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Blue Jays offseason review chat
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Mark P
7:19
The chat will get underway shortly!
7:21
Hi there everyone, had to delay the chat a few minutes due to a technical issue but we're all ready to roll.  Let's talk some Blue Jays offseason.
bellz
7:22
Who's called up first pearson or Zulueta?
Mark P
7:22
Assuming health from Pearson, he'll get the first nod.
Frahm
7:22
How do you see playing time being split up at catcher and 2B?
Mark P
7:24
The playing time at catcher specifically may around 50-50, since Kirk will get DH days in Belt's place when a lefty starter is on the mound.  So, Kirk will get more playing time overall.

For 2B, Merrifield should get the majority, with Espinal starting against LHP.  Biggio will also get in there on occasion (like today), but he should end up third in terms of playing time
Connor⚾️
7:24
What is the worst case scenario for the blue jays? Wild card? I know it’s very early
Mark P
7:25
The worst-case scenario is obviously that they miss the playoffs entirely, whether through injuries, underperformance, or both.  Or the even more frustrating (and realistic) scenario for the Jays would be if they're a good team but still don't make the bracket in a deep American League.
Danielectomy
7:26
Would you think the Jays would have preferred to deal Kirk instead of Moreno in the Varsho trade if given the choice?
Mark P
7:28
For a team that wants to win now, they might've preferred keeping Kirk just because he's more of a known commodity at the MLB level than Moreno.  If Moreno had been kept and then struggled in his first extended run in the big leagues, then suddenly catcher isn't exactly a strong position.

Ross Atkins said the Jays and D'Backs talked about all their catchers and all their outfielders, so Kirk's name naturally came up in discussions. However, including Kirk instead of Moreno wouldn't have landed Varsho
Allan Lee
7:28
Is the Blue Jays pitching, especailly the bulpen, good enough to make them a serious WS contender?
Mark P
7:30
It's a big concern, especially since so many of the other top contenders (both in the AL and in the league as a whole) either have better or deeper pitching staffs.  Now, this isn't to say that a team with a shaky bullpen or rotation can't go deep into the playoffs, but it feels like the Blue Jays will have to augment the rotation, pen, or both by the deadline
Mr Curiosity
7:30
After worrying about the lack of a #5 starter, Kikuchi looked amazing in ST.  Real deal or should I still be concerned.
Mark P
7:32
One should never over-react to spring stats, whether they're really good or really bad.  For me, the fact that Kikuchi still issued 10 walks to 81 batters in ST stands out as an issue.  

Kikuchi only has to be decent, however, to stick in the rotation.  Even "decent" is miles better than how he performed in 2022.
3B
7:33
Is Barger our starting 3B in 2024?
Mark P
7:34
If he continues to tear up minor league pitching, I'm leaning towards yes.  It seems like Barger will make his MLB debut in some capacity this season, and if the Jays like what they see, he might be Chapman's replacement or possibly a new everyday second baseman.
Brother of Chase
7:35
Other than Chappy, are there any other core pieces eligible for FA after this season?
Mark P
7:36
Chapman, Ryu, Belt, Bass, and Kiermaier are all full-fledged free agents.  Merrifield likely as well since the Jays aren't likely to exercise their club option on him.
Yimi Garcia is also under club option, and there's the unusual layered clauses of Chad Green's contract
C. Parker
7:37
Will Nate Pearson get a legitimate chance to be a starter again with the Jays, or is he relegated to the pen moving forward past 2023?
Mark P
7:37
Pearson's health is such a red flag that the Jays might not even want to risk truly stretching him out again, for fear of a more serious long-term injury.
Johnny Bench Piece
7:39
With the addition of the LH bats, is Biggio expendable?
tony
7:39
who is the most likely to be playing elsewhere at the end of the season....Biggio, Merrifield, or Espinal?
Mark P
7:40
I'm a little surprised the Jays didn't really do anything with their second base situation over the offseason, and if anyone is the odd man out, Biggio seems to be it.

