real team arrives in a couple years.

We're all just spinning wheels, waiting for the real next core to arrive in 2022 or so.

But who's actually looking for a first baseman?

The Oakland A's. Still.

Alen Hanson is not worthy of a roster spot and I see no upside.

It allows either Urena or Gurriel to get more playing time in Buffalo. Perhaps Lourdes should play some OF. And it is only temporary till Vlad arrives.

I agree with the sentiment that with Socrates Brito there is generally some upside, but its highly unlikely he ever amounts to anything. To me barring a major trade CF seems like it will be a black hole for 2-4 years until perhaps somebody like Otto Lopez, Chavez Young or Cal Stevenson shows something, but even those prospects seem like a reach.

I wouldn't be adding Hanson either, but it isn't a big deal.

Uglyone, in one sense I agree with your comment about shuffling deck chairs on the Titanic, but the reality is that the Jays don't have many good OF prospects in full season ball so I think the sensible course now is to cycle through the bargain bin to find out if there's anything useful in there.

I wonder if the CF job is Alford's to lose for the time being, despite him not having earned it. Can he develop in the majors in a way that he couldn't in the minors? Seems unlikely, but his clock his winding down, so let's find out.

Blue Jays 2019: Throwing stuff against the wall to see what sticks. And $5 beer. Tell your friends and family.

Throwing stuff at a wall and hoping it sticks is basically what rebuilding is when you don't have a prospect holding down a spot. The Jays have decided to take chances on younger players with warts (Teoscar, McKinney, etc) rather than sign veteran stop gaps. That is going to lead to a cheap roster with a lot of disposable parts, which is where the Jays are now. The other alternative was to sign players like Adam Jones to hold down spots short-term (like the Jays did in previous years with Pearce, Morales, etc), but the FO has decided to completely bottom out instead.

I'm not expecting much out of most of this roster, it seems like a transition until their more desirable prospects are ready, but in the mean time it's a matter of hoping someone turns into a long-term piece.

sounds like Alford is a temp until brito gets here.

I see that Brito has no options left. So that would seem to force him onto the MLB roster. And maybe that makes Alford's stay temporary.

Egads. The merry-go-round is moving now. Over/under on players used this season? It was 63 last year. Can we top that? That would be a feat.

I think the jays are trying to field the oft-speculated on Mythical All-Replacement Level Team.

The Astros & Cubs are the models and we know the 2011-14 pain before the 2015 emergence.

Probably can't top 63 players used since September rosters are limited to 28 players. Looks likes they're going to give it a try, though.

"The Astros & Cubs are the models and we know the 2011-14 pain before the 2015 emergence."

Which high priced fee agent players will the Jays sign like the Astros and Cubs did? How successful would the Astros and Cubs be without the millions upon millions of dollars spent out on pricey free agents?

"Which high priced fee agent players will the Jays sign like the Astros and Cubs did? How successful would the Astros and Cubs be without the millions upon millions of dollars spent out on pricey free agents?"

From 2011 through 2018 the Toronto Blue Jays had higher opening day payrolls than the Houston Astros.

From 2013 through 2017 the Toronto Blue Jays had a higher opening day payroll then the Chicago Cubs.

The Jays spent more money on salaries than either Houston or Chicago the years they won their world series. 

Interesting. Today’s lineup shows they are throwing Alford right into the mix rather than the bench. I hope he’s been taking lots of reps since spring training. Suspect it will be a bit tough to jump into game action after the layoff, so don’t expect too much with the bat (I.e. he’ll fit right in).

Alford deserves the start seeing this is the 2nd time he's going to be yo-yoed in about a week.

The Jays and Randal Grichuk agree to a five year extension at $52 million. (That's total, not annual. Just in case!) It buys out his first three FA years.

Smart move re Grichuk given their questionable OF depth in the minors.

FO has been busy.

My interpretation is to agree with Cracka. Save the $5.8 mil of Pillar. He is not a part of the future. Also as others have said his defensive value is declining.

