RYU SIGNING COULD FULLY BLOSSOM FOR JAYS IN 2021
Adding Korean lefty before the pandemic kicked in significant phase of club's rebuild
There was no way of knowing it at the time, but the Toronto Blue Jays' signing of Hyun-Jin Ryu in the fading days of 2019 may have been central to the team's ability to have a productive 2020 off-season, even with the dire challenges facing every professional sports team.
General manager Ross Atkins — under the purview of team president Mark Shapiro — has approached his winter business with noticeably more aggression than we've seen in his five years at the helm of Canada's only Major League Baseball franchise.
He's spoken boldly about having money to spend and in the churn of the off-season rumour mill, the Jays have taken a frontrow seat alongside the traditional big spenders. It's been refreshing to a point, as long as the expectations built into the process don't prove to be artificial.
With the virtual winter meetings (originally scheduled for Texas) about to get underway this week, we may soon have an indication of just how serious the Jays will be at taking their next step toward legitimate contender status.
The usual sell job facing the Jays as they woo players to come north of the border is exacerbated by challenges related to the COVID-19 pandemic, of course. Essentially, the first question the club recruiters are asked is where the team will play next season. But with payroll cuts and spending limitations seeming to be the rule for the majority of MLB teams this winter, the Jays are at least talking as if what awaits is a land of opportunity.
But the fact the Jays intend to be players over the weeks and days ahead can be traced directly back to the Ryu signing. When Atkins landed the Korean lefty to a four-year US$80-million deal, the clock started ticking on the high-end portion of the rebuild.
Part of the blueprint sold to owner Rogers Communications was that the team would continue to add so as to maximize the value of having an ace on staff.
They may have to overspend to do so, but indications so far are that the Jays are willing to be a bull among the bears.
With that in mind, here's a look at some of the orders of business that could be high on the agenda of Atkins and company:
IF YOU BUILD IT ...
In articulating the team's approach this off season, Atkins has revealed greater detail of the meticulous blueprint constructed by the creative baseball operations department.
Essentially the timeline has gone something like this: Purge aging stars, continue to stockpile and develop young talent, wait for a core of that talent to emerge as big-league ready then start to add proven big-league talent.
Firmly in phase four of that process doesn't mean the Jays are going to go all-in to become an instant contender. It's not the measured way in which Atkins and Shapiro roll.
Ryu was the first major acquisition and the front office is committed to adding at least one more high-end player this winter. But as Atkins has cautioned, this off-season is just the next opportunity, one which will be followed by the trade deadline and what could perhaps be a more tempting class of free agents next winter.
PREACHING PATIENCE
The winter meetings aren't necessarily the swap meet signing spree they once were — at least as it pertains to the Blue Jays.
A year ago in San Diego they came away with Tanner Roark, though it's worth noting the early groundwork for the Ryu signing had been laid. In 2018, the “big” news was the Jays cutting ties with Troy Tulowitzki, as the purge continued. In 2017 there was nothing to report and the year before, the acquisition of Steve Pearce.
So you get the point.
All that said, with less buyers and the Jays more clearly in the mix for top-shelf offerings, perhaps a `virtual' success awaits.
They are certainly in a different mindset this season and appear to be poised to shop above and beyond the bargain bin.
THIRD DEGREE
Until opening day (unless of course they acquire a natural at the position), the situation at third base will be an ongoing discussion. As such, then, the uncertainty at the hot corner is expected to play into the Jays' actions at the winter meetings and beyond.
Will it be Vlad Guerrero Jr.? Will it be Cavan Biggio, a suggestion Atkins floated a few days back? Or will it be a new look altogether?
“The most likely scenario? It's hard to say,” Atkins said. “There are other significant variables
Part of the blueprint sold to Rogers was that the team would continue to add so as to maximize the value of having an ace on staff.
in the rest of the off-season, and who we acquire, and Vladdy.”
CATCHING ON
There were a few eyebrows raised when the Jays' 40-man roster was cemented earlier this month and it included no fewer than five catchers.
Yes, the Jays have depth at the position — from emerging No. 1 guy Danny Jansen, to fan favourite Alejandro Kirk. But rival GMs have been mentioning some of those five in various trade talks.
Atkins has acknowledged as much and that currency could help the Jays' most significant move of this off season come via a deal rather than a free-agent signing. As one of those building blocks we mentioned earlier, the fact that the Jays have highend prospects they can use in a potential deal (rather than the scraps they've typically offered at the trade deadline) changes their field position this winter.
VIRTUAL REALITY
Be it in Vegas, San Diego or next year's stop, Nashville, the winter meetings are generally a massive trade show for agents, front offices and various other team and league personnel.
This year, instead of gathering at a mammoth convention centre (or perhaps even more productively, lobby bars and cafés), GMs and agents will keep the phone and Zoom lines burning.
Atkins acknowledges that some could get lost in the transmission, but at the same time the GM also feels comfortable with the relationships he's developed around MLB that he'll be able to comfortably go about his business.