T1EliteP
11-20-2021, 06:42 PM
I'm a big jays fan, and I figured I'd ask you guys what you would do if you were in Ross Atkins (GMs) shoes. Here's the list of things I would attempt to do, although some of them are much easier said than done.
Trades:
1. Trade Alejandro Kirk to MIA in a package for Sandy Alcantara. Alcantara stated that he wants to stay in Miami, but has been unable to come to a contract extension. Marlins GM Kim Ng seems reluctant to spend money on pitching, and Alcantara has been one of the most underrated pitchers in the MLB the past two seasons. He's a more consistent, healthier Aaron Sanchez, with better off-speed.
Trade: Alejandro Kirk (C), Jordan Groshans (SS) for Sandy Alcantara (SP)
2. Trade for Jose Ramirez. JRam fits the culture and style of the Blue Jays perfectly, and has a very inexpensive contract (which will become an issue if the Jays sign Ray, which is likely due to his relationship with pitching coach Pete Walker). JRam will be very expensive, but fufills a need at 3B, especially with the loss of Semien (chances of resigning are very low). He also serves a more veteran presence, while fulfilling the swagger and energy of the young guns in the lineup.
Trade: Cavan Biggio (2B/3B), E. Pardinho (SP), Orelvis Martinez (SS), Dasan Brown (OF) for Jose Ramirez (3B) and and Anthony Gose (RP)
3. Acquire one more bullpen piece for Grichuk. Regardless of whether Pearson ends up in the rotation or the pen, another solid reliever is necessary. Signing relievers would be preferred, but budget concerns cloud this area. Cutting Grichuk adds more stability to the lineup (Grichuk has a low OBP and has lots of poor team/situational ABs). His name still pulls some weight despite relatively poor performance, and would likely be welcomed in a team such as Baltimore (regardless of the AL east rivalry).
Trade: Randal Grichuk (OF) for Orioles Tanner Scott (RP)
or Tigers Gregory Soto (RP). A 25-30 prospect may need to be added for the latter.
Signings
1. Resign Robbie Ray to a 4-5 year deal (21M/year). This is going to be tough, but is very possible due to the relationship between the coaching staff and Ray. Pete Walker played a large role in Ray's success, and it would be silly for Robbie to abandon that. Ray will likely get 20M+ following his Cy Young season, even though he has been incredibly inconsistent in the past.
2. Resign Kirby Yates. No one knows if he will be effective after surgery, but it would be nice to recapture one of the better relievers in the MLB for cheap, in the 4-6 M range. Not the most important thing at all, but I don't think you can go wrong for the right price.
3. Sign one of the following relievers;
Jake Diekman, Mychal Givens, Daniel Hudson or Aaron Loup. A change of arm slot would go a long ways on this team, and these guys are solid. Hudson is over the top but a very competent reliever overall. McHugh would be nice, but seems unlikely. Ottavino is great, but doesn't fit the attitude and culture of the team. Brad Brach could be a cheap signing and worthy of a spring training invitation. Joe Smith and Tony Watson wouldn't be bad choices either.
4. Sign Ervin Santana. This seems like a very odd choice, but the Jays need a long guy to soak up innings. He will come cheap and can get thrown into blowout games to soak innings (Montoyo has a history of burning good relievers when losing, then putting in poor relievers in leverage situations). He would serve as a good injury replacement, as there will be one, without a doubt.
5. Sign Charlie Culberson or re-sign Lamb as infield depth. The only minor league infielders that could crack a spot is Kevin Smith and Otto Lopez, so an extra guy would be nice. Donovan Solano would be great but should start, and I want to see what Espinal can do.
6. Sign Jorge Soler (3 Years, 35 M). Likely there is no budget for this, and he does not fit the on base needs of the team - but if he is able to perform hit home runs consistently in the 7-8 spot in the lineup, a lower batting average is less important. He could serve as a second clean up man, as spots 4-6 in the lineup are still all star caliber hitters.
If they could pull these trades and signings off, and manage the budget effectively, this would be the team:
SP1: Ray
SP2: Berrios
SP3: Alcantara
SP4: Manoah
SP5: Ryu/Pearson
C: Danny Jansen / Reese McGuire (a big spring training from Gabriel Moreno could project him as the starting catcher).
1B: Guerrero Jr.
2B: Santiago Espinal (very underrated. Let's see what he can do with 400 ABs).