S Brito needs a 40 man spot as mentioned by other Bauxites. With Pillar gone we have Grichuk, McKinney and T Hernandez in the OF. I see Brito as the CF, Grichuk as part CF, McKinney as part 1B and T Hernandez as possibly part DH.

With Pompey the Jays now have the luxury of a lengthy rehab possibly until the AS break. Alford gets to play CF every day in Buffalo. I think we will have 5 OF possibilities on the 25 man roster.

Tellez needs to play everyday at 1B. So most likely in AAA. Vlad needs to get healthy and show that he can hit and stay healthy before he gets the call up. Very tricky.

I really don't know how strong or weak our offense and defense is.

That is a great contract extension for Grichuk, less than 10 million for his first three free agent years seems like good value.

Now get at least one of Sanchez or Stroman extended.

I would guess that they are paying something like $12-13m per year for his FA years. Given he's probably something like 2 WAR player, I think its a fair deal on both sides. I don't see it as a huge bargain contract. However, given the state of the franchise's asset base in the OF it makes total sense. Just keep him in the corners and out of CF.

Agreed, seems like a reasonable price for Grichuk. It averages to $10.4M per year for five years. That level of pay expects him to be a 1.5 WAR player. He was a 2 WAR player last year.

"From 2011 through 2018 the Toronto Blue Jays had higher opening day payrolls than the Houston Astros.

From 2013 through 2017 the Toronto Blue Jays had a higher opening day payroll then the Chicago Cubs.

The Jays spent more money on salaries than either Houston or Chicago the years they won their world series."

- none of this answers my question Shoeless

Not far off my 5/50 suggestion eh Mike Green and I like that they've upped his salary the next 2 years while lowering it the final 3 years when the jays expect to spend more on FA and it's also easier to move that contract if needed.

Interesting that the Grichuk contract is front loaded. Its $12M for the first two years, then $9.3M for the last three. This makes sense because of all the kids on the current, and next years, payroll.

Has it been reported that its $10.4 over each of the 5 years?

The $10.4 is an average, as noted. My later post has the details.

- none of this answers my question Shoeless

The only pricey free agent the Astros signed in the last 20 years was Carlos Lee in 2006, so yeah I think the Astros were just fine signing reasonable free agents like Charlie Morton and Josh Reddick and winning the world series in 2017.

The Cubs signed Lester, who no question helped them win a world series. Their other prized fee agent Jason hayward, not so much. Overall the Cubs won their world series from strong management such as dumpster diving for Arrieta, developing young players and strong trades for players like Rizzo.

Thanks Gerry. You are answering my questions before I finish asking them:)

love finding 2war players like Grichuk for peanuts, don't love paying market value for 2war players so much.

Interesting that the Grichuk contract is front loaded. Its $12M for the first two years, then $9.3M for the last three. This makes sense because of all the kids on the current, and next years, payroll.

I'm actually very impressed with that contract structure. An average of $3.1M over the final 3 years sets up for really strong value and throwing away dollars over the first two years is a smart use of unused player budget in non-contending years.

Nice move.

"The only pricey free agent the Astros signed in the last 20 years was Carlos Lee in 2006, so yeah I think the Astros were just fine signing reasonable free agents like Charlie Morton and Josh Reddick and winning the world series in 2017.

The Cubs signed Lester, who no question helped them win a world series. Their other prized fee agent Jason hayward, not so much. Overall the Cubs won their world series from strong management such as dumpster diving for Arrieta, developing young players and strong trades for players like Rizzo."

Charlie Morton $7,000,000
Josh Reddick $13,000,000
Yulieski Gurriel $14,000,000
Carlos Beltran $16,000,000
Brian Mccan $13,000,000

Total: $63,000,000. Add Justin Verlander taken in August as salary dump and it's $91,000,000.

You also left Zobrist off for the Cubs.


So, I ask again, where will the Blue Jays, who have no more minor league talent than the Cubs and Astros had, spend $50,000,000 - $60,000,000 in free agents to compliment their current core? I keep asking this same question and you keep bringing up examples of the past of what teams did to win the World Series. How will the Blue Jays do what those teams did? Please when formulating a response consider the wider picture - we won't be competing in lesser divisions like those teams did.

