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Blue Jays: Four moves made in 2022 that exceeded expectations
The Blue Jays 2022 roster looked a lot different than the previous season after several changes, including two major subtractions in Marcus Semien and the reigning AL Cy Young Award winner at the time, Robbie Ray. Even with these large pieces leaving the team, the Jays brought in several key impact players for the present and future of this team, via trades and through free agency, with many of them exceeding expectations.
The addition of Matt Chapman
Starting in the offseason, the Jays acquired 3B Matt Chapman from the Oakland Athletics in exchange for INF Kevin Smith, RHP Gunnar Hoglund, LHP Zach Logue, and LHP Kirby Snead. Chapman is mostly known for his elite defensive ability at the hot corner; though he is more than just a vacuum in the field; he is a solid contributor at the plate, too. With plenty of pop in his bat, as proven by his 36 home run season with the Athletics in 2019, he struggled with plate discipline and reaching base throughout his five years with the A's.
Though not career bests, in his 2022 season with the Blue Jays, he showed an improved approach at the plate, raising both his AVG and OBP numbers while staying consistent with his home run and run producing numbers. The California native hits the ball as hard as anyone in the league, as he’s in the 97th percentile in hard hit rate and 93rd percentile in average exit velocity, along with his well-noted impeccable defensive skills, while filling a major positional need for the Jays.
Signing Kevin Gausman
Another key addition the Jays made in the offseason was signing former Giants RHP Kevin Gausman to a five-year, $110M contract. Coming off of a career season in which he posted a 14-6 record along with a sparkling 2.81 ERA and 227 strikeouts with the Giants, many were skeptical of Gausman’s consistency as he struggled early into his major league career. All worries quickly vanished as soon as the veteran right-hander took the mound for the Jays, as he followed up his career year with another excellent 31-start season.
Gausman is one of the very best pitchers in the league at limiting walks, with his rate in the 97th percentile, while also producing an outstanding chase rate in the 99th percentile, proven by his 205 strikeouts. Gausman made every batter earn their base hits by not issuing free passes, allowing him to attack hitters early in counts. The 32-year-old threw his splitter 34.8 percent of the time last season, according to Baseball Savant’s Statcast pitch arsenal, offering hitters a unique pitch type and movement, often leaving batters swinging and missing. Gausman was incredible last season and makes for one of the best one-two punches in the league alongside staff ace Alek Manoah.
Kevin Gausman, 2 splitter strikeouts in the first pic.twitter.com/hki5XsV6OC
— Nick Pollack (@PitcherList) October 8, 2022
Trading for two relievers at the deadline
Though maybe not a big splash at the deadline, the additions of relief pitchers Anthony Bass and Zach Pop from the Marlins were both incredible in their brief time in the Blue Jays’ bullpen, posting 1.75 and 1.89 ERA's respectively. While it cost the Jays Jordan Groshans, who was the team's third overall ranked prospect in 2021, he was ranked ahead of both Alek Manoah and Alejandro Kirk, demonstrating that prospects are only valuable due to their supposed potential and are far from guaranteed major league contributors.
On the season as a whole, Bass finished with a 1.54 ERA across 70.1 innings while contributing 24 holds, showing his capability to pitch late in games and in high leverage situations. Pop only threw 39 innings (19 with the Jays) in the majors last season, posting a strong 2.77 ERA while showcasing his 97 MPH sinker predominantly. It was a fairly low-risk, high-reward deal in that Bass immediately takes on a setup role and Pop is 26-years-old with good stuff. Groshans would’ve had a steep hill ahead of him in order to crack the Jays lineup with the middle infield depth of Bichette, Espinal, and Biggio and the emergence of SS/3B prospect Orelvis Martinez. Both pitchers greatly exceeded expectations last season, giving the Jays bullpen optimism for the future.
Acquiring Whit Merrifield
Lastly, the trade acquiring Whit Merrifield from the Royals made a strong impact on the team, as he exceeded what was expected out of a part-time player. The Jays sent their 16th-ranked prospect at the time, Samad Taylor, and Max Castillo to Kansas City in exchange for a proven major league level asset in Whit Merrifield. The versatile Merrifield played 1B, 2B, LF, and CF last season and even pitched an inning.
Throughout Merrifield’s seven seasons in the big leagues, he has built up a reputation of batting for a high average and stealing a ton of bases, and though he only stole a single base for the Jays in 44 games, he proved himself useful everywhere else. His speed, even if not stealing bases, makes him especially valuable as it allows him to play above-average defense almost anywhere on the diamond. Batting. 306 in the month of September and finishing the regular season's last two series’ with a .500 average, Merrifield showed he is still one of the very best contact hitters in the league and given his versatility, he should remain a key piece offensively and defensively for the Jays this season.
Next. Jay Bird Watching Podcast Recap: Arbitration battle. dark