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Blue Jays Outlook '23
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Mark P
8:36
Not surprised Atkins stayed, a little surprised Schneider stayed. It feels like Schneider might be fired anyway if the Jays get off to a slow start next season, so it would probably be a better move to just make a managerial change now if Schneider is going to be on such a short leash.
Guest
8:36
Is Jay Jackson going to get a Major League contract this offseason?
Mark P
8:37
He should, he had an excellent season.  Even more excellent considering that he pitched so well even while dealing with the off-the-field concerns about his prematurely-born child.
RM
8:37
Do we, as fans, tend to undervalue defensive runs saved when thinking about a player's season? We can critique Varsho at the plate, but saying he didn't work out is harsh. He led the league in DRS.
Mark P
8:38
There's no doubt Varsho is a superb defender.  But, if all the Jays wanted was a superb defender without a thought to offense, they could've gotten such a glove-first player last winter for a far lesser cost than Moreno and Gurriel.
Oren
8:40
Jays off-season plan: trade for Tyler O'Neill for LF & Abraham Toro for 3B. Sign Joey Votto for DH and James Paxton as the 5th starter. Win the fans back with Canadiana while hoping for bounce backs from your core?!
Mark P
8:41
This isn't exactly the most risk-free group of players to add to a roster.

And as a Jays fan and a Canadian, I couldn't care less about whether or not any Canadians are on the roster. I just want to see good players....doesn't matter to me where they're from.
Bork
8:42
What does this team need to do to be competitive next season? With all the impending player departures it's hard to envision a path forward with the remaining core.
Mark P
8:44
This was the "worst-case scenario" I touched on in the outlook.  If the Jays' core isn't actually as good as they thought, the team is in some serious trouble.  Pretty much this entire abbreviated rebuild was predicated on the idea that Bichette and Guerrero would be superstars, and that the likes of Manoah, Kirk, Biggio, would be major contributors.  Apart from Bichette, the other four are all either question marks or major question marks heading into 2024.
DavidFord
8:45
Would signings Jorge Soler solve all our problems?
Mark P
8:46
Soler has been inconsistent enough that the Jays (or any team) should give pause before signing him to a big multi-year contract.  It wouldn't at all be surprising if Soler slumped again in 2024 based on his career norms, and if Soler isn't hitting, he has no value on a roster.  At least with Varsho, he has the stellar glove.
Oren
8:47
My Canadian Jays addition plan was mostly tongue-in-cheek. But it does seem fan buy in is a problem the Jays need to address this off-season. Short of something mega unlikely like Ohtani, Soto or Bellinger - and given the constraints facing the team - how can the Jays gain back fans who have soured on the team? (Or is the only answer "With their performance next season?")
Mark P
8:50
It's a fair point to say that the Toronto fanbase is quite upset right now, which shouldn't be ignored for a club that thought they'd cracked some new market space with all of the ballpark renovations.  Not to say that the Jays should feel forced into making some splashy but ill-advised move just to generate buzz, but it feels like the Blue Jays might be unsure of just how much of this roster needs to be overhauled.  Blowing it up entirely is unwise since there's still so much talent on board, yet trying to mostly run it back and count on Barger and company to fill in the holes also seems very inadvisable.
Guest
8:51
I thought merrifield was one of the most consistent jays in 23 and feel that he was shafted in the post season by not being in the lineup
Mark P
8:52
Merrifield's cratered down the stretch, as he hit only .212/.250/.288 from August 1 onward.
8:53
Biggio and Schneider both playing well in the last couple of months really helped paper over the fact that Merrifield's bat suddenly went ice cold
RM
8:54
First mention of Kirk... Is he an everyday catcher? Is there such a thing or is this a permanent 1a and 1b with Jano?
MikeD
8:54
Is there another gear in Kirk? Of he is what he is?  From the arbitrary July 1, 2022 through the end of the season, he slashed an underwhelming .258.339.335, which is basically what he hit for all of 2023 too. Time to worry this is what he is?
Mark P
8:57
I mentioned earlier about adjustments at the plate, and it seemed like pitchers have Kirk more or less figured out.  His high-contact numbers are his worst enemy, since getting a ton of contact doesn't mean much if you're not hitting the ball hard and you're one of the slower baserunners in the league.  Frankly, Kirk striking out more would've been preferred to his grounders that led to inevitable double plays.

This all being said, a Jansen/Kirk tandem is still pretty solid, since both are good defenders.  If Jansen could stay healthy, he could emerge as the true starter with Kirk as a slightly over-qualified backup, unless Kirk can figure out how to keep the ball off the ground and generate more power
Guest
8:58
What’s your prediction on the Manoah saga? Where does this sit at the end of spring training?
Mark P
9:00
Everything about the situation seems so unusual that it's hard to even hazard a guess.  If I had to lean in one direction, I'd say he's traded in the offseason, due to the rumblings of hard feelings between him and the team.

