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17 hours ago, Mj2345 said:

According to the analytics, they were predicting 27.3/season. With us already paying Springer huge, I was wondering if the Jays were gonna get him for 22-25ish. 
  Not too disappointed, now that we have Chapman. But it would still be nice to get a good Left handed bat in the lineup. 

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7 minutes ago, Bure_of_94 said:

According to the analytics, they were predicting 27.3/season. With us already paying Springer huge, I was wondering if the Jays were gonna get him for 22-25ish. 
  Not too disappointed, now that we have Chapman. But it would still be nice to get a good Left handed bat in the lineup. 

It's looking less likely.....but Conforto might still be an option....

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2 minutes ago, RUPERTKBD said:

It's looking less likely.....but Conforto might still be an option....

That wouldn’t be too bad. My gut instinct(which is usually wrong :lol:) Tells me that they’re exploring the trade route. I wouldn’t mind seeing Grichuk flipped for a 3/4 outfielder that can bat left and is pretty quick. 

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8 minutes ago, Bure_of_94 said:

That wouldn’t be too bad. My gut instinct(which is usually wrong :lol:) Tells me that they’re exploring the trade route. I wouldn’t mind seeing Grichuk flipped for a 3/4 outfielder that can bat left and is pretty quick. 

That would be the ideal situation, but I have my doubts that anyone would take on his contract.

 

I could see a scenario later in the season, where a team has a bunch of injuries and desperately needs a outfielder, though. In fact, I argued for that at the trade deadline (and got into a big argument about it. I think is was with Smashian Kassian)

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1 hour ago, RUPERTKBD said:

Just saw Trevor Story to the Red Sox....<_<

 

Also, Carlos Correa to the Twins.....does that makes sense to anybody? :unsure:

Story is one of those players who benefited playing in Colorado.

 

His career split stats are pretty horrendous playing away from Coors Field.


Home: 
AB: 1421

AVG: .304

2B: 100

3B: 21

HR: 95

RBI: 297

OPS: .972

 

Away:

AB: 1401

AVG: .241

2B: 80

3B: 6

HR: 63

RBI: 171

OPS: .752

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4 hours ago, shiznak said:

Story is one of those players who benefited playing in Colorado.

 

His career split stats are pretty horrendous playing away from Coors Field.


Home: 
AB: 1421

AVG: .304

2B: 100

3B: 21

HR: 95

RBI: 297

OPS: .972

 

Away:

AB: 1401

AVG: .241

2B: 80

3B: 6

HR: 63

RBI: 171

OPS: .752

Lets hope that trend continues....;)

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https://www.msn.com/en-ca/sports/mlb/no-george-springer-s-absence-from-spring-training-games-isn-t-a-reason-to-worry/ar-AAVkhAC?ocid=msedgdhp&pc=U531

DUNEDIN, Fla. — In the blink of an eye, the Toronto Blue Jays have already played more than 15 per cent of their Grapefruit League schedule, with opening day looming in less than three weeks. The club is quickly running out of game innings and plate appearances with which to help its players prepare for the regular season. But one Blue Jays regular who hasn’t needed them yet is a rather important one — George Springer.

 

The 32-year-old centre fielder has yet to make his spring training debut and isn’t scheduled to play on Monday, when the Blue Jays are sending a squad an hour east to Lakeland, Fla. to play the Detroit Tigers. Springer’s game absence is certainly notable coming off a season in which he missed considerable time with oblique, quad, and knee injuries. But Blue Jays manager Charlie Montoyo insisted Sunday that Springer’s lack of playing time isn’t health related.

“Yeah, no, no, I swear the guy is fine. He’s 100 per cent,” Montoyo said. “He knows what he’s doing. We’re going to communicate with the players and see how they feel. But he’s been getting a lot of at-bats in live BPs and stuff — and he might get more today. So, he’ll play soon. Just not today. Or tomorrow.”

Springer did take the opportunity Sunday to make some plate appearances during a triple-A game vs. the Philadelphia Phillies at Toronto’s player development complex, coming away with three hits. Bo Bichette also appeared in that game and homered.

Springer has been regularly facing premium stuff and velocity during live batting practice sessions against Blue Jays pitchers over the last several days at Toronto’s player development complex. And there’s an argument to be made for prioritizing that training over game exposure at this stage of spring, particularly for a veteran like Springer.

