The Moosa Slobodian Network

Blue Jays offseason moves

Ali and Ian discussed the major offseason acquisitions and departures for the Toronto Blue Jays.

• Details
  • Ian: The Blue Jays aggressively pursued Dylan Cease, signing him to a $210 million contract right away
  • Ian: They also added Cody Ponce, the KBO MVP from last year, to improve their starting rotation
  • Ian: The team lost Bo Bichette to the Mets and Joey Loperfito was traded to Houston for Jesus Sanchez
  • Ian: The Yoshinobu Okamoto signing was likely a fallback plan after missing out on other targets
  • Ali: Noted that Bichette had a positive message for Blue Jays fans when he departed
• Conclusion
  • The starting pitching is in a better position than it was a year ago
  • The offense has significant holes to fill after losing Bo Bichette
  • Overall, Ian believes the Blue Jays had a solid offseason but could have used one more impact bat

Anthony Santander’s injury

Discussion about the impact of Anthony Santander’s extended absence.

• Details
  • Ali: Mentioned Santander will be out for at least 6 months
  • Ian: Believes Santander might miss the entire season
  • Ian: Described Santander’s contract as potentially “one of the worst contracts in Blue Jays history”
  • Ian: Noted that Santander was supposed to provide protection for Vlad Guerrero Jr. in the lineup
• Conclusion
  • The team will need to find ways to make up for the lost offense
  • Players like Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Addison Barger, and Yoshinobu Okamoto will need to step up
  • The contract is essentially untradeable at this point

Spring training progress

Ali and Ian discussed the current state of spring training and early performances.

• Details
  • Ian: Mentioned Jose Berrios had an okay outing in a recent game
  • Ian: Noted that Okamoto hit an impressive 430+ foot home run to center field
  • Ian: Dalton Varsho also hit a home run over the weekend
  • Ali: Expressed excitement about spring training games despite their lack of significance
  • Ian: Cautioned against reading too much into spring training results
• Conclusion
  • Spring training is primarily about getting players the repetitions they need
  • There aren’t many position battles this year as most roster spots are already determined
  • The main focus is keeping players healthy and ready for the regular season

Blue Jays broadcast team

Discussion about changes to the Blue Jays broadcast team.

• Details
  • Ian: Mentioned Buck Martinez’s retirement and how his absence was noticeable during spring training broadcasts
  • Ali: Praised Dan Shulman, Ben Wagner, and the rest of the broadcast team
  • Ian: Noted that Sportsnet’s coverage during last year’s playoff run showcased the quality of their broadcast team
  • Ali: Mentioned podcasts like “At The Letters” with Arden Zwelling and Ben Nicholson-Smith, as well as “Blair and Barker”
• Conclusion
  • The Blue Jays have one of the best broadcast teams in baseball
  • Buck Martinez’s retirement marks a significant change for viewers
  • There are numerous quality media options for Blue Jays fans

World Baseball Classic

Brief discussion about the upcoming World Baseball Classic.

• Details
  • Ian: Mentioned that many Blue Jays players will be participating in the WBC
  • Ian: Noted that Tarik Skubal plans to leave the tournament early to return to Tigers camp
  • Ian: Highlighted Ernie Clement making Team USA and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. playing for the Dominican Republic
  • Ali: Compared the WBC to the Olympics
• Conclusion
  • The tournament provides an interesting international baseball competition
  • There are concerns about potential injuries to players during the tournament
  • The WBC hasn’t quite reached the popularity level of events like the Four Nations Cup in hockey

Minor league prospects

Discussion about Blue Jays prospects who might contribute this season.

• Details
  • Ian: Mentioned Ricky Tiedemann as a top prospect recovering from Tommy John surgery
  • Ian: Discussed Adam Macko as another pitching prospect who could make an impact
  • Ian: Noted Eloy Jimenez, who’s in camp on a minor league deal after previously starring with the White Sox
  • Ian: Mentioned Arjun Nimmala as a promising infield prospect, though still several years away
• Conclusion
  • Tiedemann could potentially join the team later in the season, possibly in a bullpen role
  • The Blue Jays have some interesting prospects who could contribute if needed
  • Eloy Jimenez has an outside chance of making the team

MLB schedule and division alignment

Discussion about interleague play and potential division realignment.

• Details
  • Ali: Noted that Opening Day is unusually early this year (March 27th)
  • Ali: Asked about the possibility of moving the Blue Jays to the National League
  • Ian: Discussed the balanced schedule and how interleague play has become normalized
  • Ian: Mentioned potential division realignment that could put the Blue Jays with teams like the Tigers and Guardians
• Conclusion
  • The novelty of interleague play has worn off with the balanced schedule
  • Division realignment could benefit the Blue Jays by moving them away from big spenders like the Yankees and Red Sox
  • Opening Day continues to move earlier in the calendar