In this regular Sportsnet.ca feature, Blue Jays talk host Scott MacArthur answers some frequently-asked Blue Jays questions.
Thanks to the late start times in Anaheim and an unusual Saturday night Central Time Zone tilt, we had less time for Blue Jays Talk this week. But when we did get a solid run of calls, the angst was palpable. How could it not be? The trip to Southern California and Texas, to put it diplomatically, wasn’t good and neither was the return home on Monday night against Minnesota.
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Let’s get to it!
Q. Name me one good major-league player Mark Shapiro and Ross Atkins have added to this roster in the time they’ve been here and tell me why I should believe ownership will be willing to spend money when the time is right?
A. I can give you a list of good major-leaguers added to the Blue Jays by this regime: Randal Grichuk, Freddy Galvis, Matt Shoemaker, Francisco Liriano, Kendrys Morales, Steve Pearce.
And, yes, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., who was signed by former general manager Alex Anthopoulos but, other than the first few months of his time as a Blue Jays prospect, was developed by the Shapiro/Atkins front office.
Hey, you asked for “good.” Everyone above with a track record has had a nice career and contributed to their teams. You didn’t ask for “star players.” No doubt we’re all counting on Vladdy to be one of those. They’ll need other prospects to work out too.
The “ownership spending money” discussion, at this moment, is derived mainly from emotion and the disappointment of watching a team play as poorly as the Blue Jays have in the last week. It’s a conversation which bubbles to the surface whenever the team is in a slump.
The money is going to have to be there at the right time. It will have to be there to ensure Vladdy doesn’t leave at the first moment he becomes really expensive in arbitration or, a little further down the road, becomes eligible for free agency. Same for other prospects. This franchise cannot be a feeder system for the sport’s higher spenders.
Some of the prospects, one would think, will be used in trades to acquire big-league talent which gets added to, or helps to supplement, the young core. Those players will need to be paid to stick around.
Keep in mind the Blue Jays are paying more than $45 million to Troy Tulowitzki, Russell Martin and Kendrys Morales not to play here this year. Only Tulowitzki is on the books beyond this season. That is money, one would hope, which could be reapplied next year, understanding the free agent market can be fraught with peril.
Running a successful baseball team is expensive. A two-decade dry spell like the one we experienced between 1994-2014 in Toronto, considering the size of this market, is absolutely unacceptable and can never be allowed to happen again.
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Q. Why is Socrates Brito on the active roster when there are better options at Buffalo?
A. My favourite and most asked question! OK, only the second half of the previous sentence is true. I’ve advocated for the call-up of Cavan Biggio. I don’t need to rehash my point of view.
So, let me attempt to answer this question differently than I have before. Biggio needs to play. Jonathan Davis needs to play. Lourdes Gurriel Jr., who’s hitting well and getting corner outfield reps at Buffalo, needs to play.
Brito? Not so much. If he makes the odd start but spends most of the time on the bench there’s nothing lost. He’s not a prospect. He’s not someone in whom the franchise has invested draft and development capital.
Unless Brito starts to produce, which gets more difficult when he has no rhythm due to a lack of playing time, his roster spot will belong to someone else sooner rather than later.
Q. I’m not impressed with Vladimir Guerrero Jr. He should be sent back to the minor leagues.
A. This call came from Angus, Ont., after Sunday’s ugly loss in Texas which concluded an ugly road trip. It only took nine days. NINE DAYS!
Seriously, though, get back to me in a month if he’s still struggling and we’ll have a conversation. If, however, we’re simply wont to make knee-jerk reactions about a player’s performance in the span of a week, the Blue Jays would have made moves with almost every player not named Marcus Stroman (until this week), Matt Shoemaker (before his injury), Eric Sogard and Freddy Galvis (who’s started to tail off to the tune of .182/.206/.242 over his last nine games … have you noticed?).
Vladdy isn’t getting anything to hit in the strike zone, which is a combination of precision pitching (which isn’t going to last – mistakes eventually will be made) and the fact he’s been a little jumpy swinging at pitches out of the strike zone. Vladdy’s getting jammed, inner half, with fastballs and that is him pulling off the ball and flying open, which in turn makes him more susceptible when he chases the sliders and curveballs which fall on the outer half and below the knees.
He’s just got to relax. His keen hitter’s eye hasn’t gone anywhere.
