5 less-obvious Blue Jays storylines to follow this spring

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As the Blue Jays hold their first official workouts of spring training, here are five more under-the-radar stories to follow over the next six weeks

A starvation for live baseball has ended as the Blue Jays pitchers and catchers hold their first day of official workouts today in Dunedin, Florida.

After a four-month offseason that has felt simultaneously like a day and a decade, the storylines surrounding the Blue Jays can now be fuelled by some level of on-field reality.

The leading headlines are already established, and at this point, it’s likely that you’re all too familiar with them. From the fifth starter’s job to Aaron Sanchez‘s role, the contracts of Jose Bautista and Edwin Encarnacion, or the battles at closer and in left field, you’ve heard the story. Perhaps twice.

We’ll have those topics covered for you throughout camp, of course, but ahead we look at five other interesting stories to watch over the next six weeks that haven’t gotten the attention they deserve.

First up, a bigger-picture look at the Blue Jays bullpen.

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5 – The Blue Jays preferred bullpen construction

Individual performance will tilt the scales as the Blue Jays piece together their opening day bullpen, but it won’t steer the ship alone.

The outlook of the starting rotation, preference of John Gibbons, and flexibility of the club’s positional bench players will play a strong factor in the architecture of this ‘pen. This isn’t a player-specific issue, but more based on which roles the club would prefer to have.

4 – The impact of R.A. Dickey

The offseason is a time for stories about what may be. Free agent rumours, stat projections, and prospect lists all look down the road for something new and shiny.

R.A. Dickey is neither of those things, and that’s just fine.

The reliable nature of Dickey over the past three seasons (3.95 ERA while averaging 218 IP) hasn’t gotten the appreciation it deserves, but that’s not what his spring storyline will be about. With Dickey, there remains an abnormal amount of potential for a 41-year-old, and the veteran’s signature pitch will likely play a deciding role in the club’s backup catcher.

Over Dickey’s final 15 starts last year, he posted an excellent 2.80 ERA with an 8-1 record. The strikeout numbers were still troubling over that stretch with 5.1 K/9, but he reeled in the control problems that plagued him early on. With his right knee reportedly back to full health after an offseason surgery, is it possible that Dickey stretches that second half in to three quarters of next season?

The man catching Dickey has also yet to be decided.

Russell Martin handled it last year, for better or for worse, while Josh Thole is obviously the most comfortable option (and favourite). Recent signing Tony Sanchez came up with a strong defensive reputation, however, so it will be interesting to see if he’s given an opportunity to catch butterflies.

Regardless of who is on the other end, Dickey’s 2016 cannot be brushed aside as predictable.

Next: #3 - Making sense of the outfield's mystery man

3 – Who is Junior Lake, or is there even an answer?

Dalton Pompey versus Michael Saunders will steal the airtime this spring, but don’t take your eyes off of Junior Lake. Whether you see poetry or the ghost of Moises Sierra remains to be seen, but you’re guaranteed to see something.

Lake spent the entirety of his professional career with the Chicago Cubs before being traded to the Baltimore Orioles in exchange for Tommy Hunter at the 2015 trade deadline. At times he’s been the next big thing, and at times there have been calls to wrestle the bat from his hands permanently and try him out on the mound.

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After coming up primarily as a shortstop, Lake has since been moved to the outfield where his arm remains cannon-like in power but unreliable, much like his boom-or-bust game at the plate.

In 2015, Lake appeared in 29 rather forgettable games at the MLB between Chicago and Baltimore, but fared much better between Iowa and Norfolk at the triple-A level.

Over 292 triple-A plate appearances, Lake posted a slash line of .312 / .405 / .449. That ability to work a walk has abandoned him at the major league level, so this spring will be another opportunity for him to transition upwards. He also added seven home runs and 12 stolen bases.

Lake has all of the physical tools, and some of them know how to line up already, but he will enter 2016 as the positional wildcard.

On another roster, my optimism may be more hushed. But with a lineup that features Jose Bautista, Edwin Encarnacion, and Josh Donaldson at the heart, none of whom blossomed until their late 20s, we’ve seen stranger things happen.

Next: Which Happ have the Blue Jays reunited with?

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2 – Which version of J.A. Happ is this?

J.A. Happ commanded some headlines after his surprise signing early in free agency, but much like R.A. Dickey, a locked-in member of the starting rotation doesn’t generate much speculation through the coldest months.

After a tale of two halves for Happ in 2015 between the Seattle Mariners and Pittsburgh Pirates, the Blue Jays will be hoping to land closer to the latter.

In Seattle, where Happ went as part of the Michael Saunders deal, the lanky lefty was a slightly below-average version of himself. Pitching 108.2 innings to a 4.64 ERA, he was headed to the market as a C-level free agent starter. Then, Ray Searage got his hands on him.

With the Pirates, Happ dominated with a 1.85 ERA while striking out an abnormally high 9.8 batters per nine innings without sacrificing a drop of his control. This is (mostly) what Toronto hopes they’ve purchased.

One stumbling block that remains with Happ is that, even despite making 32 starts in 2015 and hitting a career high for innings pitched, that total is just 172. Ideally, a mid-rotation starter is flirting with 200 innings after 32 starts (nearly one extra inning per start).

If Happ can perform just well enough, though, he could buoy the rotation around him in a hurry and prove to be one of this offseason’s more underrated signings.

Next: Looking for a place to call home

1 – Are the Blue Jays done in Dunedin?

Dunedin, Florida has always been the second home of the Toronto Blue Jays, but with their contract expiring at the end of next year, it’s uncertain whether the Blue Jays will make it work in familiar surroundings or leave for greener (and newer) pastures.

Not only is this a pivotal piece of business for the Blue Jays to handle, but it’s a substantial issue for the city of Dunedin.

“I think things look good,” mayor Julie Ward Bujalski told The Star. “I feel that the Blue Jays have a strong desire to be in Dunedin and I know that Dunedin has an exceptionally strong desire to keep them here. It’s a matter of how do you put together the deal.”

Shapiro and Bujalski met soon after the new president came aboard, and are expected to continue negotiations while the Blue Jays are in Florida.

Toronto did flirt with a Houston Astros partnership just three years ago that never materialized, and many have pointed to Shapiro’s experience in moving the Indians from Florida to Arizona as cause for concern. That could just as easily swing the other direction, however, if Shapiro’s initial moving experience revealed unforeseen challenges.

More blue jays: Which Blue Jay will shock by earning a 2016 roster spot?

The issue, of course, will be financial. Can the Blue Jays and Dunedin work together to build new facilities or upgrade the current ones?

Love it or leave it, there’s a certain charm to the Blue Jays calling Dunedin home. The one non-American team settling in longterm to a small community, and that’s what Bujalski is hoping this spring will show Shapiro and the rest of Toronto management.

“He’s going to see the community connection; he’s going to feel it,” she said. “We just need to be on our toes and prove ourselves. We’ve got to show him how much we care.”

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