Bud Norris released.

Probably the Jays feel Grichuk has the potential to elevate his game a bit and become a 2.5 - 3.5 WAR player.

Much like with they did with Smoak, I think the Jays are banking on Grichuk improving to play above his ~2 WAR production so far. It's risky since his BB% is typically not good (while Smoak even at his worst drew walks) but power + defense + speed makes him a fairly valuable player as is. If he hits another gear, then the contract looks a lot better.

actually feel bad for buck and pat trying to put lipstick on this.

FWIW I think McKinney maybe rivaling Gurriel for the worst ABs this year.

Crikey this lineup is so bad they may have trouble getting 10k to watch them on tv.

Bud Norris released.

I suspect there won't be a Gone But Not Forgotten thread.

Is it too early to complain about the manager?

It's never too early. Complaining about the manager is a basic human right, like food and shelter. And so...

Why, in the name of all that's holy, would you issue an intentional walk to Chris Davis? Shouldn't you be on your knees giving thanks that Chris Davis is the next scheduled hitter?

I misread the contract, the average is actually $9.3M AAV over the final 3 years. So the team is banking that Grichuk will produce ~2 WAR per season over that time to extract some value from the deal.

Not a bad bet I guess, but comes with some risk.

Grichuk has produced 9.2 WAR over the last 4 seasons, but they have been partial seasons each time - he's actually spent a fair bit of time in the minors. His total games played in those 4 years is 480, or 3 full seasons. That's about 3 WAR per season. Assuming he's not going to be spending time in the minors, the contract is a good one for the Jays, and at only $9.3 million per season for each of the last 3 years, he'll be tradable if they want to go that route.

I'll miss Pillar's circus catches. He never quite developed into the hitter I thought he would, based on his outstanding minor league numbers, but he was a decent overall player. The trade opens the spot for Alford or Pompey, with Brito the placeholder until Alford is ready or Pompey is healthy. Hopefully, one of those things happens.

Speaking of managers... three consecutive 1-run losses.

John Gibbons would be proud :)

Outstanding bat flip from Bryce Harper in DC tonight.

Way too early returns suggest Montoya relies heavily on The Book for in game management decisions but is much less constrained on overall player usage and lineup construction. It’ll be interesting to follow his decisions throughout the year.

Re: Grichuk, I see the Jays have finally decided to take after my sports management game strategies. Of course, if this was OOTP Baseball, I would've ended up with Grichuk at $30m for the first year and $2m for the last. That's real management, folks.

Why, in the name of all that's holy, would you issue an intentional walk to Chris Davis?

Yes! I couldn't believe I saw that. I'm glad you mentioned this.

Chris Davis is an absolute deer in the headlights at the plate. In his first AB against Stroman, he struck out taking three pitches in the middle of the strike zone. He is only on a major league roster at this point because he is still owed $92M and the Orioles are hoping desperately that he somehow magically returns to form. The last 1000 AB suggest this is not likely to happen. You think the Jays caught flak fore eating $40M owed to Tulowtizki? Can you imagine the PR grief eating $92M?

Chris Davis has had an extremely checkered career, with just three 3+ WAR seasons and just 15 total for his career. He is a big, strapping dude who definitely looks intimidating. But he hits like a pitcher.

It's April and it's another close game.

The Grichuk contract is fine. Not a huge gamble.

Norris was released because he topped at 91mph.
Clearly Hudson/Guerra will provide the late 95+mph innings until Phelps/Tepera/Axford come back.

It looks like the Giants are using Bergen as a LOOGY. 2 batters faced in 2 games. 1 hit, one out on a ball in play. It's an interesting move for a rule V player given the coming rule change that will force pitchers to face 3 batters.

Tellez is one of the only Blue Jays hitting so far. Can they send him to AAA? He leaves the DH spot open against lefties. Brito might be the new CF, but you can rest him against lefties. With our ground ball pitchers, Gurriel in left, Grichuk in center and Henderson in right? Right?