SS: Bo Bichette
3B: Jose Ramirez
LF: Lourdes Gurriel Jr.
CF: George Springer
RF: Teoscar Hernandez
DH: Jorge Soler.
Bench:
Breyvic Valera
Jake Lamb / Charlie Culberson
one of Jansen / Mcguire
Bullpen (9 guys)
CP: Romano
SU: Cimber
SU: Soto / Scott
RP: Yates / Loup / Hudson / Diekman / Givens or Merryweather
RHP: Richards
LHP: Borucki/Gose?
LHP: Mayza
Long: Pearson/Hatch
Long: Stripling
If the Jays are unable to sign Ray, then the Alcantara trade needs to happen. Pablo Lopez is okay too, but probably not worth the cost - his stuff doesn't project as well as Alcantara. Josh Palacios could get called up to fill an Outfield spot in event of injury. If they are unable to sign to acquire one of the 7 relievers I outlined, Hatch will stay in the pen. It can also be expected that at least one pitcher goes off in spring training and steals a spot on the roster.
The lineup I would use:
1. George Springer
2. Jose Ramirez
3. Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
4. Bo Bichette
5. Teoscar Hernandez
6. Lourdes Gurriel Jr.
7. Jorge Soler
8. Danny Jansen (Moreno?)
9. Santiago Espinal
Bichette is 4. so we can keep some speed distributed in the lineup.
Obviously this would be hard to pull off, but it is very possible. Another possible move would be to trade away Ryu and dump his salary (i imagine they would have to pay part of it still). If pearson looks good, and they can get Alcantara, I would have to imagine this move would be in order (although you can never have too much pitching). Grichuk has to go. Atkins may not be willing to move Orelvis, but JRam could be a game changer. It is also very possible that Pearson goes in the JRam trade. The relief pitching is less important and can be addressed throughout the year.
If Ray doesn't get resigned, I have to imagine a SP will be coming back from MIA, Alcantara or Pablo Lopez (although I'd love Meyer, Edward Cabrera or Sixto). Luis Castillo from the Reds would also be amazing (what is going on in Cincinatti?).
Also: apparently the Marlins didn't add Griffin Conine to the 40 man. I don't know a ton about the rule 5 draft, but if it's possible to pick him up he could be an interesting guy to DH if they can't find an appealing option. This is a long shot but I think it would be cool to see
Trades:
1. Trade Alejandro Kirk to MIA in a package for Sandy Alcantara. Alcantara stated that he wants to stay in Miami, but has been unable to come to a contract extension. Marlins GM Kim Ng seems reluctant to spend money on pitching, and Alcantara has been one of the most underrated pitchers in the MLB the past two seasons. He's a more consistent, healthier Aaron Sanchez, with better off-speed.
Trade: Alejandro Kirk (C), Jordan Groshans (SS) for Sandy Alcantara (SP)
2. Trade for Jose Ramirez. JRam fits the culture and style of the Blue Jays perfectly, and has a very inexpensive contract (which will become an issue if the Jays sign Ray, which is likely due to his relationship with pitching coach Pete Walker). JRam will be very expensive, but fufills a need at 3B, especially with the loss of Semien (chances of resigning are very low). He also serves a more veteran presence, while fulfilling the swagger and energy of the young guns in the lineup.
Trade: Cavan Biggio (2B/3B), E. Pardinho (SP), Orelvis Martinez (SS), Dasan Brown (OF) for Jose Ramirez (3B) and and Anthony Gose (RP)
3. Acquire one more bullpen piece for Grichuk. Regardless of whether Pearson ends up in the rotation or the pen, another solid reliever is necessary. Signing relievers would be preferred, but budget concerns cloud this area. Cutting Grichuk adds more stability to the lineup (Grichuk has a low OBP and has lots of poor team/situational ABs). His name still pulls some weight despite relatively poor performance, and would likely be welcomed in a team such as Baltimore (regardless of the AL east rivalry).
Trade: Randal Grichuk (OF) for Orioles Tanner Scott (RP)
or Tigers Gregory Soto (RP). A 25-30 prospect may need to be added for the latter.
Signings
1. Resign Robbie Ray to a 4-5 year deal (21M/year). This is going to be tough, but is very possible due to the relationship between the coaching staff and Ray. Pete Walker played a large role in Ray's success, and it would be silly for Robbie to abandon that. Ray will likely get 20M+ following his Cy Young season, even though he has been incredibly inconsistent in the past.
