Blue Jays: Some big questions were answered in 2020

Mr. Seeds is a budding superstar

One of the biggest questions that surrounded the Blue Jays ahead of this past season was what to expect from the outfield. The topic of an outfield upgrade had been banded about quite a bit prior to the season, but the Jays ended up returning with pretty much the same group they’d used the year before.

As Garth Brooks will tell you, some of God’s greatest gifts are unanswered prayers.

As a result, the Blue Jays’ outfield was very productive in 2020, and perhaps none more than Teoscar Hernandez. It was a breakout season of sorts for the soon to be 28-year-old, as he slashed .289/.340/.579 with 16 home runs, 34 RBI, and 1.3 bWAR in 50 games and 190 at-bats. Those numbers may have been even better if not for a brief stint on the IL because an oblique injury, but thankfully the typically pesky injury didn’t sideline the slugger for long.

After watching him reach a new level as a hitter in 2020, the Blue Jays have to be feeling good about having Hernandez as part of their long-term picture, and I doubt that was the case a year ago. He’s still not as good on defence as you’d like to see, or even for the physical gifts he has, but when you hit authority the way he did this season then the skipper is going to find a spot for you.

It’s an unexpected place for the Blue Jays to be after talking about the need for outfield upgrades for so long, but with Hernandez, Lourdes Gurriel Jr., and Randal Grichuk in tow, I imagine they’re feeling pretty good about their set-up for 2021, and likely beyond. Hernandez’s emergence is a massive part of that, and he’s set up to hit in the middle of the Blue Jays’ lineup for a long time.

Rowdy’s for real too

If 2020 was a bit of a “make or break” season for Teoscar Hernandez, then Rowdy Tellez was in pretty much the same boat. Thankfully the lefty slugger responded in much the same way.

There were questions about whether or not Tellez would even make the Opening Day roster after Vladimir Guerrero Jr. made the move to first base, but thankfully they were able to find room for his potent bat. Rowdy rewarded the Blue Jays with a shortened breakout season of his own, carving out an important role in the middle of the lineup. Unfortunately he missed the bulk of the stretch run before returning in time for the playoffs, but over 35 games and 113 at-bats he slashed .283/.346/.540 with eight home runs and 23 RBI.

Not only did Tellez provide a legitimate power threat for the middle of the lineup, he gave the Blue Jays some balance with his left-handed bat as well, which turned out to be very important to Charlie Montoyo‘s lineup card this season. With Cavan Biggio as a leadoff hitter, Tellez helps to break up a run of righty hitters that includes Vlad Jr., Bo Bichette, Hernandez, Gurriel Jr., and Grichuk, and that’s a real factor in today’s game, even if I’d argue it’s not as important as the Jays made it in 2020.

Rowdy is far from just a lefty stick though, and there were times that he was carrying the Blue Jays offence this year. I’m not suggesting they’re even remotely on the same level yet, but if you squint really hard then the pairing of Rowdy and Vlad Jr. might remind you a bit of David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez from the Red Sox in the early 2000’s. Both still pre-arbitration eligible, the Blue Jays should be well set at first base/DH for many years.

As we look ahead to 2021, you can bet that Tellez’s name is written in ink for next season’s roster, and that wasn’t the case a year ago. My how things can change over just 35 games.

Who to keep, and who to trade?

Last winter there were several rumours floating around that involved Blue Jay catchers. I’m not sure if there were any deals that got even remotely close, but it made sense that other organizations looked at the Jays and saw catchers that could be available, and would make their team better.

Most of us expected the 2020 campaign to be a battle between Danny Jansen and Reese McGuire for the long-term seat behind the plate in Toronto, but it turned out to be anything but. McGuire was brutal in just 19 games and eventually earned himself a demotion, earning a -0.5 bWAR rating. Jansen wasn’t a whole lot better, although he survived the season on the big league roster, but hit just .183 on the year.

That said, I think it’s fair to say that we can view Jansen as a clear stride ahead of McGuire when it come to long-term planning. In fact, with the emergence of Alejandro Kirk this year, the battle for playing time next year likely doesn’t even include McGuire as things sit right now.