When participating in live batting practice, Springer can complete a higher volume of plate appearances in a shorter timespan than he would when playing in a Grapefruit League game — an unpredictable environment in which he’d make only two or three trips to the batter’s box over an afternoon. It’s a much more efficient use of his time, and it allows him to better focus on the adjustments and rhythm he’s looking to establish at the plate rather than having his hitting work interspersed with long stretches of fielding and sitting in the dugout.

Of course, not just any ballplayer is afforded such privilege. But Springer can eschew game action in favour of his current schedule because he’s George Springer. He’s not only the highest paid player on the roster — he’s an eight-year MLB veteran with a lifetime 135 wRC+ and 28.9 career WAR. The guy knows what he’s doing. Whatever he needs to get himself ready, the Blue Jays will do their best to facilitate.

“He’s been getting a lot of live BPs. Which sometimes [players] like personally,” Montoyo said. “Everybody’s different. He likes that better because he gets four or five instead of just two at-bats in one game. So, that’s how he’s doing it. And, again, I swear the guy is 100 per cent.”

Kirk makes his case

Alejandro Kirk’s doing Alejandro Kirk things again.

Ho-hum, just pulling his hands in to get a 92.5-mp.h. heater at his knees and lob it out of the dang ballpark. A lot of hitters might pop that pitch up. A lot of hitters might foul that ball off. Kirk gave it a ride for a two-run shot.

“For that guy’s age, he’s probably one of our best hitters,” Montoyo said. “And I know that’s a big statement because we’ve got a lot of good hitters. But he gives you a good at-bat every time at the plate. And you’ve seen it. So, I’m not just making that up. He really gives you a good at bat.”

His next time up? Kirk fell behind, 0-2, worked the count full, fouled off a tough, elevated fastball, then rifled another — the eighth pitch of the at-bat — into the opposite field gap at 96-.m.p.h. for a double. Safe to say Kirk looks just like himself early this spring — unconventional body composition, unusually advanced plate approach, typically hard contact to all fields off his bat.

“It feels good. My plan for today, I really wanted to see a lot of pitches. Just try and make good contact. And that’s the way it went,” Kirk said through Blue Jays interpreter Hector Lebron. “The mentality that I’m bringing this year is I just want to make the team. I know we have good catchers. But I’ve got to keep working very hard.”

The focus of that hard work this off-season was upping Kirk’s defensive game behind the plate — receiving, blocking, game calling. After serving as Toronto’s designated hitter on Sunday, he’ll have an opportunity to show off any improvements he’s made Monday, when he’s scheduled to catch Alek Manoah’s spring debut against the Detroit Tigers in Lakeland.

Finding Kirk a new pitcher to caddy would be helpful in his pursuit of a roster spot after Robbie Ray — who worked exclusively with Kirk over the last two seasons when the young catcher was healthy — left for Seattle. And maybe that can be Manoah, who threw to Kirk in seven of his 20 starts last season.

Of course, Toronto’s situation behind the plate isn’t a straightforward one this spring. Montoyo has contended that there are three catchers battling for two jobs in his camp — Kirk, Danny Jansen, and Reese McGuire. But that ignores the fact Jansen has been a big-leaguer since 2018 and is the most experienced, capable receiver to handle the club’s new-look pitching staff following an off-season focused on addressing run prevention. It would be a shock if Jansen wasn’t starting for the Blue Jays on opening day.

McGuire, meanwhile, was designated for assignment after losing a spring training battle to Kirk last spring and passed untouched through waivers. He remained with the organization and found himself back on the 40-man roster only a month into the season when Kirk hit the injured list with a hip issue.

Out of minor-league options, McGuire’s seemingly a candidate to hit waivers again at the end of this camp. But the Blue Jays have spoken strongly about his progress at the plate over the last year. There’s some evidence of that — McGuire set career-highs in average exit velocity, maximum exit velocity, walk rate, and hard-hit rate over an admittedly small sample of 217 plate appearances in 2021. The risk of potentially losing him from the organization via waivers may be higher this spring.

And then there’s Kirk, the 23-year-old bowling ball with preternatural ability to get his barrel to the ball, no matter where it is in the zone. Kirk’s 2021 was an uneven one due to the hip injury that sidelined him for eight weeks, but he still averaged a 92.3-m.p.h. exit velocity — maxing out at 109.4 — while posting an 11 per cent barrel rate, quality of contact figures Jansen and McGuire couldn’t match.

