Toronto Blue Jays tearing down the roster with eye to future
The Toronto Blue Jays endured a rough 2018, but better days are ahead.
Heading into the 2018 campaign, the Toronto Blue Jays had a decision to make. The Red Sox and Yankees had seemingly improved, which had appeared to leave the Blue Jays stuck solidly in the middle of the AL East. At best, the Blue Jays were going to contend for a Wild Card berth.
As such, there was a strong sentiment that the Blue Jays should end up selling. Josh Donaldson was a free agent at the end of the season, and a hot commodity on the trade market. J.A. Happ and Marco Estrada were intriguing middle of the rotation arms that a contender could have targeted. Instead, the Blue Jays held out hope that they could contend. That proved to be the wrong move, as Toronto quickly saw the rest of the division leave them behind. Only the woeful Orioles kept the Blue Jays from the AL East basement.
Heading into 2019, there is a different feel around the Blue Jays. Donaldson is gone, traded to the Indians before signing with Atlanta as a free agent. Former closer Roberto Osuna was sent to Houston after a lengthy suspension due to domestic violence. Happ was sent to the Yankees, where he proved to be a difference maker. As it stands, both Marcus Stroman and Aaron Sanchez are the subject of trade rumors. The Blue Jays may be a much different team once Opening Day comes around in 2019.
Even though the coming year may not be the best for the Toronto Blue Jays, there are better days ahead.
Everything that could have gone wrong for the Toronto Blue Jays in 2018 did.
On paper, the Toronto Blue Jays had a solid team heading into last year. Then, the games started, and everything went wrong.
Injuries and ineffectiveness gutted the Blue Jays roster. What appeared to be a formidable offense wallowed in mediocrity, scoring only 709 runs, tenth in the AL. While the Blue Jays hit 217 homers, the third best mark in the league, and had a .739 OPS, they were unable to get anyone on base with any regularity.
Those same issues plagued the pitching staff. While the offense could not score, the Blue Jays cuold not stop the opposition from scoring. Age caught up with Estrada in a hurry, while Stroman and Sanchez regressed. As a whole, the pitching staff posted a 4.85 ERA, ranking 12th out of the 15 AL teams.
Even the trade deadline did not go the Blue Jays way. They were able to trade Happ and get decent value, but Estrada was unable to be moved. Toronto reportedly turned down an offer from the Cardinals of Jack Flaherty, only to end up with the underwhelming Julian Merriweather for his services.
Fortunately, 2018 is over for the Toronto Blue Jays. But 2019 may not be much better.
2019 may be the start of the Toronto Blue Jays youth movement
The Toronto Blue Jays depth chart is not exactly going to strike fear into anyone. However, that may change after a few weeks.
Currently, the Blue Jays roster is filled with holes, and that may only get worse. Justin Smoak is currently atop the depth chart at first, but is on the trade block. Yankees castoffs Brandon Drury and Billy McKinney are currently expected to start at third and left respectively. Fromer top prospect Devon Travis is again expected to get a chance at second, but that may be his final chance.
These players are obviously not set in stone. Even if they do end up starting the season in the Blue Jays Opening Day lineup, reinforcements are around the corner. Players like Vlad Guerrero Jr should be up shortly after his service clock would allow the Blue Jays to keep him for an extra year. Anthony Alford may finally get a longer look in the lineup.
Even the projected rotation has a younger feel. Stroman, if he is still there, would be the staff ace, a grizzled veteran in the rotation at just 28 years old. Sam Gaviglio, who is currently projected as the fifth starter, would be the old man of the rotation, turning 29 years old at the end of May. Of course, that can change, depending on any moves that Toronto makes in the coming weeks.
The next year or two may be rough for the Toronto Blue Jays, but there is a bright future ahead. It just may take a couple of years to get there.
The Toronto Blue Jays could be led by second generation stars
As the Toronto Blue Jays youth movement progresses, there will be a few familiar last names moving through the ranks, as the franchise’s future will be tied to a quartet of second generation stars.
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One of those is already in the majors in Loudres Guirrel. Slated to be the Blue Jays starting shortstop in 2019, he proved himself to be a potential cornerstone, a power hitting option in the middle of the infield. Guerrero will be joining him, likely once his service clock has been delayed enough so that Toronto can gain an additional year of team control.
Other second generation players will be coming in the near future as well. Bo Bichette could make his debut towards the end of the season, especially if Devon Travis does not pan out. While he is not the power hitter that Guerrero, or even Gurriel could be, he would be a solid leadoff type, with the speed to be a weapon atop the lineup.
Cavan Biggio completes that intriguing quartet. An on base machine at AA last year, he may not have the profile that fits an every day role, but he could still be an important asset. Likely to arrive at close to the same time as Bichette, Biggio may prove to be a valuable super utility player, especially as he played several different positions in the Arizona Fall League.
The biggest problem that the Blue Jays face in their rebuild is that the pitching talent is lagging behind. Sean Reid-Foley is in the majors, but the Blue Jays other top pitching prospects, Nate Pearson and Eric Pardinho, are still a few years away. If the Blue Jays do end up moving Stroman or Sanchez, they may need to get back a young pitcher that is close to the majors as part of the package.
Next. Blue Jays Mount Rushmore. dark
The Toronto Blue Jays suffered through a rough 2018 campaign. While next year may not be much better, the future is bright for Toronto.