Blue Jays Morning Brew: Podcast, Arbitration, Murov hire

This edition of the Blue Jays Morning Brew wraps the latest stories on Toronto’s arbitration, recent hire and more. Also: Ep. 56 of The Jays Nest Podcast!

With the Drew Storen addition now 10 days behind us, the Blue Jays could be entering the tinkering stage of their offseason. Some of this will come on the field with additional depth signings which, yes, you should still expect several of.

Some of it will also come in the front office, like the recent hire of Mike Murov as director of baseball operations. All that and more in this Tuesday edition of the Blue Jays Morning Brew.

More from Toronto Blue Jays News

• Blue Jays: Snapping cold streaks at the right time
• Who Should the Blue Jays Extend First: Guerrero, Bichette or Manoah?
• Blue Jays now hold the top Wild Card spot, and yes that’s a good thing
• Blue Jays may have the tools to use a Bullpen Day
• Blue Jays win important first game after Bichette’s late inning heroics

Jays Nest Podcast Ep. 56  –  I joined Shaun Doyle of Jays From the Couch for the 56th episode of the Jays Nest podcast, which just released this morning on iTunes and Stitcher for Android. Episode 56 is brought to you by the Blue Jays great that wore the same number: Brian Tallet.

Shaun and I break down the arbitration cases upcoming with Josh Donaldson and Jesse Chavez, then get into the precarious catching depth and spring training non-roster invites. We also chat Mark Shapiro, who’s gotten his fair share of media attention this past week. We also hand out some Star Wars roles. It’s guaranteed to be a top-50 episode!

Donaldson’s arbitration  –  Jeff Blair of Sportsnet writes some words here on Josh Donaldson’s arbitration that I agree with. “This isn’t about Donaldson’s salary for 2016. It never was. Rather, arbitration needs to be viewed in the larger context of setting the stage for what is going to be the most difficult negotiation in recent Blue Jays history.”

Take two  –  From the other side of the table on Donaldson’s arbitration, we have this from Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. “But now they very likely have damaged their relationship with Donaldson, a proud, emotional sort who will not forget this slight.” Well. Alright, then.

Playoffs!?  –  Ian Hunter over at Blue Jay Hunter takes a good look at Toronto’s playoff projections entering 2016. FanGraphs has the Blue Jays projected to 84-78 behind the Red Sox and Yankees, so Ian takes a look at the “why”.

Related Story: Exploring the Blue Jays free agent and trade options at backup catcher

Meet Murov  –  Bob Elliot has a great introductory profile of new Blue Jays executive Mike Murov, who had been with the Red Sox since 2010. Elliot reports that his duties will cover “baseball operations in creating and implementing decision making systems and processes across the department” along with “the preparation and analysis of financial, statistical, and contractual information, co-ordinating contract negotiation and arbitration preparation.”

The Greatness of Joey Bats  –  Here’s a good read from Jenn Smith over at Blue Jays Plus that takes a refreshing look at the “Greatest Blue Jay of All Time” conversation. Specifically, she doesn’t define greatness as being the “best”, which I’m wholly on board with. Check it out, and see if this changes your own personal rankings!