2. Resign Kirby Yates. No one knows if he will be effective after surgery, but it would be nice to recapture one of the better relievers in the MLB for cheap, in the 4-6 M range. Not the most important thing at all, but I don't think you can go wrong for the right price.
3. Sign one of the following relievers;
Jake Diekman, Mychal Givens, Daniel Hudson or Aaron Loup. A change of arm slot would go a long ways on this team, and these guys are solid. Hudson is over the top but a very competent reliever overall. McHugh would be nice, but seems unlikely. Ottavino is great, but doesn't fit the attitude and culture of the team. Brad Brach could be a cheap signing and worthy of a spring training invitation. Joe Smith and Tony Watson wouldn't be bad choices either.
4. Sign Ervin Santana. This seems like a very odd choice, but the Jays need a long guy to soak up innings. He will come cheap and can get thrown into blowout games to soak innings (Montoyo has a history of burning good relievers when losing, then putting in poor relievers in leverage situations). He would serve as a good injury replacement, as there will be one, without a doubt.
5. Sign Charlie Culberson or re-sign Lamb as infield depth. The only minor league infielders that could crack a spot is Kevin Smith and Otto Lopez, so an extra guy would be nice. Donovan Solano would be great but should start, and I want to see what Espinal can do.
6. Sign Jorge Soler (3 Years, 35 M). Likely there is no budget for this, and he does not fit the on base needs of the team - but if he is able to perform hit home runs consistently in the 7-8 spot in the lineup, a lower batting average is less important. He could serve as a second clean up man, as spots 4-6 in the lineup are still all star caliber hitters.
If they could pull these trades and signings off, and manage the budget effectively, this would be the team:
SP1: Ray
SP2: Berrios
SP3: Alcantara
SP4: Manoah
SP5: Ryu/Pearson
C: Danny Jansen / Reese McGuire (a big spring training from Gabriel Moreno could project him as the starting catcher).
1B: Guerrero Jr.
2B: Santiago Espinal (very underrated. Let's see what he can do with 400 ABs).
SS: Bo Bichette
3B: Jose Ramirez
LF: Lourdes Gurriel Jr.
CF: George Springer
RF: Teoscar Hernandez
DH: Jorge Soler.
Bench:
Breyvic Valera
Jake Lamb / Charlie Culberson
one of Jansen / Mcguire
Bullpen (9 guys)
CP: Romano
SU: Cimber
SU: Soto / Scott
RP: Yates / Loup / Hudson / Diekman / Givens or Merryweather
RHP: Richards
LHP: Borucki/Gose?
LHP: Mayza
Long: Pearson/Hatch
Long: Stripling
If the Jays are unable to sign Ray, then the Alcantara trade needs to happen. Pablo Lopez is okay too, but probably not worth the cost - his stuff doesn't project as well as Alcantara. Josh Palacios could get called up to fill an Outfield spot in event of injury. If they are unable to sign to acquire one of the 7 relievers I outlined, Hatch will stay in the pen. It can also be expected that at least one pitcher goes off in spring training and steals a spot on the roster.
The lineup I would use:
1. George Springer
2. Jose Ramirez
3. Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
4. Bo Bichette
5. Teoscar Hernandez
6. Lourdes Gurriel Jr.
7. Jorge Soler
8. Danny Jansen (Moreno?)
9. Santiago Espinal
Bichette is 4. so we can keep some speed distributed in the lineup.
Obviously this would be hard to pull off, but it is very possible. Another possible move would be to trade away Ryu and dump his salary (i imagine they would have to pay part of it still). If pearson looks good, and they can get Alcantara, I would have to imagine this move would be in order (although you can never have too much pitching). Grichuk has to go. Atkins may not be willing to move Orelvis, but JRam could be a game changer. It is also very possible that Pearson goes in the JRam trade. The relief pitching is less important and can be addressed throughout the year.
If Ray doesn't get resigned, I have to imagine a SP will be coming back from MIA, Alcantara or Pablo Lopez (although I'd love Meyer, Edward Cabrera or Sixto). Luis Castillo from the Reds would also be amazing (what is going on in Cincinatti?).
Also: apparently the Marlins didn't add Griffin Conine to the 40 man. I don't know a ton about the rule 5 draft, but if it's possible to pick him up he could be an interesting guy to DH if they can't find an appealing option. This is a long shot but I think it would be cool to see