AND THERE HE GOES . . .
It’s a whole new ball game in Toronto as fan favourite Edwin Encarnacion takes wing for Cleveland
If the season were to start tomorrow, the Blue Jays lineup would not be equipped enough to deal with Boston, the American League East favourite after adding left-hander Chris Sale to a now deep rotation this off-season
That’s the feeling, at least among the team’s fan base, which has been in a mostly gloomy mood this off-season. And that mood wasn’t pacified when Edwin Encarnacion agreed to join the Cleveland Indians on Thursday.
With Encarnacion and his beloved “Edwing” home-run trot now gone, the Jays lineup is obviously changed, with the perception that it is weaker and less likely to challenge for the post-season.
In fact, the off-season concerns — that the current roster needs at least two lefthanded bullpen options and a pair of corner outfielders — seem more pressing to fans with Encarnacion’s vacancy so fresh.
But the starting nine, as it sits now, still boasts star power, leadership, and experience — enough to certainly hang around the wild-card race, depending on the overall pitching performance.
The caveat, though, remains firm: The pitching will have to make up for the loss of power that Encarnacion and Jose Bautista have delivered in recent seasons.
Toronto will not make up those runs in full. It will also have to increase stolenbase attempts, move runners better and more frequently, score earlier in games, and work magic with its bullpen (even if two southpaws are added) to add up to a team that will likely have to range near or over the 90-win plateau to flirt with a post-season berth.
The bulk of the pressure, for now, falls on a current core of Josh Donaldson, Troy Tulowitzki, Russ Martin and Kevin Pillar. Of note, there is no true cleanup hitter, at least one that is in his prime production years.
And none of the big four are corner outfielders.
Devon Travis belongs in the core as well, with the franchise justifiably believing in a solid upside for the personable second baseman. But Travis is also coming off surgery, which will remain a small question mark until he shows consistency on both sides of the ball when the season starts.
The new acquisitions — designated hitter Kendrys Morales and first baseman/ outfielder Steve Pearce — are solid but there is also a question mark with how they fit in with this lineup, and how they will help reshape the team identity, which has been rooted in the multi-run homer the past several years.
Pillar remains the central piece to the outfield, which right now would also start Melvin Upton Jr., and Ezequiel Carrera, with Pearce platooning, likely in right field. Dalton Pompey may be considered ready for a full-time jump to the majors, and would at least add some much-needed base path speed, while newly acquired Lourdes Gurriel Jr. should also have a role in the outfield picture.
As for players currently outside the or- ganization that might be available, Bautista remains an option, but he is said to be pursuing a job with bona fide contender, with a possible fallback plan in Tampa, where he has a home. Free agent Ben Revere, a key piece to the 2015 post-season drive, is reportedly not being considered.
There has been talk about trading for one of Mets outfielders Jay Bruce and Curtis Granderson, but other links — to Colorado’s Charlie Blackmon and Pittsburgh’s Andrew McCutchen — come with steep price tags.
Starting pitching remains impressively deep for Toronto, and offers not only the most hope for the fan base, but potential resources should the team eye a major trade.
There is a lack of depth in the bullpen, with Aaron Loup leading a group of lefthanders that includes minor-leaguers with Chad Girodo and Matt Dermody. The Jays have been linked to several lefty relievers in what is a strong market for bullpen specialists this winter.
Martin remains an all-star level workhorse who would catch every day if you let him. His backup, at this moment, is A.J. Jimenez, creating another spot where the Jays could be looking to upgrade.
The Jays’ focus for the next month or so will be filling those holes.
Toronto will have to increase stolen bases, move runners more frequently, score earlier in games, and work magic with its bullpen