Blue Jays Morning Brew: Debating Johnson, Rotten Apple, and Crowdsourcing Lind

Aug 30, 2013; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Adam Lind (26) hits a two-run single in the first inning against the Kansas City Royals at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY SportsThe Major League Baseball playoff got underway last night, and as has become a routine, we’re left talking about the Toronto Blue Jays in the past-tense and outside of the postseason window. Still, we have Blue Jays on our minds, and in our hearts, as we move toward an offseason full of mystery.

Hey, before we start sharing links, let’s share a bit of history. On this day in 1991, the Blue Jays clinched the American League East. So, we have that…right?!

As we discussed here, Josh Johnson underwent surgery to remove bone spurs from his pitching elbow, something Dr. James Andrews told the pitcher could likely have been responsible for his miserable 2013 campaign. In a piece of his own on Johnson, Shi Davidi discussed Toronto’s decision-making process on Johnson, including what might come down to a one-year deal to bring the pitcher back to the Blue Jays in 2014, something his agent seems much in favor of. But am I in favor of it? Not really.

One player that did not experience a rough 2013 season was Adam Lind. Lind used a strong month of September to win the coveted Honda Player of the Month Award, becoming the only Blue Jays player to take home the trophy twice this season, as Gregor Chisholm tells us. Lind used the month to finish strong, pushing himself to a team-leading .288 average with 23 home runs, 67 RBI, and .854 OPS. His performance will likely see his option picked up by Toronto, but it’ll be interesting to see if that makes him a part of the 2014 club or a trade-high candidate.

Over at FanGraphs, Carson Cistulli has an interesting piece on Pedro Alvarez and Edwin Encarnacion, and the difference between the two in regards to usable power. It’s an interesting study, albeit one that points to the obvious flaws in Alvarez’s game, and the strides that Encarnacion has made in the last two seasons. Still, it presents a number of good “what-if” scenarios that make it a fun read.

Also at FanGraphs, Carson Cistulli takes a run through contract-crowdsourcing and asks readers to help determine what Lind would be worth if he to hit the open market. It’s another fun exercise that can help us stay engaged with the team.

At the Globe and Mail, Tom Maloney is the latest to take a look at the many questions that face the Toronto Blue Jays this winter. We see the usual run-down of Arencibia, dangling either Jose Bautista or Encarnacion, picking up options on Lind and Mark DeRosa, and the DH log-jam. One notable point is that while the Blue Jays will look at the bullpen as a source of wealth to trade from, they will still need to replace the valuable arm of Darren Oliver, who will retire in the coming days. It’ll be interesting to see how that impacts some trades this winter.

And finally, we have strange story over at MacRumors.com, where we find out that the Cupertino has hired Blue Jays Assistant General Manager Jay Satori away in order to run the Sports and Entertainment division of the Apple App Store. While it may seem like a small loss, it is another of a growing number of front office members to leave the team in the last year.