Blue Jays Morning Brew: Hold me while I faint

By Keegan Matheson | Jul 31, 2015

In a span of three days, the Toronto Blue Jays have added two of the most talented baseball players from the past decade. Troy Tulowitzki and David Price make the Blue Jays a legitimate contender this year without putting the future in the gutter, and for the first time in months, we’ve gone multiple days without a “fire Anthopoulos” tweet. Let the good times roll.

More from Toronto Blue Jays News

While the Wild Card race seems more realistic for the Blue Jays right now, taking eight or nine of Toronto’s 13 remaining games against the Yankees could make the uber-competitive AL East a possibility once again. Ahead in the Morning Brew, we attempt to reel in a wild day. The Blue Jays are all in, and so are we.

Price spikes the odds – Dave Cameron of FanGraphs takes a great look at the blockbuster, and specifically, the impact of Price’s addition to the Blue Jays’ playoff chances. While Price is just one man, Cameron points to Madison Bumgarner as an example of an ace pitcher that can put a team on his back in the postseason and handle an uncharacteristically high innings total.

“The upgrade from Norris/Boyd to Price over the rest of the season will add roughly +1.5 WAR to the Blue Jays ledger,” Cameron writes. This piece offers some caution to the elated Blue Jays fans, noting the non-existent history of success among teams that have dealt for an ace at the deadline. The potential is sky-high, though.

Bautista responds to media – In John Lott’s piece for the National Post, Jose Bautista responds to the ridiculous media handling of his comments following the Tulowitzki trade. Some portrayed Bautista as being disappointed in the move, but what should we expect from a player whose close friend was just dealt? Bautista had said the addition may not be “necessarily what we need”. And at the time he was right, really.

“I’m extremely excited to play alongside Tulowitzki,” he told Lott. “If anybody doesn’t think that I am, they’re a fool.” Some are turned off by Bautista’s honesty, but I would take this over the generic-interview athlete seven days a week. It’s what appeals Bautista to the fan base, in some ways.

Hawkins loving Canada – LaTroy Hawkins is a man after my own heart. I’ve yet to hear an interview where he doesn’t make a point of bringing up the restaurants in Toronto, and the veteran reliever seems to be settling in well. John Chidley-Hill spoke with Hawkins about adjusting so late in his career.

“I actually love it. I get to be in another country for two and a half months, hopefully three months,” Hawkins said. “Do you know what I love about Toronto? It’s so culturally diverse. I love that. The food, all kinds of restaurants from all over the world. You can’t find that in too many places.”

Hawkins will fit in perfectly to a leadership role in the young bullpen, but let’s not forget that he can still perform on the mound. There aren’t many “new” scenarios to Hawkins, and in a playoff run we should all be very comfortable with him taking the ball late.

Next: Price deal made possible by AA draft strategy

More from Jays Journal

Home/Toronto Blue Jays News