Blue Jays: I simulated the offseason four times- Here’s what happened

Offseason One- 1st Computer Simulation

I thought I would start with the outcome that I liked the least, and that turned out to be the first computer simulation I ran anyway.

On the positive side, the computer was able to re-sign Marcus Semien to a five-year, 107.5 million dollar deal. I didn’t go to check all of the terms of new contracts, and one of those cases was the re-signing of Corey Dickerson to return to the outfield/designated hitter mix. The virtual GM also shored up the back of the rotation by giving Steven Matz a new contract after his solid performance in 2021.

The biggest new addition to the roster was a bit of a surprise, as Chris Taylor joined the Jays after a six season run with the Dodgers. Taylor is an underrated and versatile talent, but I was confused about how he fit with the Blue Jays when they also kept Semien.

And that’s when I realized that the computer had traded Lourdes Gurriel Jr.

It’s one thing to trade a player like that, so long as the return package is worthwhile. In this case I’m not sure what happened, other than maybe the White Sox GM had some virtual blackmail on the table. Gurriel Jr. was traded to Chicago for 26 year old infielder Romy Gonzalez, who debuted with the White Sox in 2021, and a top pitching prospect in 20 year old Matthew Thompson. In reality, there’s no way the Blue Jays traded Gurriel Jr. unless it means they’re making the big league roster better with the deal.

Two other downsides to the first simulation were that Robbie Ray left for a five-year deal with the Rangers, and the Jays didn’t really do anything to improve their bullpen other than bringing back Joakim Soria. That left the pitching staff looking like this:

Rotation

1- Jose Berrios
2- Hyun Jin Ryu
3- Alek Manoah
4- Steven Matz
5- Thomas Hatch

Bullpen

1- Jordan Romano
2- Tim Mayza
3- Adam Cimber
4- Trevor Richards
5- Joakim Soria
6- Ryan Borucki
7- Julian Merryweather
8- Ross Stripling/Nate Pearson

There’s a lot of upside among this group of arms, but after the inconsistent performance in 2021 it would be nice to see some fresh names on the list.

As for the lineup:

1- George Springer (CF)
2- Marcus Semien (2B)
3- Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (1B)
4- Bo Bichette (SS)
5- Teoscar Hernandez (RF)
6- Chris Taylor (LF)
7- Corey Dickerson (DH)
8- Danny Jansen/Alejandro Kirk (C)
9- Cavan Biggio/Santiago Espinal (3B)

Bench: Kirk, Espinal, Romy Gonzalez, Randal Grichuk

Needless to say, I think we can call the first simulation a bit of a disappointment.