Blue Jays Land Springer: Are The Jays a Contender?
Photo Via: MLB on FOX
The Toronto Blue Jays signed former Astros’ outfielder George Springer to a 6-year, $150 million contract. The contract is the largest in team history (formerly Vernon Wells held the top spot) and signifies the intentions of ownership and front office management. The organization wants to win very soon.
Prior to reeling in Springer, the Jays brought in reliever Kirby Yates and starting pitcher Tyler Chatwood, and re-signed pitchers Robbie Ray and A.J. Cole. For most of this offseason, the Blue Jays found themselves in the runner-up position consistently when it came to their targeted acquisitions. Many MLB insiders believe the Blue Jays attempted to trade for Francisco Lindor, who instead was sent to the Mets. The club was in on D.J. LeMahieu, with a reported offer of 4 years and $78 million, but ultimately watched him return to the Yankees for six years. Ha-Seong Kim signed with the Padres, but the Blue Jays reportedly offered the Korean 25-year-old infielder a multi-year deal.
The Blue Jays were able to finally enjoy their day in the sun when they landed Springer, but the feeling did not last long. On Wednesday, broadcaster and journalist Hazel Mae tweeted that Toronto had signed yet another Astros’ outfielder, Michael Brantley. However, the tweet was disputed by other MLB insiders and Brantley re-signed with Houston for 2 years and $32 million.
Pitching (both starting and relief) is the main area where Toronto can improve (25th in MLB with 5.2 runs against in 2020), and with a multitude of talented arms still available, another addition is likely. The club traded for Taijuan Walker from Seattle last season, but he is currently a free agent. Canadian-born (albeit on the west side of the country) James Paxton remains unsigned. Reliever Brad Hand is still a free agent. Aaron Loup, Mark Melancon, and Shane Greene are three other relief pitchers that Toronto can target in free agency, among others.
Here is how the current Blue Jays’ depth chart appears, if the season started today. The prospects are ranked by MLB.com with their estimated MLB arrivals (ETAs).
Starting Lineup
C: Danny Jansen, Alejandro Kirk
Top C Prospect: Gabriel Moreno (8, ETA: 2022)
1B: Rowdy Tellez
Top 1B Prospect: Ryan Noda (Unranked, ETA: 2024)
2B: Cavan Biggio
Top 2B Prospect: Miguel Hiraldo (9, ETA: 2022)
3B: Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Santiago Espinal
Top 3B Prospect: Jordan Groshans (3, ETA: 2022)
SS: Bo Bichette
Top SS Prospect: Austin Martin (2, ETA: 2022)
LF: Lourdes Gurriel Jr.
Top LF Prospect: Tanner Morris (Unranked, ETA: 2023)
CF: George Springer, Jonathan Davis.
Top CF Prospect: Dasan Brown (16, ETA: 2023)
RF: Teoscar Hernandez, Derek Fisher.
Top RF Prospect: Will Robertson (22, ETA: 2022)
DH: Randal Grichuk
Top Prospect Not Already Listed: Orelvis Martinez, SS (7, ETA: 2023)
Rotation
1. Hyun-Jin Ryu
2. Robbie Ray
3. Nate Pearson
4. Tanner Roark
5. Trent Thornton
Top SP Prospects: Simeon Woods Richardson (4, ETA: 2021), Alek Manoah (5, ETA: 2022), Adam Kloffenstein (10, ETA: 2022)
Bullpen
Closer: Kirby Yates
Setup: Rafael Dolis
Setup: Anthony Kay
Middle: Jordan Romano
Middle: Shun Yamaguchi
Middle: Thomas Hatch
Middle: T.J. Zeuch
Middle: A.J. Cole
Middle: Ryan Borucki
Middle: Patrick Murphy
Middle: Julian Merryweather
Long Relief: Ross Stripling
Long Relief: Jacob Waguespack
Long Relief: Tyler Chatwood
Top RP Prospect: Anthony Castro (19, ETA: 2020)
The lineup, as constructed, is clearly ready to mash baseballs. Most of the team’s position players are approaching expected breakout seasons at the major league level, which could set the organization up for a nice run of consecutive Postseason appearances. However, there is a clear dropoff in the pitching rotation after Ryu. If the Blue Jays do not improve its starting pitching, I do not envision a scenario where it wins a Postseason series. Its greatest improvement at the position may come by way of rookie Nate Pearson evolving into a frontline starter. His fastball is major league ready, often eclipsing 100 miles per hour, but the secondary pitches need to mix in to allow Pearson to face lineups multiple times through. At this point, the Blue Jays are a playoff contender, and are only a few moves away from becoming more.