Win over ace may cost in long run
DUNEDIN, FLA.— The Blue Jays appeared to put the finishing touches on their starting rotation Thursday, adding cost certainty by beating likely Opening Day starter Marcus Stroman in an arbitration decision and by signing free-agent left-hander Jaime Garcia.
The 31-year-old Garcia, who agreed to a one-year deal with a club option, had been one of several names linked to the Jays since last November. Now, with spring training underway, free-agent pitchers are quickly signing contracts, many of them club-friendly. Garcia will earn $8 million for 2018, with a $10-million option for 2019. There is a buyout of $2 million for the second year, with incentives for innings pitched in each seasons.
Garcia will be pitching for his fifth major-league team in the past 18 months. He spent 2017 with the Braves, Twins and Yankees after spending his first eight seasons in St. Louis. He was 5-10 with a 4.41 ERA in 27 starts last year and is 67-55, 3.69, lifetime.
At the opposite end of the Jays’ rotation, there was one unhappy camper. The Jays may have posted the most Pyrrhic of salary victories when it was learned that they had won their case against Stroman. The 26-year-old starter will earn the $6.5-million offer that the club made instead of the $6.9M he had requested. They have won the battle but may lose the war.
The process of salary arbitration can be brutal. It has been included in the collective bargaining agree- ment since the 1970s, with a mandated provision that the player be in the hearing room, along with his representatives.
The problem is that sometimes the back-and-forth can be taken personally. Some players understand that the exchange is part of the business. Others don’t.
Stroman had been scheduled to meet with the media Thursday afternoon, but left Dunedin Stadium after finding out the Jays had won the arbitration decision. He took to Twitter to demonstrate he is not one that sees it as part of the business.
“Lost arbitration,” Stroman tweeted. “Is what it is. Looking forward to going out and dealing again. The negative things that were said against me, by my own team, will never leave my mind. I’m thickskinned so it will only fuel the fire. Can’t wait for this year!
Then minutes later came a second tweet.
“I kill myself daily for my family, friends, fans, and teammates. Work ethic beyond elite. More of the same going forward. Less communication with anyone trying to take away from that. I’m turning all the way up this year!”
Shortly after that came a third tweet.
“Can’t wait to be back in Toronto this year. Dealing on my mound. For the entire country of Canada.”
Some of Stroman’s inflammatory tweets were deleted over the next few hours. He sent out a follow-up denying he was bitter about losing in arbitration. Earlier in the off-season, after the Jays non-tendered his friend Ryan Goins, the 26-year-old right-hander criticized GM Ross Atkins for making him find out about the move on Twitter.
“Arbitration is a tough process,” Atkins shrugged, when pressed about Stroman’s reaction.
“We remain objective in arbitration and we also use outside resources. It impacts players in different ways. I think a lot of Marcus and his ability to impact a baseball game, his ability to be a starting pitcher. Much like Jaime, his ability to adjust and adapt his pitches is remarkable. His athleticism is remarkable. We’ll focus mostly on how we can help him be the best pitcher he can be.”
While the Jays won their fight with Stroman this time, they may find it costs them in the long run as Stroman approaches his free agency following 2020. He was 13-9 in 2017, with a 3.09 ERA, logging 201innings. He was named MVP of the World Baseball Classic last spring as he helped the United States to the title.
The Garcia signing should have its biggest impact on swingman Joe Biagini, who had been listed as the fifth starter. Most of his success had come out of the bullpen after he was a Rule 5 selection in 2016, but the plan was to continue to stretch the 25-year-old Californian as a starter during spring training. Even with Garcia on board, Atkins said the plan will not change for Biagini, although his opening- day team might.
“For spring training, Joe will remain focussed on starting and we’ll see where we are at the end of camp,” Atkins explained.
“Our goal is to build as much starting depth as possible. He’s been one of the highlights over the past couple of years. We’ve had a lot, but he’s certainly been one of them.”
Atkins was asked if Biagini might be optioned to Triple-A Buffalo to be hone his starting skills.
“That would probably be less than ideal for Joe, but I also think Joe understands that it’s his career,” the GM said.
“It’s not just about the month of April for the Toronto Blue Jays. We’ll see where that goes, but there’s a lot of information to come. But if we have that challenge, it means we had five very healthy starters through the course of spring training. That would be great to have.”
The Jays are about $3 million to $4 million below last year’s openingday payroll and Atkins suggested that he might be able to add one more pitcher in the bullpen.
Garcia won’t be the deciding factor for the Jays competing with the Yankees and Red Sox, but it does make them better. As for Stroman using the perceived insult to fuel his fires, he is improving each year and never really needed it.