Blue Jays: Building blocks on the current big league roster

Roberto Osuna

I hesitated to include him given all that’s going on these days, but I also know how quickly a court proceeding can be forgotten about in the world of sports. I’m not rooting for or against Roberto Osuna, but rather only for justice in whatever happened in his situation with court proceedings, and that’s a topic for another article for sure.

However, for the purposes of this discussion I figured I would include him, mostly because of his contract control and his talent, when he’s on the field of course. Prior to his arrest and being placed on administrative leave, the Mexican born closer was the youngest pitcher to ever reach 100 saves, and was considered among the best in the American League in the role. If not for the recent legal troubles, he’d be a no-doubter on this list, especially at just 23 years old.

However, that status and his career are very much in jeopardy right now, as we really don’t know what’s going to happen to him in the legal system. I’m not going to speculate here, but in a worst case scenario he could face issues with the work visa that he needs in order to play in North America. We’ve watched other big leaguers face legal trouble and be able to return to their jobs after a suspension, but Osuna is facing charges in Canada, which could be a notable difference.

In a best case scenario for the young pitcher, he’ll be able to put whatever happened that day behind him and return to his place as one of the best closers in the game. Even if he’s able to get through the court dates and proceedings without incident, it’s hard to say if the Blue Jays will keep him around Toronto or not, but we’ll see how this all plays out.

If I were going to place a bet on whether Osuna will be a Blue Jays in 2019 or 2020, I’d probably go with a pass, but if he is around I expect he’ll be a fixture on the pitching staff, and in the bullpen. Whether he ever gets that opportunity again, remains to be seen.