Blue Jays notebook: As trade talks begin, Toronto should also seek a bat

TORONTO – Already, the Blue Jays are trying outdoors of the group for pitching assist.

The demotion of Alek Manoah opens a spot within the rotation and whereas Bowden Francis could find yourself filling it, relying on him as a positive factor could be reckless. Ideally, somebody like Mitch White, Thomas Hatch or Zach Thompson would have established themselves as a viable possibility by now, however that’s merely not the case.

So, right here the Blue Jays are, exploring choices for pitching at a time when few groups are clear sellers. Prices are actually excessive on any viable beginning choices, however the Blue Jays are seeing what’s on the market all the identical.

“We always do,” GM Ross Atkins mentioned Thursday. “And we’ve intensified those discussions over the last several weeks”

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Between now and the August 1 commerce deadline, these talks are positive to ramp up additional. Like actually all contenders, the Blue Jays might be available in the market for pitching reinforcements, whether or not that’s for the rotation, the bullpen or each.

Yet trying past the rotation, this group additionally wants one other bat. They’ve had a fairly productive offence to this point, rating sixth within the American League in runs scored, third in on-base proportion (.333) and fourth in slugging proportion (.426). Those numbers are respectable – particularly when Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and others are nonetheless underperforming their profession marks.

“It’s such an exciting team for me to think about because I still feel like we haven’t hit our stride,” Atkins mentioned. “Our offence can be a locomotive that could just be unstoppable, and we haven’t been that yet. So hopefully we will be that in July and August. And I think that potential is real.”

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Fair sufficient, however there’s additionally the potential for damage – a actuality that confronted the Blue Jays as soon as once more Thursday when Kevin Kiermaier left the sport with a left wrist contusion. Along with the 33-year-old Kiermaier, the Blue Jays’ lineup options 33-year-old George Springer, 34-year-old Whit Merrifield and 35-year-old Brandon Belt most days

It’s not inconceivable that a kind of gamers may go down, by which case the Blue Jays would find yourself relying far an excessive amount of on a bench that’s underperformed all 12 months. By including another impression bat to the bench, they’d enhance their probabilities of remaining a dynamic offence all season. We’re in all probability speaking a few right-handed hitter, and an outfielder would make sense on paper however in the end it’s about manufacturing, not handedness or place.

Best-case, everybody stays wholesome and a newcomer merely makes the bench a bit of higher. But as soon as August 1 passes there aren’t any extra probabilities to meaningfully improve the roster you are taking to the post-season. If the Blue Jays wish to put together themselves for October, now’s the time to begin trying.

THE OFF-FIELD IMPACT OF A DEMOTION

While there’s no agency timeline for Manoah’s return to the main leagues, his demotion to the Florida Complex League actually suggests he may be away from the group for weeks as he appears to be like to construct again to the shape that noticed him end third in AL Cy Young voting a 12 months in the past.

The specifics might be attention-grabbing to look at, as an absence of various weeks may delay his likelihood to go to arbitration. When the 12 months started, Manoah had one 12 months and 130 days of service time, seemingly placing him on observe to develop into a ‘tremendous two’ participant who goes to arbitration 4 occasions reasonably than the everyday three (for context, final 12 months’s tremendous two cutoffs was two years and 128 days).

But if Manoah’s elective project lasts greater than 20 days, he’ll get lower than a full 12 months of service time in 2023. While the tremendous two deadline is a transferring goal, his probabilities of qualifying look just about non-existent if he’s within the minors for a month or extra. 

Most vital in all of that is the problem of constructing Manoah again up, however his timeline to arbitration is price monitoring as the result will impression each the pitcher himself and the membership’s long-term planning. 

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HAPPY PRIDE WEEKEND TO ALL

We’ve now heard from Anthony Bass on a pair events. First, when he shared an Instagram put up that known as manufacturers “demonic” and “evil” for promoting Pride-themed attire. Then every week later when he mentioned he regrets inflicting hurt however nonetheless believes what he believes. 

It issues when athletes communicate out, both with hateful messages such because the one Bass shared or with messages of acceptance just like the one reliever Jay Jackson lately shared on Twitter. But in the end, their voices are removed from the one ones that resonate right here. Near-sellout attendance is predicted for Pride weekend, and now the Blue Jays’ house followers, together with many within the 2SLGBTQ+ neighborhood, get to have their say on Friday when Bass catches the ceremonial first pitch or later within the weekend if he seems in a recreation. 

One approach or one other, the response might be telling. Regardless, completely happy Pride Weekend to all.

WORKING HIS WAY BACK

Top Blue Jays pitching prospect Ricky Tiedemann is throwing off flat floor with the hope of getting him off a mound quickly. The 20-year-old left-hander has been sidelined since early May with biceps irritation in his pitching arm after impressing in big-league spring coaching.

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