It is also possible the Jays didn't make a big 2B move this winter because they ultimately (as in, next season) see Bichette at the position
Stomper
7:41
Is the all-star break a realistic expectation for the return of Ryu and what do you think is a realistic expectation for him performance wise if/when he returns?
Mark P
7:43
Ryu had his TJ surgery around the middle of June, so the All-Star break or the start of August is a realistic target date if all goes well.

The Jays' fifth starter situation may also factor into the plan, beyond the obvious #1 point of Ryu's health.  Building up Ryu's arm strength to return as a reliever wouldn't as long as it would to rebuild him as a starter, so if the Jays acquired someone or felt comfortable with their rotation options, they could potentially even use Ryu as a reliever to get him back quicker
Jays all the way
7:44
I think the Jays should only sign Bichette long-term if he’s willing to move to 2B. Otherwise, trade him.  Sure his hitting is great, but he diminishes his results with his crappy defensive play.  Thoughts?
Mark P
7:46
2023 does feel like the make-or-break year for Bichette as a shortstop.  Depending on the metric, he was respectable in 2021, so the Jays might be viewing his big dropoff in 2022 as something of an aberration.  But, if he continues to struggle defensively to such an extent, Bichette can't be relied on as an everyday shortstop.

Naturally going after premium talents like Lindor or Bogaerts is a little different than "going after another shortstop" in general, but it is maybe a little telling that the Jays have been exploring other shortstop options in the last few offseasons
Scott H
7:47
So I guess no one was impressed with Britton's showcase?
Mark P
7:48
His contract demands might play a role in why Britton hasn't received a deal, since he still might be hoping for a Major League deal.
BB Rodriguez
7:49
I don't really get the Belt signing. I'd rather see more Kirk at dh. They have enough LH bats without Belt.
Mark P
7:50
If anything, I think they could use some more left-handed bats, so I can totally understand why the Jays signed Belt.
KamKid
7:50
Kiermaier and Belt seemed like odd complementary moves to the catcher trade of Moreno. Varsho seems underutilized in LF and Belt eats into Kirk’s plate appearances. What does the off-season suggest about their confidence/valuation in each of those catchers?
Mark P
7:52
The long-term plan could seem to be Varsho moving into CF in 2024, and that plan could realistically start this season if Kiermaier has to miss more time on the IL.  

For both Belt and Kiermaier, the Jays probably aren't counting on either to play all 162, and some IL time is probably baked into both players.  So that will solve any playing time "problems" that might occur if everyone is healthy at the same time, but there's also logic in spreading around the at-bats to keep everyone fresh
Noah
7:52
I saw you earlier talking about pitching depth as a whole but I think they are really strong in the pen. Rotation depth is a question but pen wise they are pretty stacked imo. Why do you think otherwise if so?
Mark P
7:54
The bullpen is good, but only "good."  That might not hold up come playoff time, considering how so many of the top contenders have far better bullpens.

Also, adding just Swanson didn't really solve the Jays' over-arching problem of not having a lot of velocity, or a lot of high-strikeout relievers.  Swanson will help in terms of missing bats, at least.
Tyler
7:55
The Blue Jays have one lefty in the pen in Tim Mayza. I’ve heard talk of Richards coming up to face lefties, but if he pitches like he did last year, he might not even have a roster spot come the all star break. Is having one LHP and 7 RHPs a cause for concern?
Mark P
7:56
It just makes sense to have a balanced bullpen, even if other successful teams (i.e. the Astros, Mariners) haven't been hampered by having pens that are most or all right-handed.
Touch ‘em all Joe
7:58
The trade for Varsho can still be a win-win, despite so many fans saying it favored the D-backs, yes?
Mark P
7:59
"So many" fans seems like a reach.  The trade certainly seems pretty equal to me, and I don't think including Gurriel along with Moreno really tilted things much (or at all) in Arizona's favor
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