PLAYING FOR PRIDE AND NOT MUCH ELSE
With Jays well off the playoff pace, trades are looming in Toronto, writes Rob Longley.
There is no mercy rule in baseball. The games and the drama must go on.
For the 2018 Toronto Blue Jays, the post-all-star break still has 67 games to be played, most of them with minimal consequence beyond future development.
Of course, with this team, it’s been that way for a while during back-to-back dreadful seasons.
The Jays kick off the unofficial second half of the season today with a six-game homestand and they do so trailing the AL Eastleading Boston Red Sox by 231/2 games and the second AL wildcard spot by 14 games.
With that in mind, here’s our list of what to look for from the Jays between now and Sept. 30’s merciful end to the season.
JOSHIN’ AROUND
When will we see 2015 MVP Josh Donaldson return, if at all?
It’s been a lost season for the third baseman, who has played in just 36 games with 137 at-bats. His latest stint on the DL, which has now reached 41 games due to a strain in his calf, has brought with it residual damage both to Donaldson, a pending free agent, and the team.
When he returns, there won’t be enough time for Donaldson to display the form that would make him attractive as trade bait before the non-waiver deadline. Beyond that, will the team have an interest in re-signing him or would he even want to stay?
ANYBODY OUT THERE?
Through 49 home dates thus far, the Jays are down a whopping 523,106 fans from last season, a year in which they led the league in attendance for the second straight season.
While that’s not a disaster as they are still fifth in the league, it could get worse the rest of the way.
Consider, for example, that 10 of the remaining home dates are against the Tampa Bay Rays, who are hardly a big draw. There are also six games left against the Orioles, now without Manny Machado, beginning with a three-game set this weekend.
Want to see the New York Yankees?
Wait till next season.
CLOSING TIME
Since the early hours of May 8 when Roberto Osuna was charged with domestic assault, the Jays have been without a true closer. Osuna, who is pitching on an MLB-approved rehab assignment in Dunedin, Fla., is eligible to rejoin the Jays Aug. 5 when the team is in Seattle.
It is there, if he sees game action, that we’ll get an indication of how the fan base is going to react.
Osuna is currently serving a 75-game MLB suspension, but with his case unresolved before the courts, fan reaction to the 2017 all-star figures to be intriguing at the least.
HAPP TO IT
Speaking of all-stars, how many starts will Jays fans see of lefty J.A. Happ?
With his first all-star game behind him, the 35-year-old is scheduled to pitch Sunday against the Orioles.
But now that Machado has been dealt, Happ is one of the highest-profile names remaining on the trade market heading toward the deadline.
So where will Happ end up and what will he bring ? Buzz in Washington was the Jays are asking for a lot — including a toptier prospect — with interest said to be scattered far and wide. The Yankees appear to be at the top, but Milwaukee and the Chicago Cubs have also been mentioned prominently.
There’s plenty of other trade possibilities including a number of arms in the Jays’ bullpen, fellow starter Marco Estrada and outfielder Curtis Granderson.
STRO SHOW SNAPS?
Will Marcus Stroman completely lose it before the season ends?
Considering he’s coming off back-to-back 200-plus-inning seasons and was on a trajectory toward becoming one of the elite starters in the game, a sentiment he expressed in the off-season, Stroman has to classify as one of the biggest disappointments of this season.
His 5.86 ERA has soared from his career-best 3.09 of 2017 and the struggles have been plenty.
He admitted he rushed back from a shoulder injury in the spring, which led to a DL stint.
Following his most recent outing in Boston, however, Stroman lost his cool, saying afterward the Jays are “f---ing terrible.” Can’t imagine that played well in the clubhouse.