As to what the Jays could get in return, it would almost have to be another change-of-scenery type coming off a shaky 2023 season.  Or, Manoah is added into a larger multi-player swap as the secondary piece.  Like I noted with the Guerrero trade scenario earlier, trading Manoah obviously still has a lot of risk since he might snap back into 2022 form on another team.
Gausman and Berrios
9:01
How do you think they feel about  their short outings?
Mark P
9:02
In Gausman's case, he simply wasn't pitching well, so it seemed perfectly logical for him to be taken out of the game.  It's a tough break that Gausman faced the one team that simply has his number, but those are the breaks.

As for Berrios, he treated the situation like a pro, which is commendable since I'm sure inside he absolutely wanted to keep pitching.
Guest
9:03
Do you think atkins gets unfairly blamed by fans of the team? He has built a great staff and bullpen, can’t imagine anyone that thought the offence would regress so much.
Mark P
9:07
Atkins has taken a ton of heat basically from the moment he was hired, due to the fact that he isn't Alex Anthopoulos.  More than a few awkward press conferences (including last week) also haven't helped Atkins' profile.

So in that sense, I do think he does get some unfair criticism as a "bad" general manager when that isn't the case.  A "bad" GM doesn't build a roster that can consistently reach the postseason, and a lot of teams would kill to have three playoff berths in four years.

However, since we talked earlier about player adjustments at the plate, it seems like Atkins has to similarly adjust his strategies in constructing a team and (as Mark Shapiro alluded) improving the communication between the front office and the clubhouse, both with the manager and the team.  It's one thing to build a competitive team, but quite another in putting the finishing touches and building a real contender.
Guest
9:08
Does Cinci seem like a good trading partner, several young players that could help the jays (India, McClain, Steer).  Does Manoah hold any value given his 2021 performance...
Mark P
9:10
Perhaps as part of a multi-player kind of deal.  The Reds' young infield core is so valuable that if they did want to move any of those guys, they could get more than a pitcher coming off such a rough season.

India is a bit more of plausible possibility since he's been pretty average the last two seasons.  But still, "average" is a lot better than Manoah performed in 2023, and India is also a beloved figure in Cincinnati's clubhouse.  You'd think the Reds players wouldn't be thrilled at seeing one of their team leaders dealt for a pitcher coming off such a strange year.
Adam
9:11
Would you trade Vlad for Mike Trout?
Mark P
9:12
That's an awful lot of money to take on for a player who hasn't been able to stay healthy for several seasons now.  So I'd say no, plus there's also the factor of Trout's no-trade clause.
Alex
9:12
Does the Manoah situation make the Jays at all apprehensive about bringing Ricky Tiedemann to the show this season? After Nate Pearson’s struggles and then Manoah, might the Jays feel prospects need more seasoning going forward?
Mark P
9:14
Pearson's struggles were more specifically injury-based, and any extra caution the Jays have with Tiedemann will probably be based around the fact that he also had some injuries last year.  

I've made this point before in other chats, even about Tiedemann himself....it's asking a lot of a rookie to step into the majors and immediately become a key piece for a contending team.  It's a lot of extra pressure to put on a kid when just adjusting to the big leagues in general is hard enough.  Every once in a while you'll get an Evan Carter-esque breakout, but more often than not, even star prospects need time to acclimate
9:16
In short, the Jays are probably looking at Tiedemann as a nice bonus for the second half of the year, not necessarily as someone they're counting on to fill out that fifth spot in the rotation.  Whether it's rolling with Manoah or signing someone else, the idea is probably to have Tiedemann as a depth option as best, or maybe ideally even as a reliever
2 Pint
9:18
Do you see Davis Schneider getting an opportunity for more of a full time role next year or is he destined for spot starts and pinch hitting
Mark P
9:20
It depends on who they bring in for second or third base next year, but if 2B is the "let the internal options battle it out" spot, Schneider will definitely be in the mix.

It would be an utter delight if Schneider was able to become a big-league regular, since The Stache has already been such a fan favorite in Toronto.
Dan
9:21
There was a lot of buzz at the trade deadline about the Jays either trading for an impact bat, or signing an available free agent. What impact did holding pat have on the clubhouse? PS, Davis Schneider’s hot run saved the Jays season during a very important stretch.
Mark P
9:23
This is absolutely true about Schneider, and his role in the Jays' success can't be overlooked.

The Jays' relatively quiet deadline was undoubtedly impacted by Bichette getting injured literally the day before the deadline.  It felt like the Jays suddenly had to pivot and get DeJong, which perhaps took time and focus away from attempts to get a bigger bat onto the roster.  The Blue Jays were known to have interest in Mark Canha, for example, and while who knows what the Mets wanted in return from Toronto, Canha was such a spark for Milwaukee that it crates an unfortunate what-if for the Jays
KiT
9:23
This team isn’t far away. A thumper in the middle of the lineup would be a start.
Mark P
9:24
Not that "a thumper" is necessarily easy to find, but having even just one consistently hot hitter would've made a world of difference to the lineup
Toodamntall
9:25
Do you think large market teams like TOR have to consider fan reaction to something like a Vladdy trade more since the noise will louder, or less since they can afford to upset a % of their base? I know fans will forgive anything if you win, but wondering what kind of t
Liverpool Larrupers
9:25
Heard a discussion on trading Guerrero on a Cdn podcast and the comment was that it was almost 0% possibility, with the next set of renovations to happen at Rogers Centre.
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