MLB 2019

[The Buscher]

MLB basically gives the middle finger to Canada.  Marcus Stroman pulls out of the All Star Game and replaces him with Masahiro Tanaka instead of giving the Jays a new rep when they actually had one who was deserving (Ken Giles).

Even if they didn’t go with Giles, Tanaka’s numbers don’t scream “All Star” at all.  Adam Ottavino would’ve been a much better choice.

[Meacon Keaton]

On ‎01‎/‎07‎/‎2019 at 08:57, Trent Buschetta said:

 I can't justify Ottavino over Mike Minor as starters are more valuable. 

Ya said it yourself, starters are more valuable. It is weird though since that means no rep for the Blue Jays at all. Oh well. They're not a very good team anyway.  

[Gabriel]

1 hour ago, Meacon said:

Ya said it yourself, starters are more valuable. It is weird though since that means no rep for the Blue Jays at all. Oh well. They're not a very good team anyway.  

Not yet, we aren't.

As with any young lineup, the hitting has been inconsistent, but when they are on, my god they are on. If our pitching wasn't the drizzling shits outside of a couple of guys, I'd wager that the Jays would be a tough team to play every night. As it stands, with the awful pitching, there's no room at all for error offensively, and if they aren't driving in runs, they're going to lose. Even if they're driving in runs, with the pitching the way it's been, I don't think anyone is really intimidated.

They have to sort out their pitching situation. With the bats we have in the lineup, if they can get more consistent pitching next year, they could be playing important games into August/September. I'm not saying they'd be at the front of the AL East by any means, but chasing the wild card with this lineup (minus a couple veterans at the deadline, plus Bo Bichette) is absolutely possible if they can sort out the pitching.

That's a huge IF though. Given the Jays history, it's more likely that they move some prospects out for pitchers who don't perform well, and then find out that the prospects they moved turned out better than the ones that stayed.

[The Buscher]

1 hour ago, Meacon said:

Ya said it yourself, starters are more valuable. It is weird though since that means no rep for the Blue Jays at all. Oh well. They're not a very good team anyway.  

I mean I could understand if John Means went down and the Orioles didn’t have a rep, as they have no other good pitchers and the only other player who would warrant going (Mancini) would need to replace a position player.  But it just seemed like a lay-up for Giles.

It was fair to argue against the rule of every team needing a rep when the game was for homefield, but with it now just being for fun I think it’s best to give every fanbase a reason to watch.

[The Buscher]

Jake Arrieta hit THREE batters last night, one of which was after warnings had already been issued, and the umpire didn't throw him out.  The only people ejected were Todd Frazier who wanted to charge the mound after the second hit (which prompted the warning) and Mickey Callaway after arguing Arrieta not getting ejected after the third.

On top of all of that, in his post game comments to reporters, Arrieta addressed Frazier by saying "I'll put a dent in his skull".

I'm shocked that a Trump supporter is a giant piece of shit.

[The Buscher]

Jay Bruce, traded away by the Mets in November, has 4 home runs against the Mets in the last two weeks.  He’s doing the exact same thing Daniel Murphy did against them while being a far more productive this season than Cano.

I can’t do it anymore.  This franchise has reached Browns and Knicks level of embarrassment.

[RoHitman Reigns]

7 minutes ago, Trent Buschetta said:

Jay Bruce, traded away by the Mets in November, has 4 home runs against the Mets in the last two weeks.  He’s doing the exact same thing Daniel Murphy did against them while being a far more productive this season than Cano.

I can’t do it anymore.  This franchise has reached Browns and Knicks level of embarrassment.

Bruce also now has more RBIs with Philly than he does amounts of games played for Philly. Nice trade it looks like so far.

[The Buscher]

It’s not just that the Mets make decisions that simply don’t work out.  It’s that the decisions completely blow up in their face.  Every time.

I’ll be rootin for Alonso, McNeil, and deGrom during the All Star festivities, and I’ll continue to pull for them from afar since they’re seemingly the only three likable players on the team.  But much like main roster WWE, I’ve been worn down one time too many.  I can’t justify the countless hours I spend supporting this franchise as long as the Wilpons remain in charge.

