Blue Jays need more than Guerrero, Bichette in second half; they need a big swing

Baseball

Published 14.07.2023

Blue Jays need more than Guerrero, Bichette in second half; they need a big swing

The simple factor to say in regards to the resumption of the Toronto Blue Jays schedule is it’s all about Vladimir Guerrero, Jr., as a result of it has at all times been the case since he and Bo Bichette re-set the clock in 2019.

It’s simple as a result of on this market all the things will get measured by the Toronto Maple Leafs, who’ve squandered the best assortment of younger expertise of their historical past by mismanaging the NHL’s wage cap. You can take a look at Vladdy and Bo and see Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner. I’m undecided the Blue Jays have an equal contract to that of William Nylander or John Tavares (I suppose you may level to George Springer as Tavares) as a result of there isn’t any wage cap in Major League Baseball. An overpay doesn’t carry as a lot monetary injury.

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What a time to be a Toronto sports activities fan. TFC is Major League Soccer’s largest joke and waste of assets. And even the Toronto Raptors’ most steadfast followers within the mainstream and funky, different media are involved or at greatest confused by the tack of the crew’s entrance workplace. The Argonauts? Well, …

What separates the Blue Jays from all different Toronto groups — and what ought to function a cautionary story when making comparisons — is the very fact it’s harder to make Major League Baseball’s post-season than it’s to make every other in North America. Sure, the NHL likes to name the Stanley Cup “the hardest trophy to win,” however for accuracy’s sake it would add that making the playoffs is, in reality, fairly damned simple — a 50/50 proposition. Same with the NBA.

Raptors president Masai Ujiri fired head coach Dwane Casey and changed him with Nick Nurse as a result of Casey couldn’t determine the way to beat LeBron James within the playoffs. Then he traded a franchise icon for Kawhi Leonard simply in time to see James depart the convention and noticed his crew beat a Golden State Warriors membership with out Kevin Durant. It was a mix of smarts and, sure, serendipity.

Now, specializing in one crew for a whole season can typically result in a sort of myopia. I admit it. And so meaning I’ve lit candles for the misplaced profession of Alek Manoah, ridden the Matt Chapman Express, questioned what low season commerce or free-agent signing fell via to depart Brandon Belt as a candidate for the center of the order on a crew with a $224.8 million payroll, over-reacted to any wobble from Jordan Romano, and saved ready for Erik Swanson’s arm to fall off and Trevor Richards’ change-up to, nicely, change. And don’t get me began about Alejandro Kirk.

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But right here’s the factor I made a decision to deal with on the lake over cigars and some bottles of crimson: Looking again at a lot that was written (by others, largely) and mentioned (by Kevin Barker and myself, largely) jogged my memory how a lot significance was connected to the beginning rotation. Nobody anxious about Manoah in February or March. Instead, the priority was about Jose Berrios, Yusei Kikuchi and, to a level, Chris Bassitt.

That was comprehensible. Of the 12 groups to make the 2022 playoffs, solely the Tampa Bay Rays had fewer innings from their starters and, by extension, extra innings from their bullpen. The Blue Jays have been 19^th in starters innings, 122 and a couple of/3 behind the MLB-leading Houston Astros and 59 innings behind the fourth-place Philadelphia Phillies — the 2 World Series finalists. So far in 2023, the Blue Jays have the fifth-most innings from their starters and are 17 and 1/3 in arrears of the main Minnesota Twins. Only six groups have fewer bullpen innings, even with Manoah falling off the cliff.

As Atlanta Braves basic supervisor Alex Anthopoulos informed us on Blair & Barker, the entire concept is to nurse your bullpen arms through the common season and blow the residing hell out of them within the post-season. OK, I’m paraphrasing. But you get the purpose: the 2022 Blue Jays weren’t in an optimum spot by way of pitching heading into the post-season. The view from right here is a lot better.

Of course, baseball is totally different this season. No shifts. Limits on ‘disengagements’ with runners on base. The pitch clock. Yet, given what the Blue Jays rotation has carried out and given the truth that about six weeks in the past lots of people within the group grew to become much more optimistic about Hyun Jin Ryu’s availability … nicely, perhaps the window of alternative in 2023 isn’t as a lot about Vladdy and Bo as it’s about Kevin Gausman and Berrios, who together with Bassitt and Kikuchi have been steadfast in Manoah’s absence.

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And so we resume the 2023 regular-season with the Arizona Diamondbacks on the town. Jordan Romano’s again concern certain as hell higher not be lingering. Manoah higher be good towards one thing apart from the Four-A lineup the Detroit Tigers ran out. Ryu … reliever Chad Green … hopefully they are often the reinforcements that the Blue Jays but once more haven’t been capable of finding within the minors. The subsequent checkpoint? The Aug. 1 commerce deadline, after which within the very least this lineup higher have any person apart from Brandon belting in the course of the order.

Ujiri had all of it discovered. Build a titlist on this metropolis and the world is your oyster. You can take the longest of victory laps and spend the subsequent 5 years making it up on the fly, letting beneficial items go for nothing, experimenting with 6-foot-9 dudes who can’t hit threes and usually casting about for extra lightning in a bottle.

Winning makes folks assume what you’re doing. More to the purpose, it brings a forex available in the market that can be utilized to buy full freedom.

The Leafs’ entrance workplace might use a title, as a result of it will make it simpler to make a tough name on Matthews, Marner or William Nylander. The Blue Jays aren’t in the identical contract purgatory, however they, too, are creeping in the direction of an inflection level with each Guerrero, Jr., and Bichette due free company after the 2025 season, and little indication both will signal past that date. Bichette, no less than, is signed as much as that time via his arbitration years.

Onward, then, into the throes of the commerce deadline, with a payroll that means no turning again, and would possibly in reality trace on the sort of monetary wiggle room that may cowl up a scarcity of gilt-edged prospects as commerce bait. The Blue Jays’ entrance workplace wants a giant, large, swing. No hitter — none — needs to be off the desk. Give Bo and Vladdy the assistance they want. Give the rotation the assistance they deserve. The window won’t be open so long as we imagined in 2019. But it might very nicely be wider, proper now, than realized — and make a lot simpler some pending, troublesome choices.

Jeff Blair hosts Blair & Barker day by day from 5-7 p.m. ET on Sportsnet 590/The Fan and Sportsnet.