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OT: The Toronto Blue Jays

worm said:
Tellez was awful this year but I did not mind him previously.
He does not really serve much purpose on this team moving forward.
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Especially with Vlad showing some good D at 1B with no real likelihood of moving him off that, it's tough to carry another 1B-only option around
 
Kirk has an MLB bat, but can only really be a DH for now. Tough call with a guy like that. I'd call him up and let him catch bullpens everyday.
 
I honestly don't know why any pitcher even bothers to throw Randal Grichuk a strike. He'll swing and get himself out anyway. He swings at almost 40% of pitches outside the strike zone, and if he wasn't expecting to get a strike, he'd probably swing at even more.

To his credit, Grichuk's contact rate on balls in the strikezone is outstanding (90+% this year). Even more reason not to put it there.
 
Merryweather is not even a thing. He's almost 30 and has managed 17 MLB innings. Don't really care how hard you throw if you can't ever play.

For comparison, uber injury prone Dustin McGowan had 375 MLB innings under his belt.
 
Footer: Last question: What do you think of the Blue Jays now, and how do you envision their second half playing out? If you’re their GM, what do you do?

Feinsand: If I’m Ross Atkins, I call the Twins and do everything I can to deal for Berríos and Nelson Cruz. It’s time for Toronto to go for it.

Morosi: I like your boldness there, Mark!

And as you know, Ross Atkins and Derek Falvey know each other very well from their time in Cleveland. So I would expect those conversations to be as comfortable as any high-pressure negotiation can be.

Feinsand: The Blue Jays have six prospects on MLB Pipeline’s Top 100. I’m not saying to trade all six, but move a couple of them along with some other prospects and make a statement.

Morosi: Correct. And a number of them play the infield, where they already have a lot of depth.

Feinsand: There are quality assets there that teams will want. Use them. If you added Berríos and Cruz to the Jays, it would make for some uncomfortable nights of sleep in Boston and Tampa Bay.

Morosi: The way in which Alek Manoah has surpassed Nate Pearson on the organizational depth chart means that Pearson could be in play. I have doubts about Pearson's durability and consistency, but GMs might see enough there to make him a priority acquisition.

And one other thing about Toronto -- and it supports Mark's notion about going big with a Berríos-Cruz deal -- the Marcus Semien signing last winter was one of the best moves by any team. They have four position players in the All-Star Game for the first time since 1993. Semien is one of them.

He signed a one-year deal, and they may struggle to agree on an extension because of how they value all the talent coming behind him. So this is a unique window to win with Semien on the roster, and he's a huge part of what they do.

Feinsand: I’m not sold that Chaim Bloom is going to be a huge player at the Deadline. And we know Tampa Bay has financial limitations. The Blue Jays have a chance to do what they did in 2015, when they added David Price and Troy Tulowitzki. Go big.

I refer to this all the time, but I love Billy Beane’s philosophy on this stuff. When you see a window open during which you believe your team can contend, you owe it to your players and your fans to go for it. That’s Toronto right now.

Morosi: And let's note one more crucial detail: It's possible that by late July or August, the Jays are back at the Rogers Centre. Talk about some momentum: move back home, add a couple players. There could be excitement to rival 2015, which was a pretty special time for this organization.

Feinsand: That place is rocking when the Jays are good. There was no better atmosphere in baseball than Toronto during the final couple months of the 2015 season.

Morosi: Great vibe. Great city.
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MLB Trade Deadline roundtable

www.mlb.com
 
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