KEEPING UP APPEARANCES
Blue Jays manager John Gibbons drops in on the winter meetings, hoping his roster gets better looking by the day,
LAKE BUENA VISTA, FLA.— The Blue Jays still have the same personnel needs as when they touched down for the winter meetings on Sunday, but some of the options are disappearing. The latest is outfielder Marcell Ozuna, dealt from Miami to St. Louis for a package of young players. The Jays had been exploring that same avenue.
Jays manager John Gibbons, meanwhile, seemed to still be reeling from being designated as 30th and worst on the best-lookingMLB-managers list published Tuesday. “That’s shocking, especially since (Tigers manager Ron Gardenhire) is back,” Gibbons said with tongue planted firmly in cheek. “That brought me to my knees a little bit. But, hey, beauty’s only skin deep, but ugly is to the bone. I’d say (I should be) not in the top 20, but somewhere in the bottom 10.”
Entering his sixth season in his second incarnation with the Jays, Gibbons understands the need for improved outfield play and offensive production next season. The Jays were last in run production in the American League in 2017 and they were defensively challenged on balls in the air.
“I love our outfield, but we can get better,” Gibbons said. “There were some plays that needed to be made that weren’t made. No doubt that affects your team. That’s an area we’re trying to target, no doubt. Jose (Bautista) won’t be around either. (Anthony) Alford may come on fast. He’s down there playing in Mexico now. You’ve got Teoscar Hernandez who’s got a ton of talent. They could come out of nowhere or shock us, turn into some of the better players in the game.”
The Jays actually preferred Marlins left fielder Christian Yelich over the just-traded Ozuna but, because Yelich is locked in to a reasonable contract through 2021, with a club option for 2022, it would likely cost more to acquire him than what the Yankees sent south for Giancarlo Stanton. In the case of the Jays, you can start with, perhaps, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. or Bo Bichette.
When asked about the likely negotiations with free-agent left-hander CC Sabathia, Gibbons waxed eloquent in his praise for the 37-yearold workhorse who reportedly could be had for a contract with an average annual value in the range of $13 million for two years, similar to what Jays starters Marco Estrada and J.A. Happ are pulling in.
“He’s a workhorse, man,” Gibbons said.
“He’s always pitched well against us . . . (he’s been) one of the great competitors in the game for a number of years. I thought he looked strong last year. He had that knee issue and some things that kind of hampered him. He’s still got that good breaking ball and he’s a big strong guy.”
The Jays at this point still list swingman Joe Biagini as a fifth starter, plus there are still question marks surrounding the ability of Aaron Sanchez to log 30 starts. The top two starters in the Jays’ rotation, Marcus Stroman and Sanchez, are both in their mid-20s and the addition of Sabathia would add a Mark Buehrle-type presence inside a clubhouse that truly needs a bigbrother presence.
“Well, you’d love to have that guy but I don’t know how many of them are available and what the cost would be,” Gibbons said. “Oh, yeah, I love Sabathia. I’ve always liked him. He’s coming off a big year and he’s available. But yeah, ideally you get one of those guys, an ace or close to an ace.”
Certainly, there are other MLB starting pitchers available in free agency, but more of them are middle to bottom of the rotation guys, many with iffy health histories. Sure Sabathia has had his own health issues, but he made 27 starts in 2017 and his ERA would have ranked as second best in the Jays’ rotation to Stroman and 15th in the AL among pitchers with at least 140 innings.
Gibbons knows that the Yankees have improved their abilities with Stanton and that the deep-pocketed Red Sox are looking to keep pace. That being said, the Jays manager claims to be grateful to compete with the big boys in the AL East.
“In my big-league (managing) career I’ve always been in this division,” Gibbons said.
“That’s kind of the way it works. You expect those teams to always make big moves. They’re always forced to. They try to make big moves. You have to try and keep pace with them. Especially with the Yankees coming off a big year and they just added to it.
“I think there are limitations sometimes to what you can do, but I don’t think you can be distracted by that. It’s a reality. Hey, if you want to beat these guys, you’ve got to try and keep pace. But you still have to have your plan and target your guys and hopefully you land them, because it’s not just a grab-bag where you can have anybody you want. It doesn’t work that way.”
By mid-afternoon Wednesday, Gibbons was in a cab on the way to Orlando International, returning to his San Antonio home. He’ll have time there to wonder about the Jays’ roster possibilities, and time to ponder where it all went wrong in terms of personal grooming. To think he could be ranked behind Mike Scioscia, Bruce Bochy, Terry Francona and others.