And if you’ve seen Kirk hit, you don’t need any of these metrics. He shoots missiles all over the yard. If the Blue Jays want to roster the most impactful offensive roster possible, Kirk has to be a part of it.

Which is to say nothing of top prospect Gabriel Moreno, who might be better than all of them. Moreno has yet to report to spring training from Venezuela due to a visa issue and is ultimately headed for regular playing time with the triple-A Buffalo Bisons to start the season. But if his 2022 is anything like his 2021, when he hit an absurd-for-a-catcher .367/.434/.625 across three minor-league levels, Moreno could be putting untold amounts of upward pressure on the major-league roster by mid-season.

So, what do you do? Do the Blue Jays carry three catchers to open the season, working around an inefficient roster construction and getting the defensively-limited Kirk’s bat in the lineup often as a designated hitter? Do they use their minor-league option on Kirk and bring McGuire north in an effort to preserve depth that would read curious for a win-now team? Do they find a trade partner for one of those two prior to opening day, simplifying the situation but exposing the club to risk should one of the two catchers with major-league experience remaining go down to injury?

A factor that could ease some of this pressure would be MLB expanding its early-season rosters from 26 to 28, which has been under consideration as opening day looms. The adjustment would be designed to allow clubs to carry extra pitchers to help shoulder the innings load after a shortened spring training. But the Blue Jays could utilize one of those extra spots to kick their catching decisions down the road to later in April. At that point, clubs typically have less roster flexibility than they do at the end of spring training, making a McGuire waiver claim slightly less likely.

One way or another, this situation will need to resolve itself by the time Moreno’s ready for the majors — likely much sooner. And one way Kirk can help resolve it in his favour is with offensive performances like Sunday’s. Eventually, a bat like his becomes undeniable. And if we’re being honest, it already is.

“I mean, you just have to put up good numbers,” Kirk says. “I’m always in the cage. That’s what I think helps me out for whenever I’m in the lineup and playing. I always go about my routine every day – regardless if I’m playing or not. Just to be ready.

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Vladdy-and ten others sign with Jays:

https://www.msn.com/en-ca/sports/mlb/blue-jays-agree-on-contracts-for-vladimir-guerrero-jr-10-others/ar-AAVnVF3?ocid=msedgdhp&pc=U531

The Toronto Blue Jays avoided arbitration Tuesday, handing out new contracts to 11 players, including star slugger Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

 

Guerrero Jr. has agreed to terms on a one-year contract worth US$7.9 million. 

The 23-year-old infielder led the majors in home runs last season with 48 and boasted a .311 batting average. 

The largest contract handed out by the Jays Tuesday went to three-time Golden Glove winner Matt Chapman, who cashed in with a two-year deal worth $25 million.

Toronto acquired the 28-year-old third baseman from the Oakland A's for four prospects last week. 

The other contracts went to infielder Cavan Biggio ($2.113 million), left-handed pitcher Ryan Borucki ($825,000), right-hander Adam Cimber ($1.575 million), outfielder Teoscar Hernandez ($10.65 million), catcher Danny Jansen ($1.95 million), lefty Tim Mayza ($1.25 million), and right-handers Trevor Richards ($1 million), Ross Stripling ($3.79 million) and Trent Thornton ($850,000).

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Damn, this is quite the disparity:

https://www.msn.com/en-ca/sports/mlb/giants-outfielder-joc-pederson-rips-mlb-owners-for-unacceptable-payroll-disparities/ar-AAVq1jv?ocid=msedgdhp&pc=U531

 

"

Embarrassed for your fan base…be better. If you can’t, sell ur team to somebody that wants to show the fan base and baseball they’re at least trying to compete. Sorry unacceptable
FOgnDLwVsAMEyj7.jpg.4b80921a6a9c9b97d61961ce4186f17d.jpg

MLB clubs will each receive an estimated $65 million in national television revenue this season. That's in addition to their local TV deals that vary by market. And since 1996, MLB's revenue-sharing plan has put a percentage of every team's local revenue into a pool to be redistributed equally among the 30 teams. (Although that didn't happen in the COVID-shortened 2020 season.)

In addition, teams that receive revenue-sharing funds are obligated to put that money toward improving the team on the field, something the players have questioned in the past -- even filing a grievance about it in 2018. That case has not yet been resolved, although MLB unsuccessfully sought to have it dismissed as part of the new collective bargaining agreement.