Urena is hitting and playing well. Time to send him to Buffalo to share the infield with Guerrero, Bichette, Biggio, Andy Burns and Sogard? Maybe he can play 1B?

One take I haven't seen mentioned here is the deal from the Giants side. In a vacuum, it makes sense. Despite Pillar's hacktastic PA's and declining defensive metrics, he's projected to out-WAR the entire Giants OF. He's a definite upgrade there.

But to what end? The Giants and Jays have been quite similar the past 4 seasons. Contenders in 15 and 16, including playoffs for both. Aging and injured losers in 17 and 18. And although both are projected for similar W-L records this year, their methods have clearly diverged.

The Giants are still trying to contend (or at least not not trying to contend). The Jays have clearly thrown in the towel and are vigorously pursuing a rebuild. And many Jays fans believe they should have started the rebuild after the 17 season. Were the Jays wrong? Are the Giants wrong?

Dan Z at FG, in his Pillar trade analysis, estimated if a team has a 10% or better chance at making the postseason, they should try. That seems a bit low to me, but I don't pay for seasons tickets, which would probably change ones view, at least somewhat.

dalimon5, the Jays signed FAs Martin, Happ and Estrada. Resigned Bautista when he was a FA for the 2017 season and sources say that they offered EE 4/80. I cannot think of any other expensive FAs.

In 2013 they raised the payroll by "trading" with Miami and NYM. In 2015 they traded for Donaldson who became expensive in 2017 and 2018. The "trades" at the July 31,2015 had difficult to calculate payroll values. D Price, if he had $10+ mil left to pay and the Jay's paid it, then it was expensive. Tulo was acquired with an expensive long term contract.

All this info is from my memory. I don't know how much is wrong/right.

Regarding future payroll ... I can only speculate. I think $90 - 110 mil. So definitely not high.

It's reported that Shelley Duncan, the field coordinator who managed the A level affiliates of the Diamondback in 17-18 asked for the team to get Brito. Drury is also a past teammate.

Socrates is one of those guys who has all the tools--and the cool name--and just needs to it put it together.

So far I have been happy with what I have seen of Montoyo... except for two things.

A: Pulling Stroman when he did on Opening Day. I recognize that he was following what is currently considered conventional logic. I just don't agree with that particular conventional logic.

B: Walking Chris Davis. That is indefensible.

So yeah, our hitting has been awful so far. We're at 66 wRC+. But 6 teams have been even worse so far. Tigers, Giants and Reds are in the 50's. Mike Trout's Angels at 44. And 2 playoff teams from last year, Indians and Rockies at 39 and 32.

I'd feel a little better about that if the Jays hadn't been facing the Tiger and Oriole pitching staffs.

Brito has great base running and a strong arm... and very good bat speed... to go along with excellent underlying metrics when he does make contact. He can absolutely sting the ball. The downside is that his approach is atrocious and he makes Pillar look patient.

Hoping we all fell better about our offence in about 3 weeks.

slow starts have already diminished a couple kids rookie splashes last year.

this year + last year

Jansen: 91wrc+, 0.8war
Gurriel: 92wrc+, 0.1war
McKinney: 102wrc+, -0.1war

but hey, at least Rowdy is still killing it.

I agree that its hard to understand exactly what SF is up to right now - both in general and with this trade. I think it starts with the idea that acquiring Pillar costs them relatively little both in terms of talent loss and salary. The other thing is that they tilt more towards stars and scrubs than the current Jays roster full of 1-2 WAR players. They might feel that filling the sucking vortex of their OF with a MLB player is worth it in that context. Of course, they also are one of the elite revenue generators and spenders so they operate differently than the Jays do.

One difference between those three, by the eye test (whether the stats will bear this out, I don't know) is that Jansen looks improved on defence.

