How will Blue Jays look to improve bullpen?

October 22nd, 2024

This story was excerpted from Keegan Matheson¡¯s Blue Jays Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

TORONTO -- Many will see the Yankees and Dodgers as a dream World Series matchup, but you¡¯d have a hard time selling that to some Blue Jays fans.

Old friends Tim Mayza and Kevin Kiermaier provide connections to the 2024 Blue Jays, while Teoscar Hern¨¢ndez is still beloved in Toronto, but otherwise, it¡¯s the Yankees versus the one who got away, Shohei Ohtani.

However you decide to enjoy the World Series, here¡¯s what¡¯s on your mind with the Blue Jays:

Regarding the bullpen, will they pay a premium for "name" relievers or go with volume and see who works out? -- @OwenWGreen
This decision is important because the Blue Jays need to add three or four legitimate big league relievers. The market for ¡°good¡± relievers -- think Chad Green and Yimi Garc¨ªa¡¯s level, for a comparison -- won¡¯t be cheap. Adding a few of those together would be costly, so I think the Blue Jays¡¯ best approach would be one big swing and a flurry of lower-end moves.

Whether that¡¯s Tanner Scott or a trade, if the Blue Jays landed one elite reliever, they could aggressively attack the market with one-year deals. This front office has had success in that market in the past, and with a quantity approach, I¡¯d expect they could uncover some value again.

Do you see the Jays trying to move off of one of their larger contracts for more free agent spending flexibility? -- @Gregz23
The Blue Jays should -- key word ¡°should¡± -- have freedom to spend this offseason without moving money. Any of their big-money contracts feel too necessary to their success in 2025, too. This club isn¡¯t going anywhere without Kevin Gausman, Jos¨¦ Berr¨ªos and Chris Bassitt, while Chad Green ($10.5 million) is part of the solution in the bullpen. Bo Bichette will be the other name floated, but he¡¯s also this club¡¯s best bet at improving as an offense. The Blue Jays should be able to spend on top of this, and if money gets tight, the trade market is attractive.

Out of the crop of Buffalo boys and fringe MLB talent, who could we anticipate being trade pieces, big league club pieces, Buffalo pieces? -- @IanBloss
This is another key decision that will shape the offseason. I like Ernie Clement as a useful, versatile piece on the 2025 roster. Regardless of which moves are made, there¡¯s going to be a spot for a Gold Glove finalist with speed and the ability to put the ball in play. No. 18 prospect Will Wagner has earned a shot at second base -- I like the idea of a platoon with Orelvis Martinez (No. 2) -- and Leo Jim¨¦nez belongs in the big leagues. Jim¨¦nez has long generated trade interest and should continue to. Others, like Spencer Horwitz and Addison Barger, will be on that bubble. If the Blue Jays can turn two depth pieces into a regular contributor, like a reliever, that makes a lot of sense.

When will Jays management sign Vladdy to a long-term contract? -- @fairwaygail
Let¡¯s focus on the ¡°when¡± here. It¡¯s already clear to anyone with eyeballs that the Blue Jays should do everything possible to keep Vladimir Guerrero Jr. in Toronto, but the timing matters. To me, it either has to happen this offseason or it will turn into a situation that stretches into Guerrero¡¯s free agency.

If I¡¯m a top free agent this winter, one of my first questions to general manager Ross Atkins and president and CEO Mark Shapiro is what their plans are beyond 2025. One big run alongside Vladdy sounds fun, but five or six sound a lot better. Signing with a team that could be rebuilding -- or at least pivoting -- a year from now isn¡¯t attractive.

If this stretches into the 2025 season, we can look at it like Aaron Judge and the Yankees. Judge finished his season and entered free agency, where many suitors, including the Giants, made aggressive moves to land him. He eventually stayed right where he was. Free agency can be part of the process, like it was with Judge, but it¡¯s awfully risky.

Will the Blue Jays be used as a pawn to drive Soto's asking price up before he inevitably signs with the Yankees? -- @adam_hutcheon
The Blue Jays will be involved in the Juan Soto sweepstakes. This isn¡¯t inside information; it¡¯s just the reality of a team with big money that¡¯s been shopping at the top of the market for years now.

That said, going up against two New York teams, with all of their money and ego, isn¡¯t easy. I expect Toronto's interest to be legitimate ... but I expect Soto to have a New York address in 2025.

Do the Blue Jays need to spend actual money on another catcher or can they save and find a cheaper backup for Alejandro Kirk? -- Jeff M.
The catching position has quietly been a luxury in Toronto for years now, particularly the ¡°backup¡± spot. Many clubs are left scraping around for a legitimate big leaguer, but the Blue Jays have been well protected with both Danny Jansen and Kirk. They need to keep that dynamic alive.

