AS THE FLOCK RETURNS, SO DOES ROSTER SHUFFLING

MLB / Baseball

Written by Gus Cousins

When Toronto took the field on April 8th for their season opener, it marked the first time in 1,117 days that the Jays’ home opener would actually be played at home. Three years in the making have led to plenty of changes, with Marcus Stroman being the last opening-day Starting Pitcher that opened the season in the Rogers Centre.

With little help from recently-extended Opening Day Starter Jose Berrios, Toronto managed to pull off an astounding 10-8 comeback victory - a rarity that is, as Toronto had lost eleven straight home openers dating back to 2011 prior to this one. A 13-3 drubbing of Carl Pavano and the Minnesota Twins was the last time Toronto won their first home game of the season, a game I was at and subsequently deserves all the credit for. Unlike that lackluster 2011 team though, this 2022 squad has some serious aspirations.

José Berríos | Source (Background photo): Getty Images

The Starting Staff

While Berrios struggled mightily in his first start of the season, it wasn’t entirely unexpected. A shortened Spring Training limited every pitcher’s ability to get up to speed, and although nobody expected him to last only one-third of an inning, the thought that he - or anyone - may not be quite up to snuff yet was a rather pervasive thought.

That said, on paper Toronto should have one of the better staff in the league with Berrios, Gausman, Manoah, Ryu, and Kikuchi making up the main five. Ross Stripling will spot-start here and there too, with the possibility of post-mono Nate Pearson being stretched out as well. Nobody’s blown their arm out yet, with the slight exception of Jose De Leon in the Spring, however the longest start thus far has been Alek Manoah’s six shutout innings in the Bronx - Gausman and Berrios have maxed out at 5 innings, while Ryu and Kikuchi both left after 3 ⅓.

In terms of hindsight - because who doesn’t LOVE talking about that - I would have begun the season with Berrios too. It made sense given Gausman’s usage (or lack thereof) in the Spring, plus you just forked over 131 million dollars - he’s your guy. Berrios looked better in his second start, although running into trouble in the fifth. There was never any real debate about who the five starters would be to begin the year, and when Pearson went down with mono it was set in stone.

The Bullpen

Before I start to talk too much about the relievers of this swell team, I should point out that with the expanded April rosters Toronto began with 10 relievers. Romano, Cimber, Garcia, Richards, Mayza, and Stripling were all locks to join the roster while the remaining four in Thornton, Saucedo, Phelps, and Merryweather were not. For each of the latter four, there are fairly straightforward arguments to be had as to why they were the right decisions. Thornton was stretched out for multiple innings, Saucedo is a second lefty, and Phelps and Merryweather both looked fantastic last year prior to their injuries. Phelps was one of a few additions to the 40-man, while the rest were already rostered - easy decision, right?

Gus, the almighty roster questioner, begs to differ.

Listen, I don’t know if there’s really a wrong answer. Injuries will happen and players will need rest, but beginning with Thornton, Saucedo, Phelps, and Merryweather…I just don’t know. Saucedo I reluctantly agreed with, same with Merryweather to an extent. I preach giving pitchers fair shots, so there’s a case in my mind for Phelps to be there too I suppose. Thornton…no. I see no justification for Thornton to have opened the season on the team, much less still hanging around now.

Yes, Thornton is stretched out. Yes, he was already 40-man’d. But what you’re failing to consider is that he’s essentially another Stripling. Keep one if you must, not both. Neither are good beyond their ability to (kind of?) eat innings, and neither will ever be used in high-leverage. If you keep Stripling, which I’m not a fan, to begin with, then Thornton’s gotta go. So, Gus, what’s the solution then, huh? Who replaces Thornton? Here’s what I would have done:

Gus’ Bullpen Masterclass:

MAIN SIX: Romano, Cimber, Garcia, Richards, Mayza (lefty), and Stripling.

OTHER FOUR: Andrew Vasquez (lefty), Julian Merryweather, Casey Lawrence, and David Phelps.

REPLACEMENTS:

• Vasquez replaces Saucedo

• Lawrence replaces Thornton

• Merryweather and Phelps remain

In a world of ‘who deserves more of a chance’, I am unconvinced that Saucedo (who has options) deserves it over Vasquez. Of course, you want the better arm, but we’ve all seen Saucedo. It is noteworthy that on April 11th, Saucedo was sent down. Anthony Kay - someone who I haven’t even mentioned yet - was called up as someone who can provide length as a southpaw if need be.

With all this said, a few changes have already been made with many more on the horizon. Kay looked decent in his two innings of work against the Yankees this series and is his for the taking - for now - with both Vasquez and Saucedo in Buffalo. Minor League journeyman Matt Gage and youngster Brandon Eisert are two other lefty relief options that, depending on how they do, may end up in Toronto at some point as well.

The Hitters

As I write this, I am just now hearing that Teoscar Hernandez is officially being placed on the 10-day IL, with utilityman Gosuke Katoh being recalled to take his roster spot. This comes after Danny Jansen was placed on the 10-day IL for the exact same injury - an oblique strain. Sigh.

Who knew that we’d all be crying out for Reese McGuire just a week into the season? Hey, is Luke Maile still around? Oh no wait, he’s injured too…and he plays for Clevela-anyways the point is that recently-acquired Zack Collins and recently-called up Tyler Heineman haven’t made many friends thanks to their play: Collins is 0-for-5 with four strikeouts, while Heineman is 0-for-1 with a sac-bunt and a throwing error.

Reese McGuire is hitting a whopping 2-for-7 with a run scored.

This short-term pain will be followed, eventually, by the acclaimed Gabriel Moreno - Toronto’s top prospect, and 7th-best prospect overall according to MLB Pipeline.

Besides Moreno, there is only one other 40-man non-pitcher in AAA at the moment; Infielder Otto Lopez, who’s currently injured. At this moment in time, Katoh is back in the MLB - he would have been the other.

Currently, Toronto’s plan to fill Hernandez’s gap is a combination of Tapia and Zimmer. Tapia, although he hasn’t hit at all yet, I understand. I know Shapiro likes Zimmer - he was in Cleveland when they selected Zimmer 21st overall in 2014 - but man, Buffalo is riddled with guys who deserve a shot.

Mallex Smith has plenty of MLB experience, Josh Palacios has looked good thus far for the Bisons, Nathan Lukes was one of Toronto’s best players in Spring Training, and ex-first rounder Logan Warmoth (who was picked before Nate Pearson!) are all viable options. Zimmer’s never really done…anything. In fairness, neither have the aforementioned AAA options - Lukes and Wamoth have never played in the Majors, Palacios hit .200 in thirteen games with the Jays last year, and Smith hasn’t had a good offensive year since he was with the Rays in 2018. Do I think any of these four will be a ton better than Zimmer? No. Do I think they could be slightly better and deserve a look? Yes. Eventually, Dexter Fowler will become part of the mix in AAA too as he returns from injury.

Injuries aren’t fun, but you know what is fun? Vladdy! Toronto’s been praised for their offensive prowess and rightfully so, but now’s the time to prove it. Your starting Catcher and Right Fielder are out, and now is when it gets a little bit more challenging. Springer hitting .400, Guerrero Jr. blasting homers off Gerrit Cole, and Manoah’s six shutout innings against the Yankees has Toronto fans thirsting for more - but will they survive the IL trips of these two lineup mainstays?

Only time will tell, and that begins now.