Breaking down the latest with Anthony Bass and his possible replacements if the Blue Jays move on

After taking another turn as a social media piñata this weekend, Anthony Bass gave a statement to the media at Rogers Centre just after 3:30 p.m. Tuesday afternoon which lasted about 35 seconds. He said, “I recognize yesterday that I made a [social media] post that was hurtful to the Pride community, which includes friends of mine and close family members of mine, and I am truly sorry for that.” He also mentioned that he’d spoken with his teammates and delivered the same message.

This all stems from an Instagram story he’d shared Monday morning which was noted by blogTO. The story asked Christians to boycott U.S. retail chain Target and Bud Light beer due to the brands' support of LGBTQ rights. This is disappointing and comes just ahead of Pride month, which includes various Blue Jays promotions and a Blue Jays rainbow flag jersey giveaway to the first 15,000 fans on Pride weekend on June 10th.

Budweiser is also a Blue Jays corporate sponsor. The team issued a statement via Sportsnet here, but they turned off comments. The statement read as follows:

“The Blue Jays bring millions of fans together across Canada and are committed to providing an inclusive and welcoming experience for all. The Blue Jays are proud to celebrate LGBTQ2S+ Pride Month, including a special fourth annual Pride Weekend at the ballpark June 9 and 10, and demonstrations of allyship all month long around the ballpark. Individual player sentiments are not representative of the club’s beliefs."

Manager John Schneider also took questions from the media after Bass spoke, saying, “Every place should be a safe place to be, whether it’s in Toronto or around the league.” According to Schneider, the team didn’t suspend Bass, and said it didn’t get that far in terms of being a consideration.

Should the Jays Cut Bait on Bass?

Sportsnet noted here that “the Blue Jays consulted with MLB and the players' association when they suspended Yunel Escobar for three games in September 2012 after the shortstop wore eye-black patches with a derogatory term for homosexuals written in Spanish on them”, and that MLB updated its code of conduct in 2013 to protect players from discrimination based on sexual orientation or race.

Blue Jay outfielder Kevin Pillar also received a two-game ban in May 2017 after directing a homophobic slur at Atlanta Braves pitcher Jason Motte.

Bass should certainly be reprimanded for his insensitive actions. Whether that involves a suspension may depend on discussions with MLB and the MLB Players Association.

Many are calling for the Jays to either trade or release the 35-year old Bass. Nick Ashbourne of Yahoo!Sports goes as far as saying that ”The Toronto Blue Jays can't employ Anthony Bass, the middle reliever, and avoid reckoning with Anthony Bass, the man.” Gregor Chisholm of the Toronto Star wrote, “Bass isn’t a core piece. He’s barely a replacement-level pitcher, which should make his potential departure easier to stomach.”

This front office did trade closer Roberto Osuna to Houston in July 2018 after he was suspended 75 games in June for violating Major League Baseball’s domestic violence policy. They’re unlikely to get much in return for Bass at this stage: he’s got a 4.50 ERA and 4.06 FIP this year in 18 innings pitched, with 18 strikeouts against 8 walks. His percentile rankings this year aren’t great as per Statcast.