Hitters, Last Calendar Year (in a pseudo-batting order)

(war = war per 650pa)

CF Grichuk 467pa, .280babip, 116wrc+, 2.9war
1B Smoak 602pa, .287babip, 116wrc+, 1.4war
DH Tellez 86pa, .358babip, 173wrc+, 5.3war
LF Teoscar 548pa, .305babip, 105wrc+, 0.4war
RF McKinney 144pa, .278babip, 104wrc+, 0.4war
3B Gurriel 279pa, .312babip, 92wrc+, 0.2war
C Jansen 114pa, .247babip, 91wrc+, 4.6war
2B Hanson 310pa, .303babip, 86wrc+, 1.0war
SS Galvis 661pa, .303babip, 85wrc+, 1.3war

UT Travis 365pa, .257babip, 81wrc+, -0.5war (inj)
OF Pompey 11pa, .500babip, 35wrc+, 0.0war (inj)
IF Urena 119pa, .452babip, 114wrc+, 3.3war
C Maile 232pa, .346babip, 91wrc+, 5.6war

OF Brito 44pa, .194babip, 26wrc+, -4.4war
OF Alford 24pa, .167babip, -25wrc+, -5.4war
IF Drury 95pa, .222babip, 20wrc+, -4.8war
C McGuire 33pa, .350babip, 146wrc+, 7.9war



I kept Urena and Maile on the bench there despite their good numbers because it looks like they're just being sustained by high babip (unlike rowdy, whose overall line would still be good even without that babip).

Jansen seems to be the one guy in the starting lineup who's been unlucky via babip.

I agree that its hard to understand exactly what SF is up to right now

There are a lot of pretty proud veterans on the Giants' roster who were appalled at the outfield the team was running out there at the beginning of the season. There was grumbling.

SF and Cleveland have both seemingly decided to field replacement level outfields. It's especially galling in Cleveland's case since they figure to be in the playoffs.

Pillar is playing RF tonight, not CF. Interesting decision.

Last year, the Giants had the 4th highest attendance/game in baseball, almost 39,000 per game. Not sure what their projections are for this season, but suffice to say there will be a lot, lot more people going to Oracle Park this season than to Rogers Centre. It's awfully difficult to run out a group of nobodies in front of a full crowd. Much easier in front of 10k people, half of whom are coming for $5 beer.

Speaking of SF, Bergen had a scoreless inning for them last night (no hits, no walks, 1 K). In the ninth inning of a one-run game against the Dodgers. His ERA is zero — in a very small sample size, of course.

Ugly, presumably that is total WAR and not oWAR?

Bergen actually pitched the bottom of the 8th inning against the Dodgers yesterday, and the score was 6-2 Dodgers at the time. The Giants scored 3 in the top of the 9th to make the final score close. Pillar struck out in a pinch hitting role. Steven Duggar is the CF for the Giants, and he's a decent prospect. I would expect Pillar to play a corner spot. I also expect to see Bergen take on higher leverage roles as he demonstrates his ability.

Looks to me like the Giants are trying for one last kick at the can with the Posey, Bumgarner, Crawford, Belt, Samardzija, Cueto, Longoria, Melancon core. Cueto's injury was a big blow, and really makes it unlikely they have a shot. They've got a lot of big money contracts, and as a result, not much in tradeable assets. Bumgarner looks like he's getting back to form and could get them something decent if they cut bait. Posey is still a very good player, although not what he used to be. His contract is over $20 million a year, though.

It's confusing when a front office that reportedly seems eager to get value for Stroman and Sanchez would at the same time guarantee Grichuk an additional 4/47. While the contract is not prohibitive moving forward (especially with the front-loaded structure), the risk doesn't match the reward. Elite talent got paid the big bucks but the next level of players were very affordable this offseason. Outfielders (albeit older ones) with better track records than Grichuk such as McCutchen, Brantley, and Pollock did not require massive commitments. Grichuk was up for arbitration next year and was signed for 5MM this year, so the Jays effectively gave him 3/40 two years before free agency. Even if you use his June-Sept numbers from last year and assume he can do that in 2019-2020 over the course of a full season (something he has never done), how much more $ would he command on the open market? If he was having a good season he would have been a great asset at the trade deadline with 1.5 years of cheap control remaining.

