Count Floyd among Jays’ hopefuls
Veteran right-hander has sights firmly set on job as fifth starter
BRADENTON, FLA.— The line for Gavin Floyd’s first spring start as a Blue Jay on Thursday in a 10-8 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates at McKechnie Field didn’t matter to the veteran right-hander.
What did matter was the fact that — coming off three injury-riddled seasons, including Tommy John in 2013 and missing most of 2014-15 — his right elbow felt fine and he’s pitching again.
In the aftermath of his two-inning effort, Floyd insisted his right elbow has been healthy all spring and that he has begun a comeback process which he believes will allow him to break camp with the major-league club, either as a starter or in relief.
He sounded almost assured, since the Jays offered him a 40-man roster spot with a guaranteed $1 million plus incentives. And, after a meeting with presi- dent Mark Shapiro and GM Ross Atkins, Floyd feels he just needs to be healthy to head north.
“They committed that,” Floyd said of his negotiation process as a free-agent this winter.
“You’ll have to ask them their side, but it was definitely comforting for me to know that I’m going to be out there and be on the team. But I’m not taking that for granted. I’m still going to go out there and work and compete and focus on what I need to do and try and get better.”
The Blue Jays’ pitching staff — if indeed a healthy Floyd has been assured a spot on the 25-man roster — suddenly becomes a numbers game. There are too many pitchers with not enough spots and a limited number of roles. Floyd’s start against the Pirates wasn’t great, with 40 pitches and one run facing nine batters with just one first-pitch strike. But after Floyd brought the Bucs grounds crew out between innings to dig a new landing spot, he was better in his second frame. The former White Sox starter has experienced some success in his career, posting 62 MLB wins in five seasons from 2008-’12. Now, he wants to be a starter again. “I want to be a starter, absolutely,” Floyd said. “That’s my comfort zone. Not that I’m uncomfortable with the bullpen. I’m just going to go out there and try to get better and make the adjustments. I know spring’s a month of adjustments, so just getting ready to compete, and whether it’s in the bullpen or the starting rotation, I’m excited to be back.”
Here’s where it becomes a numbers game.
Marcus Stroman, R.A. Dickey, Marco Estrada and J.A. Happ are guaranteed to be four of the five starters. But after working his butt off in the off-season, after gaining 15 pounds of muscle, after improving his body and his balance at Duke University with his buddy Stroman, 23-year-old Aaron Sanchez also insists he wants to start, not relieve.
“When we lost Game 6 (of the ALCS against the Royals) my mind was already on being a starter, so I didn’t really care, regardless of the trade,” Sanchez said the previous day, when asked to comment on the acquisition of reliever Drew Storen and whether it had given him thoughts of a starting role.
“I don’t think my mentality’s ever been in the ’pen since last year. My goal is to go out there and make 30 starts and get 200 innings, but we’ll see how that plays out.”
Then there are right-handers Jesse Chavez and Drew Hutchison also vying for that fifth starting spot. Chavez, 32, posted career highs in starts (26) and innings (1571⁄ 3) for the Athletics last season. Hutchison, 25, was 13-5 for the Jays and is trying to bounce back from horrible statistical splits. The likelihood is — barring injuries to the rotation — Hutchison could be sent to Triple-A Buffalo to work on his fastball command, log innings and be ready to help the big club.
As defending AL East champs, the Jays are not a team that should care what players would prefer. They can’t wait and let things take care of themselves. If they are to repeat, every single game is important, thus they must make strong decisions and have them be the right ones from Day 1 of the regular season.
So what is the right decision for the Blue Jays in terms of completing the 2016 starting rotation?
In his pre-game session at McKechnie Field, Jays manager John Gibbons may have dropped a hint of what he possibly has in mind for Sanchez, Hutchison and Chavez in terms of dividing the trio up as starter, swingman and set-up man.
“If (Chavez) is not that guy I can see him being very valuable out of the bullpen,” Gibbons said. “He could even pitch later in the game. He wouldn’t be limited necessarily to long or middle innings. You know he’s going to throw strikes. If Sanchy ends up in the rotation, Jesse can be a guy that can fit that particular (set-up) role Sanchy was having to.”
If Sanchez was to emerge as the fifth starter, it would be the correct decision because he has the highest ceiling. If Floyd has indeed been assured a spot on the team if he remains healthy and if he is not starting, he would fit nicely in what was perceived to be Chavez’s role — pitching long relief with the occasional start if needed.
Gibbons also thought moving Chavez into Sanchez’s 2015 secondhalf role could possibly complete the pitching puzzle. That, of course, assumes everyone remains healthy, which seldom happens.
Stay tuned.
The Jays host the Baltimore Orioles in spring training action Friday. NOTE: Left-hander Aaron Loup threw on flat ground Thursday but continues to feel discomfort in his left forearm as the result of a strain, and is likely to undergo an MRI.