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1 hour ago, ShakyWalton said:
I think they will go with Goins rather than send him down..I could be wrong..but they would be smart to keep the extra pitcher....I was reading about Smith and they say he is lower than a side arm but higher than a submarine...looking forward to him....here is some blue jay info to digest..

 

 

Five Blue Jays storylines to watch

The Canadian Press

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J.A. Happ

J.A. Happ, Jason O. Watson/Getty Images

TORONTO — Pitchers and catchers are set to report to the Blue Jays' spring training facility in Dunedin, Fla., on Tuesday. Here are five storylines to watch as the pre-season unfolds.

ANOTHER RULE 5 SPARK?

The Blue Jays selected right-hander Glenn Sparkman from Kansas City at December's Rule 5 draft with the hopes he could be a repeat of last year's success story, Joe Biagini. As a Rule 5 pick, Sparkman must remain on the major league roster for the entire season or be offered back to the Royals at US$50,000 — half the cost they paid for him in the draft.

Sparkman, 24, was drafted by the Royals in the 20th round in 2013. He hasn't pitched above double-A, but spent time at four levels last season in his first full year since having Tommy John surgery in 2015. He was 2-7 with a 5.22 earned-run average over 60 1/3 innings split between rookie league, single-A, high-A and double-A.

Sparkman posted a Carolina League-leading 1.56 ERA for Wilmington in 2014 in his second pro season, earning both Wilmington and Carolina League pitcher of the year honours.

Biagini was a linchpin in the Blue Jays bullpen last season, pitching 67 2/3 innings with a 3.06 ERA. The right-hander didn't give up a single run over 7 1/3 post-season innings.

WBC BOUND

Toronto will lose two of its top starting pitchers and its star slugger for at least one week, and possibly two, as the fourth instalment of the World Baseball Classic kicks off in March.

and were named to the United States roster on Wednesday while

will play for the defending champion Dominican Republic.

 

was named to the Canadian team while right-handers and

are on Mexico's roster as designated pitchers. Osuna will be available for the first round while Estrada can be added later if the team advances.

The Blue Jays had six major league players leave in the middle of training camp in 2013:

, , (Dominican Republic), (who got hurt while training with Canada and missed the tournament), and and

(U.S.).

COACH HALLADAY?

This spring training could see the return of renowned ace Roy Halladay in a Blue Jays uniform. Halladay, who will be inducted into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame this summer, told reporters recently that he wants to get involved in coaching with a major league team.

The 39-year-old Denver native signed a one-day contract with Toronto to retire as a Blue Jay in Dec. 2013.

The Blue Jays have a history of giving their alumni roles within their organization. Roberto Alomar, Pat Hentgen, Carlos Delgado and Sal Butera, who also played for the Expos, are all involved with the team. Former Montreal outfielder Tim Raines, recently voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame, is also with the organization as an outfield/baserunning coach.

STRETCH IT OUT

The Blue Jays starting rotation is likely set with

,

, Estrada, Stroman and Happ slotting in to those spots. But depth players that could fill rotation rolls if needed don't seem as clear cut.

Toronto currently has right-hander

on its 40-man roster while and

are listed among non-roster invitees who will have a chance to prove themselves this spring. Reliever Biagini, who was a starter before joining the Blue Jays last year, could also be stretched out.

Toronto's pitching staff enjoyed a remarkably healthy 2016, allowing the team to use just seven starters all year — Liriano, a late-season acquisition made eight regular-season starts while

slotted in for two spot starts during the year. Sanchez, Estrada, Stroman, Happ and Dickey accounted for the rest.

BACK IT UP

Toronto finalized its minor-league deal with catcher

on Monday, addressing the lack of depth at the position left by the free-agent departures of and

.

Saltalamacchia, who has 10 years of major league experience most recently with the Tigers, will have to learn a whole new pitching staff for a third straight year. The 31-year-old signed a free agent deal with Arizona in 2015, then signed with Detroit prior to the 2016 season. He played 92 games with the Tigers, batting .171 with a .284 OBP.

A.J. Jimenez, once thought to be the catcher of the future, was designated for assignment Thursday to make room for newly signed reliever

on the 40-man roster. Juan Graterol, claimed off waivers last month, is the other catcher currently on the 40-man while 26-year-old Mike Ohlman is a non-roster invitee.

Reese McGuire, who was acquired along with Liriano in a trade with Pittsburgh last season, and Max Pentecost, the 11th overall pick in the 2014 draft, are Toronto's top catching prospects.

