Blue Jays Morning Brew: On Osuna, Sanchez, more

Eleven days remain until the Toronto Blue Jays kick off their 2016 season. To help you get that number down to 10, we’ve rounded up some reading material

The Blue Jays lineup was in midseason form in Tuesday’s rout of the Detroit Tigers, and with a strong outing from starter Drew Hutchison, this spring season continues to be a relatively enjoyable one for Toronto.

This afternoon the Blue Jays face the New York Mets at 1:07 Eastern. Need to pass some time before first pitch? Well, what better way than episode 65 of the Jays Nest Podcast. (Subscribe on iTunes here)

Inside Osuna with John Lott  –  Here’s a must-read from John Lott to start your day over at Vice Sports. Lott covers a variety of topics with Roberto Osuna, including his preference between the rotation or bullpen, Donald Trump, and even El Chapo. The Mexican drug lord was captured just 3 1/2 blocks away rom Osuna’s home.

“I started hearing the shooting around 4 AM, 4:30,” he says. “But I didn’t know it was El Chapo, right? And it’s very normal in Mexico.” Normal, Lott writes, references the gunfire. Now it makes a little more sense how he was so cool on the mound as a 20-year-old.

An argument for Bullpen Sanchez  –  The Aaron Sanchez debate is made fascinating by the fact that great arguments can exist on either side. Drew Fairservice of Blue Jays Nation isn’t high on Sanchez’s rotation potential in 2016 as a sinker/curve pitcher. He lists Jim Johnson and Charlie Morton as comparable cases, and just might convince a few of you along the way.

More from Jays Journal

• Anthony Bass has been the shutdown reliever the Blue Jays needed
• Blue Jays: Vladimir Guerrero Jr. open to a long-term contract
• 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

Bautista’s value  –  Over at Beyond the Box Score, Joseph Werner dives into the numbers of Jose Bautista’s value based on the CAL projections for the slugger’s statistical expectations. He then applies the cost of a win (calculated just under $8 million in 2015) from 2016 to 2021. That $150 million report, while still unlikely, may not be as crazy as some think.

Optioning Estrada  –  With Marco Estrada still working his way back to 100% in time for opening day, Matt W of Blue Bird Banter has a creative approach. Option him. Briefly. It’s an intriguing conversation that involves some rarely-used roster tinkering, but it just might work.

Superman, the Leadoff Man  –  Sportsnet’s Nick Ashbourne looks at Kevin Pillar’s fit in the leadoff role, which is bound to please baseball traditionalists more than the diehard stat-heads.

“Especially given the Blue Jays’ dearth of options,” Ashbourne writes, “using the 27-year-old as their leadoff hitter is not some regressive blunder. It’s actually a fairly typical choice. Even if a more outside-the-box option, like Russell Martin, may have deserved a little more consideration, the team will be fine with Pillar.”