I can’t give up on baseball, but I’ve given up on supporting this team.  I’ll have to take the All Star break to mull my options.

[Lowerdeck]

There's always the... Twins?

[Gabriel]

15 hours ago, Lowerdeck said:

There's always the... Twins?

Speaking of... they've been checking in with the Jays about Ken Giles. While it would suck to lose a guy with a sub 2.00 ERA who has been a steady force in an otherwise messy pitching situation in Toronto, it was always going to happen that he would be traded before the deadline.

[Meacon Keaton]

Bullpen arms tend to be so hit or miss from year to year that the Jays need to sell Giles this year and get the best package they can for him. A 2.00 ERA arm is nice but it’s totally not necessary on a team that likely won’t even win 70 games.

[Gabriel]

8 minutes ago, Meacon said:

Bullpen arms tend to be so hit or miss from year to year that the Jays need to sell Giles this year and get the best package they can for him. A 2.00 ERA arm is nice but it’s totally not necessary on a team that likely won’t even win 70 games.

Completely agree. It's tough to see good performers go, and Giles has a good career stat-line, but at the same time, like I mentioned a few posts ago, the team's offense isn't really in question beyond their ability to stay consistent. Consistency will come for them as the young guys get more accustomed to the majors, so there's no real issue there. The future looks bright in that regard, but our pitching has been abysmal and they need to re-stock the cabinet there.

Stephen Gonsalves is a name from the Twins system that has been brought up in regards to any talks about Giles, and while he doesn't look like he's pitched much this year, he's a name that's been hovering around the top of their prospect depth chart for a bit, is only 25 and would be a very good piece to have in exchange.

I'm expecting a few Jays trades before the deadline, all of which should bring back young arms. Some of those guys will probably end up pitching in the majors this year out of necessity, and it's a good time to get a look at some younger guys ahead of next season to really gauge whether or not it will make sense to go after any more established arms in the off-season.

Ryan Borucki should be ready to go shortly after the all-star break also, so he'll be able to plug into the rotation to fill Stroman's slot, but the team will still need to pick up some more pitchers who can potentially play in the majors this season. Injuries haven't been kind to the pitching staff this year, and there's no way we get anything decent for Sanchez right now, so it looks like he's staying, and they'll need pitching depth to not only make up for the losses of Stroman and Giles, but also to get some struggling arms some time back in Buffalo or New Hampshire, and to cover for injuries. I'd love to see Sanchez stay healthy to end the year, but it's more likely he sees one or two more stints on the IL before September.

[The Buscher]

I’ve seen the Phillies linked for a potential reunion with Giles as well.

[The Buscher]

Matt Chapman has replaced Christian Yelich in the Home Run Derby as Yelich has a minor back issue.  Yelich still intends on playing in the actual game.

Lineups:

NL
1 - LF Yelich
2 - SS Baez
3 - 1B Freeman
4 - RF Bellinger
5 - 3B Arenado
6 - DH Bell
7 - C Contreras
8 - 2B Marte
9 - CF Acuna
P - Ryu

AL
1 - RF Springer
2 - 2B LeMahieu
3 - CF Trout
4 - 1B Santana
5 - DH Martinez
6 - 3B Bregman
7 - C Sanchez
8 - LF Brantley
9 - SS Polanco
P - Verlander

[The Buscher]

Justin Verlander rules.
 

 

[Mx. Canadian Destroyer]

Vladdy just broke the record for home runs in a HR Derby round with 29. That is wild. The kid is good. 

[The Buscher]

Alonso heel turn on the Cleveland crowd 

[RoHitman Reigns]

Loved that last one from Alonso, didnt even need bonus time and he knew it was gone to move on.

Honestly if Vlad can keep this up I dont see how he can be beat.

[Mx. Canadian Destroyer]

Vlad matches his 1st round total of 29 in Round 2. 

[The Buscher]

And then Joc tied it.

The balls are undeniably juiced to hell.