Having Kirk catch more than 100 games is a dangerous bet. The Blue Jays are best off making this a 1A-1B situation, and ideally, the other catcher can contribute something offensively. Kirk looked much sharper down the stretch in 2024, but we¡¯ve seen in the past how it looks when a heavy workload wears him down. Again, it sounds like I¡¯m just describing a reunion with Jansen.

How is Orelvis doing? -- @FrostByte123456
Martinez should get plenty of work in the Dominican Winter League with Tigres del Licey, which is what the Blue Jays want. He¡¯s only played a handful of games so far, but showed his incredible power with his first home run of their season.

Martinez needs to clean up his defense, which is priority No. 1 in winter ball. If that happens, his upside is still massive, even if it¡¯s just crushing lefties in a platoon situation in 2025.

seductrice.net
universo-virtual.com
buytrendz.net
thisforall.net
benchpressgains.com
qthzb.com
mindhunter9.com
dwjqp1.com
secure-signup.net
ahaayy.com
tressesindia.com
puresybian.com
krpano-chs.com
cre8workshop.com
hdkino.org
peixun021.com
qz786.com
utahperformingartscenter.org
worldqrmconference.com
shangyuwh.com
eejssdfsdfdfjsd.com
playminecraftfreeonline.com
trekvietnamtour.com
your-business-articles.com
essaywritingservice10.com
hindusamaaj.com
joggingvideo.com
wandercoups.com
wormblaster.net
tongchengchuyange0004.com
internetknowing.com
breachurch.com
peachesnginburlesque.com
dataarchitectoo.com
clientfunnelformula.com
30pps.com
cherylroll.com
ks2252.com
prowp.net
webmanicura.com
sofietsshotel.com
facetorch.com
nylawyerreview.com
apapromotions.com
shareparelli.com
goeaglepointe.com
thegreenmanpubphuket.com
karotorossian.com
publicsensor.com
taiwandefence.com
epcsur.com
southstills.com
tvtv98.com
thewellington-hotel.com
bccaipiao.com
colectoresindustrialesgs.com
shenanddcg.com
capriartfilmfestival.com
replicabreitlingsale.com
thaiamarinnewtoncorner.com
gkmcww.com
mbnkbj.com
andrewbrennandesign.com
cod54.com
luobinzhang.com
faithfirst.net
zjyc28.com
tongchengjinyeyouyue0004.com
nhuan6.com
kftz5k.com
oldgardensflowers.com
lightupthefloor.com
bahamamamas-stjohns.com
ly2818.com
905onthebay.com
fonemenu.com
notanothermovie.com
ukrainehighclassescort.com
meincmagazine.com
av-5858.com
yallerdawg.com
donkeythemovie.com
corporatehospitalitygroup.com
boboyy88.com
miteinander-lernen.com
dannayconsulting.com
officialtomsshoesoutletstore.com
forsale-amoxil-amoxicillin.net
generictadalafil-canada.net
guitarlessonseastlondon.com
lesliesrestaurants.com
mattyno9.com
nri-homeloans.com
rtgvisas-qatar.com
salbutamolventolinonline.net
sportsinjuries.info
wedsna.com
rgkntk.com
bkkmarketplace.com
zxqcwx.com
breakupprogram.com
boxcardc.com
unblockyoutubeindonesia.com
fabulousbookmark.com
beat-the.com
guatemala-sailfishing-vacations-charters.com
magie-marketing.com
kingstonliteracy.com
guitaraffinity.com
eurelookinggoodapparel.com
howtolosecheekfat.net
marioncma.org
oliviadavismusic.com
shantelcampbellrealestate.com
shopleborn13.com
topindiafree.com
v-visitors.net
djjky.com
053hh.com
originbluei.com
baucishotel.com
33kkn.com
intrinsiqresearch.com
mariaescort-kiev.com
mymaguk.com
sponsored4u.com
crimsonclass.com
bataillenavale.com
searchtile.com
ze-stribrnych-struh.com
zenithalhype.com
modalpkv.com
bouisset-lafforgue.com
useupload.com
37r.net
autoankauf-muenster.com
bantinbongda.net
bilgius.com
brabustermagazine.com
indigrow.org
miicrosofts.net
mysmiletravel.com
selinasims.com
spellcubesapp.com
usa-faction.com
hypoallergenicdogsnames.com
dailyupdatez.com