Hopefully Grichuk rewards the Jays' faith like Bautista and Encarnacion before him, and perhaps the team can pursue extensions with their 2 SPs of similar age. If the Pillar trade freed up money to help front-load Grichuk's extension, they should look to do the same with Smoak and work on something with Stroman. Keuchel, who is only 31, remaining unsigned should help with negotiations.

The Jays have a lead.

Cracka, SF has a lot of baseball fans, Toronto doesn't. There's also the afterglow of the 3 WS wins. Little to do with SF's "stars" who aren't really stars anymore.

When we had Halladay in his prime, never could crack 30,000, cause we didn't win. In the Toronto market, they have to win (or maybe build a new stadium) to attract fans. Having some well past their due date stars might bring in a few extra fans, but it's more than likely negligible.

Looks to me like the Giants are trying for one last kick at the can

I think they also want Bruce Bochy to have a decent farewell tour. Only a handful of men have managed 3 WS winners and they're all in the Hall of Fame.

Grichuk earning that extension already!

Randal Grichuk is grateful.

The other thing I see quite a bit in relation to SF is that the front office seems to think that after LA the division is wide open. I'm not sure I see that, but that would also drive you to doing something if you were of that view.

92/93 - that's my exact math on the Grichuk deal - it's something like $13m (plus or minus) for each of his 3 free agent years. It's fine but no grand bargain. It's good marketing and it fills a hole in the OF with very few other internal options around. I'm okay with it - frankly I see as much upside as downside with it (which likely makes it a fair deal). The thing I don't understand is the reluctance to work on extending Stroman (at least). But the state of the relationship may be beyond that possibility - I don't know.

Looks like Tulowitzki is hurt yet again. Strained calf.

Tulowitzki is hurt

Gosh. Who saw that coming.

Agreed 92-93.  The only pattern that I can see is that the FO is keen to dump the players they inherited, and keen to commit to the players that they acquired.  Tulo being cut vs. the team holding on to Morales until something could be traded for him - that sort of move.  Bergen vs. Luciano.  the Grichuk extension and the lack of one for Stroman.  The persistent rumour about Shapiro when he arrived was that the had disparaged AA going all-in at the trade deadline.
It might be a complete coincidence, but I'm starting to think these guys really do prefer 'their guys' over those from the previous admin. 

I'm kind of keen to see how Shoemaker looks against major league hitters.

I don't understand is the reluctance to work on extending Stroman

May be, but do we know? I wouldn’t be surprised if they’ve talked to stroman’s and Sanchez ‘ agents only to find them far apart. Hard to put a value on either of them at this point in the year.

Grichuk hit his 3rd HR of 2018 on June 3. This is better.

Didn't the Jays lead all of baseball or weren't they top 3 in '16 and '17 and top 10 in attendance in '18?

I wouldn't say there are more baseball fans in SF. Maybe in California but that gets divided between OAK, SF, LAA and LAD.

If somebody set the over/under number for Grichuk's HR's this year at 30, I'd take the over. He's never had a full season - no more than 478 plate appearances in a year because he kept getting sent to the minors - give him 155 games and you'll see a better picture of how good he is.

Shoemaker has just become only the 5th Blue Jay starter in history to throw 2 consecutive games of 7 innings or more without giving up a run, and striking out 7 or more. The others were Candiotti, Clemens, Morrow and Romero.

D Hudson is starting to become a manager's challenge.

I know SSS and he will be ok!!

Another guy I'd like to see the Jays sign to an extension is Giles. One of the best closers in baseball. He's only 28. Today's save is his 33rd consecutive without a blown save, the longest streak in the majors, and dates back to 2017. Career 396 strikeouts in 298 innings. Free agent after next season - I'd be happy with buying out 2 years of free agency if the price was reasonable.

Toronto attendance
2015 8th
2016 3rd
2017 4th
2018 13th

Follows the usual pattern of attendance jumps when winning, with the results of the season prior having the most effect, then falling off.

