The Toronto Blue Jays have accomplished a lot in the last two weeks, adding six new players, gaining ground in their division and taking ownership of an AL Wild Card spot. But they still trail the New York Yankees by 1.5 games for the AL East lead, so there’s plenty of work ahead.
Next up Brett Lawrie’s Oakland Athletics arrive in Toronto for their first and only visit of the 2015 season…
Tuesday, Aug. 11 – 7:07 p.m. ET
Kendall Graveman vs. Drew Hutchison
Wednesday, Aug. 12 – 7:07 p.m. ET
Aaron Brooks vs. Mark Buehrle
Thursday, Aug. 13 – 12:37 p.m. ET
Sonny Gray vs. R.A. Dickey
How to handle Hutchison?
If the Blue Jays were completely confident in Drew Hutchison, they wouldn’t be surveying the trade market for starting pitchers. But if they didn’t believe Hutchison had the ability to finish strong, they wouldn’t have stuck with him for this long to begin with.
No doubt about it, the Blue Jays have a dilemma on their hands. Thankfully, after Tuesday the schedule will permit the team to rely on its fifth starter just two more times in August, should they want to: Aug. 16 against the New York Yankees and Aug. 28 against the Detroit Tigers. In between those dates the Blue Jays have three off days so they could rely on their top four starters without starting anyone on short rest.
Alternatively, the Blue Jays could stick with Hutchison every five games or make a waiver trade for a pitcher. The choice they make may well be informed by how Hutchison looks in Tuesday’s series opener against the Athletics.
Donaldson’s impressive numbers
Acquiring four seasons of Josh Donaldson for Lawrie, Graveman, Sean Nolin and Franklin Barreto is arguably the best move Alex Anthopoulos has made since becoming Toronto’s GM. While Mike Trout remains the front-runner for AL MVP, Donaldson’s exceptional production — 31 home runs, .943 OPS, 6.2 wins above replacement — places him right in the mix for the award.
Donaldson also leads all MLB hitters with 83 RBI, and while much more sophisticated metrics exist, RBI still have considerable influence in one arena: the arbitration hearing room. Another one of the most important determinants of a hitter’s salary is playing time, and Donaldson leads MLB with 494 plate appearances. The 29-year-old, who lost his arbitration case against the Blue Jays last off-season, continues to position himself for a massive raise from the $4.3 million he earns in 2015.
For context, Chris Davis’ salary jumped from $3.3 million to $10.35 million after hitting 53 home runs and placing third in AL MVP balloting in 2013. You can bet that’s the kind of raise Donaldson’s representatives will point to after the 2015 season, when he’ll have a case for a salary above $10 million. It’s a ton, but if you’re the Blue Jays that’s a great problem to have.
Roster construction
Donaldson’s one of many Blue Jays who initially arrived in Toronto via trade. Here’s the complete breakdown of how the 25-man roster was initially acquired:
- Trade: 12 (Donaldson, David Price, R.A. Dickey, Mark Buehrle, Marco Estrada, LaTroy Hawkins, Mark Lowe, Troy Tulowitzki, Jose Bautista, Edwin Encarnacion, Ben Revere, Cliff Pennington)
- Draft: 6 (Aaron Sanchez, Brett Cecil, Aaron Loup, Hutchison, Ryan Goins, Kevin Pillar)
- Waivers: 4 (Chris Colabello, Justin Smoak, Liam Hendriks, Bo Schultz)
- Free agency: 2 (Russell Martin, Dioner Navarro)
- International free agency: 1 (Roberto Osuna)
Back to .500?
John Gibbons managed the Blue Jays to a 305-305 record during his first stint with the team from 2004-08. A rough 2013 season dragged Gibbons’ career record well below .500, but he has the chance to even his all-time mark at 524-524 with a win Tuesday.
Valencia returns
Lawrie isn’t the only former Blue Jays third baseman returning to Toronto for the first time. Danny Valencia has two home runs since the Blue Jays traded him to Oakland earlier this month, prompting Oakland starter Chris Bassitt to tell reporters: “We got a gift-wrapped present from Toronto, I promise you that.”