My guess is the Blue Jays will be far more open to the idea of trading a catcher this off-season, and I wrote about just that here yesterday. I’m guessing that means that McGuire will be readily available, and assuming the return is appropriate then I expect that Atkins will trade at least one catcher this winter. I doubt that will be Jansen, and I’m all but certain it won’t be Kirk.

Every now and then these things kind of sort themselves out, and that appears to be the case in the battle between Jansen and McGuire.

Can Biggio be a utility guy?

For a few years now the Blue Jays have preached about defensive flexibility, and we saw the value of that concept in full force during the 2020 campaign. At the forefront of the idea was Cavan Biggio, who made appearances six different positions this season, and played well wherever the manager pencilled him in.

It’s hard to say if the Blue Jays want to use Biggio this way on a regular basis, but I feel like he emphatically answered the question of whether or not he’s capable. Regardless of which glove he wore on defence, he looked confident and capable, and it was a huge factor in helping the Blue Jays keep their best available lineup on the diamond. He helped them navigate injuries to various players at multiple positions, and for that reason and more I’d even argue Biggio as the team MVP for 2020.

He also gives the front office flexibility going forward as well. Not long ago I wrote about how the Blue Jays may be one or maybe two players away from a “finished” rebuild with their lineup, with adding another infielder for 2021 being the only “hole” I could see after Hernandez and Tellez’s emergence this season. With Tellez and Vlad Jr. covering first base/DH and Bichette at shortstop, Biggio is capable at either second or third base. If the market gives Atkins better options at the hot corner, Biggio can return to second base. If it’s the other way around, he’s shown that he’s willing and able to make the adjustments.

I suspect that they’ll do their best to give him a defined position next season, but it’s a great thing to have in your back pocket knowing that Biggio can make the switch. He’s always going to be a full-time player, but it looks like the Blue Jays have finally found their ‘super-utility’ man.

The rotation still needs another big arm

There were times in 2020 that it felt like the Blue Jays had “too many” starting pitchers, but of course, that’s never the case in reality.

As of the end of the season their rotation options included Hyun Jin Ryu, Taijuan Walker, Matt Shoemaker, Robbie Ray, Chase Anderson, Ross Stripling, and Tanner Roark, and they had plenty of starters-turned-relievers for this year as well. That list includes Thomas Hatch, Anthony Kay, Ryan Borucki, Julian Merryweather, Sean Reid-Foley, Shun Yamaguchi, T.J. Zeuch, Patrick Murphy and more. Walker, Shoemaker, and Ray will be free agents, and Anderson has an option on his contract that they may not renew, but there are plenty of starters in the organization. I haven’t even mentioned or begun my ranting about the future dominance of Nate Pearson, and Trent Thornton should be healthy and ready to contribute again next season as well.

And yet, the Blue Jays still need another top-end starter for 2021 if they want to make it back to the playoffs.

For now, here’s how I would project their rotation for 2021 with their pitchers under contract control.

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1. Ryu
2. Pearson
3. Stripling
4. Roark
5. Thornton
6. Kay
7. Hatch
8. ?

I think there are a former starters that are destined for the bullpen for good, and I believe that will be to the benefit of the club and the players. On that list would be at least Borucki, Yamaguchi, Merryweather, and Reid-Foley, and I think each of them can play an important bullpen role next season. That said, I wouldn’t be surprised if the Blue Jays gave Merryweather one more opportunity to start either.

Regardless, looking at the projected rotation is a bit underwhelming, even if there’s a fair bit of a potential here. Beyond Ryu there are a ton of question marks, and that’s not an ideal place to be if you’re planning on aiming for the playoffs. In my opinion the Blue Jays have to at least retain someone like Taijuan Walker, and maybe even look for an even more proven commodity. It doesn’t have to be someone on a long-term deal either, especially because of the talent of the young arms I’ve already mentioned, and plenty more on the way like Alek Manoah, Simeon Woods Richardson, Adam Kloffenstein, and even more where that came from.

With the Blue Jays’ success this season, I really do believe that the rebuild has been sped up and that the front office needs to respond with another rotation upgrade this winter. As we witnessed in 2020, you can never have enough pitching, and with the results of the Wild Card round in the rear view mirror, another premium starter would have been nice to have, or in this case, even to use.