But we've actually had a better record than the Giants each of the past 2 seasons and they're still drawing fans.

SanFran also has a nice outdoor park vs an old dome. Rogers is doing its best it seems to make the dome better though. Credit where it is due.

Toronto fans though, outside of Maple Leaf fans, are very fickle and leave as soon as the team sucks generally. The Jays need to be in contention or at least feel like it to keep the fans in place. Star power never has been the big factor, it is winning that is. Good news is after the boom for 15/16 the owners have to know it now (before it was mixed in with new park for 89-93, novelty of first time in '85-88)

Max Pentecost has, as expected, retired.

As far as how poorly we did against the Tigers pitching, Zimmerman, Boyd and their bullpen gave up all of 2 runs in 21 innings in Yankee Stadium the past few days. The other 4 runs the Yankees scored were against Tyson Ross, who we didn't face.

Through 7 games Teoscar has a positive bb/k ratio, his DRS is +1 and he hasn’t hit a home run? This is an opposite year for him so far for sure.... I understand the regression is to come but so far this is strange.

I think there is definitely an argument to be made that re-signing Stroman (and to a lesser extent Sanchez) might be more beneficial than trading them. The market is ripe with players signing long-term rather than testing the market to leverage all the money they can get in case of a lockout, and teams are not willing to give up top prospects for minimal years of control (which Stroman and Sanchez now have). The key is whether both sides can agree to a number that makes sense for both parties, and we also don't know what their relationships are behind closed doors.

The Grichuk extension isn't a bargain (it may look like one if he takes a step forward), but it seems like a reasonable risk to take for a ~2 WAR player in his prime who they might project to improve. Might have been a tad early to do it, but given the lack of OF options in the Jays system, it's understandable.

Agree if Stroman and Sanchez are good enough to get real trade value, re-signing should be the priority.

As far as the international pool money we have to spend by June 15, Cuba is releasing 25 players ages 17-25 to sign with MLB. I wonder if this is where the money is earmarked?

http://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/26432278/cuba-releases-1st-group-eligible-mlb-deals

“might be a complete coincidence, but I'm starting to think these guys really do prefer 'their guys' over those from the previous admin.”

I think complete coincidence is a heck of a lot more likely. They kept AA’s guy Pompey when everyone expected he’d be dumped, Pillar stayed till they could get reasonable value, and Morales was traded despite many saying he’d be kept because he was Atkins first trade. And certainly the logic of dumping Tulo for a steady SS has been borne out again today.

The FO still has a ways to go to prove themselves, but I’ve seen nothing to suggest they’re putting their egos before their baseball judgment.

Grichuk doesn't need to improve, he just needs to not be sent to the minors, so that he can actually play a whole season. The only reason his WAR numbers are in the low 2's is that he has never played a full season. Prorated, he's been a 3 WAR player per full season.

A couple of ex-Jay pitchers are off to great starts - Matt Boyd struck out 13 Yankees today, giving him 23 in 11.3 innings, so, as mentioned above, maybe it wasn't just the Jay hitters' fault in the Detroit series. Marco Estrada has made 3 good starts in a row for Oakland (they started early), with an ERA of 2.75 and a WHIP well under 1.00.

"It might be a complete coincidence, but I'm starting to think these guys really do prefer 'their guys' over those from the previous admin."

Coincidence but also a case of confirmation bias. if you look at what has happened, Shapiro and Atkins extended Smoak, re-signed Estrada, kept all the prospects from previous management, etc...At the same time, they didn't hold on to Solarte, they traded Woodman who they drafted, they traded Morales, etc... They have moved on more from players from AA's era because more of those players were older, became free agents, etc... Why haven't the Jays extended Stroman? Maybe because he wants more money than the Jays are willing to give? Maybe because the Jays are not high on him long term and think they can get more value by trading him. Maybe they are working on an extension now. I don't know but there are plenty of reasons.