foodphotographyreviews.com
cricutcom-setup.com
chprowebdesign.com
katyrealty-kanepa.com
tasramar.com
bilgipinari.org
four-am.com
indiarepublicday.com
inquick-enbooks.com
iracmpi.com
kakaschoenen.com
lsm99flash.com
nana1255.com
ngen-niagara.com
technwzs.com
virtualonlinecasino1345.com
wallpapertop.net
casino-natali.com
iprofit-internet.com
denochemexicana.com
eventhalfkg.com
medcon-taiwan.com
life-himawari.com
myriamshomes.com
nightmarevue.com
healthandfitnesslives.com
androidnews-jp.com
allstarsru.com
bestofthebuckeyestate.com
bestofthefirststate.com
bestwireless7.com
britsmile.com
declarationintermittent.com
findhereall.com
jingyou888.com
lsm99deal.com
lsm99galaxy.com
moozatech.com
nuagh.com
patliyo.com
philomenamagikz.net
rckouba.net
saturnunipessoallda.com
tallahasseefrolics.com
thematurehardcore.net
totalenvironment-inthatquietearth.com
velislavakaymakanova.com
vermontenergetic.com
kakakpintar.com
begorgeouslady.com
1800birks4u.com
2wheelstogo.com
6strip4you.com
bigdata-world.net
emailandco.net
gacapal.com
jharpost.com
krishnaastro.com
lsm99credit.com
mascalzonicampani.com
sitemapxml.org
thecityslums.net
topagh.com
flairnetwebdesign.com
rajasthancarservices.com
bangkaeair.com
beneventocoupon.com
noternet.org
oqtive.com
smilebrightrx.com
decollage-etiquette.com
1millionbestdownloads.com
7658.info
bidbass.com
devlopworldtech.com
digitalmarketingrajkot.com
fluginfo.net
naqlafshk.com
passion-decouverte.com
playsirius.com
spacceleratorintl.com
stikyballs.com
top10way.com
yokidsyogurt.com
zszyhl.com
16firthcrescent.com
abogadolaboralistamd.com
apk2wap.com
aromacremeria.com
banparacard.com
bosmanraws.com
businessproviderblog.com
caltonosa.com
calvaryrevivalchurch.org
chastenedsoulwithabrokenheart.com
cheminotsgardcevennes.com
cooksspot.com
cqxzpt.com
deesywig.com
deltacartoonmaps.com
despixelsetdeshommes.com
duocoracaobrasileiro.com
fareshopbd.com
goodpainspills.com
hemendekor.com
kobisitecdn.com
makaigoods.com
mgs1454.com
piccadillyresidences.com
radiolaondafresca.com
rubendorf.com
searchengineimprov.com
sellmyhrvahome.com
shugahouseessentials.com
sonihullquad.com
subtractkilos.com
valeriekelmansky.com
vipasdigitalmarketing.com
voolivrerj.com
zeelonggroup.com
1015southrockhill.com
10x10b.com
111-online-casinos.com
191cb.com
3665arpentunitd.com
aitesonics.com
bag-shokunin.com
brightotech.com
communication-digitale-services.com
covoakland.org
dariaprimapack.com
freefortniteaccountss.com
gatebizglobal.com
global1entertainmentnews.com
greatytene.com
hiroshiwakita.com
iktodaypk.com
jahatsakong.com
meadowbrookgolfgroup.com
newsbharati.net
platinumstudiosdesign.com
slotxogamesplay.com
strikestaruk.com
trucosdefortnite.com
ufabetrune.com
weddedtowhitmore.com
12940brycecanyonunitb.com
1311dietrichoaks.com
2monarchtraceunit303.com
601legendhill.com
850elaine.com
adieusolasomade.com
andora-ke.com
bestslotxogames.com
cannagomcallen.com
endlesslyhot.com
iestpjva.com
ouqprint.com
pwmaplefest.com
qtylmr.com
rb88betting.com
buscadogues.com
1007macfm.com
born-wild.com
growthinvests.com
promocode-casino.com
proyectogalgoargentina.com
wbthompson-art.com
whitemountainwheels.com
7thavehvl.com
developmethis.com
funkydogbowties.com
travelodgegrandjunction.com
gao-town.com
globalmarketsuite.com
blogshippo.com
hdbka.com
proboards67.com
outletonline-michaelkors.com
kalkis-research.com
thuthuatit.net
buckcash.com
hollistercanada.com
docterror.com
asadart.com
vmayke.org
erwincomputers.com
dirimart.org
okkii.com
loteriasdecehegin.com
mountanalog.com
healingtaobritain.com
ttxmonitor.com
nwordpress.com
11bolabonanza.com