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Toronto Blue Jays trade Randal Grichuk to Colorado Rockies for Raimel Tapia, sources say

 

The Toronto Blue Jays have traded slugger Randal Grichuk and cash to the Colorado Rockies in exchange for outfielder Raimel Tapia and minor league infielder Adrian Pinto, sources confirmed to ESPN on Thursday.

 

With the addition of the 28-year-old Tapia, the Blue Jays get a left-handed bat and speed on the basepaths. Primarily playing left field, Tapia has spent all six of his major league seasons with the Rockies, hitting .273 with six home runs, 50 RBIs and a career-high 20 steals in 2021.

 

He is scheduled to earn $3.95 million this season.

 

Grichuk, who is scheduled to make $10.33 million in each of the next two seasons before entering free agency, hit .241 with 22 home runs and 81 RBIs for Toronto last season, playing primarily in center and right field.

 

Having spent four seasons each with the Blue Jays and St. Louis Cardinals, Grichuk, 30, has 156 career home runs -- including a career-high 31 in 2019.

MLB Network first reported on the trade.

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16 minutes ago, nuckin_futz said:

Toronto Blue Jays trade Randal Grichuk to Colorado Rockies for Raimel Tapia, sources say

 

The Toronto Blue Jays have traded slugger Randal Grichuk and cash to the Colorado Rockies in exchange for outfielder Raimel Tapia and minor league infielder Adrian Pinto, sources confirmed to ESPN on Thursday.

 

With the addition of the 28-year-old Tapia, the Blue Jays get a left-handed bat and speed on the basepaths. Primarily playing left field, Tapia has spent all six of his major league seasons with the Rockies, hitting .273 with six home runs, 50 RBIs and a career-high 20 steals in 2021.

 

He is scheduled to earn $3.95 million this season.

 

Grichuk, who is scheduled to make $10.33 million in each of the next two seasons before entering free agency, hit .241 with 22 home runs and 81 RBIs for Toronto last season, playing primarily in center and right field.

 

Having spent four seasons each with the Blue Jays and St. Louis Cardinals, Grichuk, 30, has 156 career home runs -- including a career-high 31 in 2019.

MLB Network first reported on the trade.

Grichuk might hit 40 dingers in Colorado.  Is the guy the Jays get back a utility player, who provides rest to the starting outfielders?  

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3 hours ago, Alflives said:

Grichuk might hit 40 dingers in Colorado.  Is the guy the Jays get back a utility player, who provides rest to the starting outfielders?  

I think of Tapia as similar to Ben Revere from a few years ago.  Not as good numbers, but similar skill set to give the Jay's line up a different look some nights.

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3 hours ago, Alflives said:

Grichuk might hit 40 dingers in Colorado.  Is the guy the Jays get back a utility player, who provides rest to the starting outfielders?  

Tapia will probably be the guy. Biggio can play outfield as well, if needed.

 

If they have injuries, they have Palacios and Otto Lopez whom they can call up. (assuming they don't make the Jays' roster)

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13 hours ago, RUPERTKBD said:

Yeah, the return is a bit underwhelming, but it gets 10 million off the books (I assume the Jays didn't retain) for a position where they were already pretty much set....

No salary retained. But Jays sent them just short of $10,000,000. That is to pay the difference in salary for the remainder of Grichuk’s contract. 
 

as for Tapia, he’s very very fast. Gives the jays a solid base-stealing option. Bats left. And he’s actually got not bad distance on lots of his hits. He just played in the NL...I saw analytics on this guy saying if he played in the AL, he would have hit 38-43 dingers. 

 

 But the most impressive thing is that he gets on base. He runs pitch counts up and has very good selection. I think this is a really solid add, giving the blue jays something at the plate that we’re missing. 

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13 hours ago, RUPERTKBD said:

Tapia will probably be the guy. Biggio can play outfield as well, if needed.

 

If they have injuries, they have Palacios and Otto Lopez whom they can call up. (assuming they don't make the Jays' roster)

I think Biggio could possibly be on his way out, there’s talk of shipping him out to Cleveland for J-Ram and shifting J-Ram to 2nd to create the best defensive infield in the majors. 
 

 However the Guardians were not budging on wanting Manoah. Which is obviously a non-starter for the Jays. And possibly adding Tapia could have changed things.   Perhaps as the season goes on or if cleveland budges, we may see Ramirez here. 

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