Nice post. I like the idea of Halladay coaching that would be huge! The only thing that caught me off guard was the part I highlighted where is Sanchez?

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31 minutes ago, ChuckNORRIS4Cup said:

Nice post. I like the idea of Halladay coaching that would be huge! The only thing that caught me off guard was the part I highlighted where is Sanchez?

him and Liriano are there..it was omitted when I posted fore some reason...those 3 are going to the WBC....agree about Halliday...couldnt ask for a better coach...

Edited by ShakyWalton
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3 hours ago, Xbox said:

I am! Side arm time B) 

 

How many pitchers do you think crack the Top 25? 12 or 11+ Goins?

You need 5 starters and I think most teams like to carry 7 in the pen. That being said  if they feel like our starters can go 6-7 consistently and have no faith beyond Osuna, Grilli, Biagini, Sparkman, Howell and Smith.... then it might make sense to go to with only those 6 and keep goins up. But baseball waivers is different..... usually there is a ton of players on waivers at the end of ST and a very low amount ever get claimed.

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48 minutes ago, Xbox said:

I still want a Halladay jersey. Him and Wells were my 2 favourite jays. Would love for Halladay to have a chance to work with the pitchers along side Walker.

Same would like to get a Halladay one as well. Tbh I wouldn't mind an Ortiz one also not a Red Sox fan just appreciate the career he had.

 

Edit: I also own 2 Griffey Jerseys.

Edited by ChuckNORRIS4Cup
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5 minutes ago, Standing_Tall#37 said:

You need 5 starters and I think most teams like to carry 7 in the pen. That being said  if they feel like our starters can go 6-7 consistently and have no faith beyond Osuna, Grilli, Biagini, Sparkman, Howell and Smith.... then it might make sense to go to with only those 6 and keep goins up. But baseball waivers is different..... usually there is a ton of players on waivers at the end of ST and a very low amount ever get claimed.

Goins can be the 12th pitcher :lol:

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Looking forward to spring training. Will be interested in how our offseason signings in Morales, Pearce, Howell, Smith, Salty, Graterol do as Salty, Graterol will want to prove the teams who dumped them and have a good ST. Actually can't believe that ST is already here even though it felt like it was just yesterday we were battling it out in the playoffs vs the O's. My projected starting lineup and starting rotation for opening day is 

 

Travis

Donaldson

Bats

Morales

Martin

Tulo

Pearce

Pillar

Smoak

 

Sanchez

Happ

Estrada

Stroman

Liriano

 

 

the 5 man rotation can change imo with Stroman being able to climb to the 2 spot if he continues where he left off in the 2015 playoffs and regains his form. Liriano could also surprise and climb to as high as the 3 spot if any injuries or any of Sanchez, Happ or Estrada struggle at any point during the season for a short stretch. If everything goes as planned and Morales, Pearce have career years and replace most of Edwin's production from last season, we could finish as high as 2nd or win the division if Boston struggle since Betts won't be able to repeat the numbers he put last season and they're also without Ortiz, which Moreland won't be able to replicate Ortiz's numbers. but they look dangerous. Hope we have a great season and win the World Series. Go Jays!

 

 

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1 hour ago, ChuckNORRIS4Cup said:

Yeah I know but I just can't stand a Yankee Jersey tbh, I can tolerate a Red Sox one.

 

1 hour ago, Xbox said:

That's completely fair, I'm the same way. Red Sox have nice jerseys.

Is this based on the appearance of the jersey or the organization?

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4 minutes ago, Sean Monahan said:

I think the Yankees pinstripes are very iconic jerseys, they look sharp IMO. I'm not as big of a Yankee hater as I used to be but definitely still not a fan and even I'll admit they're some nice jerseys.

 

TBH I wear the Grey away jersey way more than I do the Pinstripes. Simple, clean, and goes with basically anything.

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8 minutes ago, ReggieBush said:

TBH I wear the Grey away jersey way more than I do the Pinstripes. Simple, clean, and goes with basically anything.

Yeah I was talking about how they look on the field. Most jerseys you see at high school college, and minor league levels look crap with the pinstripes but the Yankees look great.

Edited by Sean Monahan
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2 minutes ago, Sean Monahan said:

Yeah I was talking about how they look on the field. Most jerseys you see at high school college, and minor league levels look crap with the pinstripes but the Yankees look great.

Did anyone look better in pinstripes than Derek Jeter?  

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