It's April. Most pitchers are ahead of the hitters. Even pitchers with ordinary stuff can make a lot of outs just by staying out of the middle of the plate. Teams loaded with young hitters seems to be doing better for now.

They are going to Cleveland where only Santana and Ramirez have been hitting.
Cleveland started the season 2-2 with both wins going to a reliever with an ERA of 6.75.
Yeah. It sure is early.

The Yankees injury list is fascinating to watch at it grows.

The way it happened, Pentecost must have experience a setback of some sort.
At least he got a nice signing bonus, almost 3M.

Giles could be extended tomorrow.

The starters are different story.
They traded Pillar before they extended Grichuk, thus avoiding some awkward moments.
Shoemaker is a new guy, but I'd be surprised if they extend one of Sanchez/Stroman before trading the other.

The Yankees injury list is fascinating to watch at it grows.

Only a week or so in and Bronx fans must me howling, along with Red Sox. Too funny.

Apparently, Sean Reid-Foley is present for opening day in Buffalo. He didn't head to Cleveland with the big league team. The Jays will add Hanson and Brito today. Does this mean we are down to 12 pitchers? There will be one other demotion.

I still believe using an opener with Gaviglio as the bulk man is something worth trying. Or substitute Pannone as the bulk man depending on how L-R Cleveland's lineup would be.

Alford is in Buffalo too.

With the extra infielder, I wonder if we might be seeing Lourdes Gurriel Jr. in the outfield some of the time now (perhaps when they face lefties). 

Nationals reliever Trevor Rosenthal has faced 7 batters so far this season. He walked three and the other four got hits, and all ended up scoring. His ERA is infinity. ( And beyond ?)

It geets worse for him - the last 2 batters he faces in 2017 also reached and scored. After that, we had TJ surgery, so the last 9 batters he's faced all scored.

CF Grichuk 27
RF McKinney 24
LF Hernandez 26
3B Drury 26
SS Galvis 29
2B Gurriel 25
1B Smoak 32
DH Tellez 24
C Jansen 24

UT Hanson 26
OF Brito 26
IF Urena 23
C Maile 28

INJ Travis 28, Pompey 26


with Hanson and Brito officially added to the roster now, it looks like we're going back to a 7 man pen, which is good.

Smoak looks like the most logical candidate to move out to make room for vladdy.

12 relievers! Yay!

trade smoak....


CF Grichuk 27
RF McKinney 24
LF Hernandez 26
3B Drury 26
SS Galvis 29
2B Gurriel 25
1B Vladdy* 20
DH Tellez* 24
C Jansen* 24

UT Hanson 26 - Pompey 26
OF Brito 26 ---- Alford 24
IF Travis 28 --- Urena 23
C Maile 28 ----- McGuire* 24

AAA Rookies: UT Biggio 24, IF Bichette* 21

* = guys i'm betting on as legit longterm core pieces. hopefully they're joined by some of the next-youngest guys here like mckinney, gurriel, alford, urena, biggio.

Jay Jaffe has his view on the Grichuk extension over at Fangraphs.  With the ZIPS projections, it's $5M per win.  For 2 years of late arbitration and 3 years of free agency, it's good.  Or if you just prefer to look at as 3/36, it amounts to $6M per win.  Still good.  Subjectively, I like him a little better than the projections.  I think that he's going to average 550 PAs over the life of the contract, and hit over 30 homers most years.  

Montoya never thought filling out lineup cards would be this easy.

I get the using a Galvis-Hanson middle infield with a RH on the mound and a groundballer pitching.  Gurriel Jr. at first base surprises me, as does Brito in right and Grichuk in center.  I can see giving Hernandez the day off against Bauer.

Looks like Montoyo wants to get the new faces in right away, which I like to see, even if it's just for a game. Hanson is a switch hitter, and is much better hitting lefty, with a career OPS about 150 points higher. He has a little pop and can steal a base. It will also help him getting away from that hitters' graveyard in San Fran. I heard Atkins interviewed today and he was actually quite positive about Brito. Said he could become an mlb regular.