Blue Jays interested in dozens of players – what does that really mean?

SCOTTSDALE, AZ. – Late Wednesday morning, because the GM Meetings unfolded on the Omni Resort & Spa, a veteran baseball government pulled out his telephone and located a current boxscore to make some extent. He’d simply been requested a query concerning the inside workings of entrance places of work: what number of gamers, sometimes, would a group present some stage of low season curiosity?

The government checked out his telephone and labored his approach down the lineups, identify by identify.

“Talked about him, tried to sign him, talked about him a couple times.”

When he arrived at a veteran participant, his tone shifted from delicate boredom to shock.

“Hey, we never actually tried to get him!” the manager exclaimed.

He isn’t the one one who’s expressed curiosity in a protracted listing of gamers over time. Asked whether or not he checks in on 10 gamers per winter or 150, one GM mentioned it’s “on the larger end of the numbers you just said.”

Another GM estimated he has some curiosity in buying and selling for 100 gamers per winter earlier than whittling that listing all the way down to 10 critical discussions, one or two of which could end in precise trades. And that’s earlier than you even get to free company.

This time of yr entrance places of work do huge quantities of background work on gamers they’ll by no means signal or commerce for, preferring to be over-prepared. It’s a needed step on the way in which to finishing offers, however can result in confusion. After all, not all curiosity is created equal, and discerning between due diligence and extra critical pursuits is a crucial ability for each executives and brokers.

“I think that’s relationships,” Blue Jays GM Ross Atkins mentioned Tuesday. “You learn how real that interest is from things that are being said and things that aren’t being said … The same goes for that type of engagement with GMs on trades. As relationships get stronger and stronger, your sense for how realistic things are really takes shape.”

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Brace your self now. The Blue Jays can be linked to Shohei Ohtani, Cody Bellinger, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and numerous others. They do have curiosity in all three. It’s not improper. And but, that curiosity is finest understood within the context of the group’s full low season roadmap.

With 4 outstanding place gamers hitting free company, nearly any place participant matches their roster. So whereas the Blue Jays are absolutely exploring the potential of a cope with Bellinger, they have to additionally function on many different parallel tracks, displaying curiosity in Jeimer Candelario and Amed Rosario, as an example, even when their brokers aren’t waxing poetic about them within the resort courtyard.

“When you have the aroma of youth, teams want that cologne on their vanity,” Scott Boras mentioned of the 28-year-old Bellinger Wednesday morning.

Interest is one factor – significantly, who wouldn’t need Bellinger? – however the true query is the place traction develops and which groups make gives. The preliminary expression of curiosity on the GM Meetings is just the 1st step in that course of.

Of course, not each entrance workplace has to arrange for the low season like they’re cramming for a take a look at. There are instances when executives have important parts of their roster in place, permitting them to bypass some segments of the market. In Atlanta, as an example, Alex Anthopoulos isn’t going to fret an excessive amount of concerning the third base market when he has Austin Riley locked up via 2032.

“Positions that are spoken for, you’re not going to spend a ton of time,” Anthopoulos mentioned. “You’re aware (of what’s available), but it’s positions of need or areas that you might have holes, that’s where you’ll spend the bulk of your time.”

Plus, skilled basic managers have a way of how the market will transfer, permitting them to prioritize the areas more likely to develop early earlier than shifting on to different gamers as soon as sure market makers change groups.

“You almost have to do it in waves,” mentioned Giants president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi. “There’s a first wave of 20-30 players that you figure at least 5-10 teams are going to be interested in. As guys come off the board, you’ve got to keep refreshing things as you gauge interest level or maybe have a concern that arises or trade opportunity that arises that moves the list around.”

“We’ve also had a lot of time to prepare,” added Zaidi, whose Giants completed 79-83 final yr. “We have no excuses for not being ready.” 

This low season, 169 gamers hit free company. Some estimate that one other 150 come up in critical commerce talks league-wide. All advised, then, a considerable portion of the league comes up in dialog this time of yr. 

For followers, it’s a supply of intrigue. For gamers, it may be distracting. And for the executives who know all too nicely how thorough their rival groups are, developments elsewhere are typically finest left alone.

“I mean we’re aware of what’s reported, but you have no idea what’s true and what isn’t, so we don’t really spend time on that stuff,” Anthopoulos mentioned. “At the end of the day you can’t worry about everyone else. You know who you want to get – just build the best team you can.”

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