The Blue Jays are experiencing anxiety since, barring Vladimir Guerrero Jr., nothing can happen to the roster before baseball’s July 30 trade deadline. The team does not play again until Friday when Detroit visits town and there is an all-star break that will allow the players to relax.
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In the game against the Rays, Chris Bassitt scores six.
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Rays opponent Chris Bassitt records six.
After five innings against the Rays, Chris Bassitt gives up three runs while striking out six.
In 1:15 against the Rays, Chris Bassitt records six goals.
MLB | 1:21 Chris Bassitt discusses the Blue Jays’ defeat and current issues
Regarding the Blue Jays’ crushing defeat, John Schneider speaks
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Kevin Cash talks about the Rays’ 13-0 victory in MLB | 1:19
Baseball | Davis Schneider’s sliding catch 0:22
Highlights of Rays vs. Blue Jays | MLB | 0:31
In just two innings, Tampa Bay scores nine runs.
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MLB | 0:30 – Brandon Lowe’s lone home run
MLB | 1:31 Kevin Cash discusses the 6-3 loss.
Justin Turner on the Blue Jays’ thrilling victory over the Rays in MLB | 0:43
Whatever method is used to evaluate the 2024 Blue Jays’ season thus far, it is difficult to deny that it has been largely awful with some truly horrific moments.
When one looks back, they can see underachievers, injuries, bullpen meltdowns that resulted in walk-off losses, 17 games in which the Jays scored just one run, three shutouts, whatever managerial decisions John Schneider made or did not make, and a struggling front office that has not won over the team’s supporters. With Tuesday night’s midsummer classic, where Vladdy will be the team’s lone representative, marking baseball’s unofficial midseason point, there is a lot to consider and discuss.
Overall: Since a number of pending free agents are expected to be traded, everything hinges on what transpires in the near future. Even bigger questions, including what will happen to general manager Ross Atkins and whether or not to move or extend long-term contracts for Guerrero and/or Bo Bichette, will be on the Jays’ minds when the off-season officially begins.
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Those who play and behave like pros in both good and terrible times make up the Jays’ clubhouse, if that is any solace. These veterans understand the business of baseball.
Yusei Kikuchi, a likeable left-hander who is in the last year of a three-year contract, is expected to have his name mentioned in trade rumors, and it is possible that he will be pitching for a new team before the month is up.
After Sunday’s exciting 8-7 victory over the Diamondbacks, in which he started and pitched four scoreless innings before giving up seven earned runs in the fifth, Kikuchi stated via an interpreter, “It is absolutely out of my hands, out of my control, and all I can do is prepare for my next start.”
“The first half offers a great deal of positives to consider. I think I am in a really decent place, save from that fifth inning. The second half continues to excite me.
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In a six-run fourth inning for Toronto, Kevin Kiermaier, who was essentially demoted by the Jays when they placed him on revocable waivers late last week, smashed his third career grand slam.
No team expressed interest in taking on the remaining portion of the outfielder’s contract, so no suitor emerged. The writing is on the wall for Kiermaier, regardless of whether the veteran is freed completely or some of his assets are acquired in a deal.
Schneider extolled the virtues of the seasoned baseball player, saying, “He gets the business side of it.” Overcoming obstacles is something Kevin has done his entire career.
First baseman/DH After agreeing to a free-agent contract less than six months ago, Justin Turner is another veteran who is probably going to be traded.
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Although the reliever is also anticipated to be traded, Yimi Garcia was not activated from the injured list upon his return to the team in Arizona.
Even names like homemade closer Jordan Romano, Chris Bassitt, Danny Jansen, Isiah Kiner-Falefa, or Chad Green, along with Bichette, are not guaranteed to be around next month because more pending free agents are due to become available following the 2025 season.
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In the fourth inning at Chase Field in Phoenix, Arizona, on July 14, 2024, Kevin Kiermaier of the Toronto Blue Jays celebrates with teammates after hitting a grand slam home run against the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Trey Yesavage (46) of East Carolina pitches during an NCAA Baseball game on Friday, February 23, 2024, in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Kevin Kiermaier blasts a grand slam as the Blue Jays avoid a sweep after blowing a seven-run lead.
The MLB draft’s first round sees the Blue Jays choose college pitcher Yesavage.
If outfielder George Springer, 34, and the two and a half years left on his fat contract were to be traded in the upcoming weeks, it would come as a surprise, if not a shock, to many, but everything is conceivable.
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Due to a confluence of ailments and the necessity to breathe new life into a stagnant offense, the Jays have already started to consider their future. Spencer Horwitz, Leo Jimenez, and Ernie Clement make up Sunday’s starting infield, which was a surprise to no one when the season started on March 28. That does raise the question, though, of why Horwitz, given his plate appearances and performance (.320 with four home runs in 103 at-bats), was not brought up much earlier.
Along with making his Major League debut on Sunday, Steward Berroa had an exciting ninth-inning play in right field, making two spectacular catches to help seal the victory.
Meanwhile, players like Brendon Little and Ryan Burr have emerged from the pen, players that nobody would have known about before they moved to Toronto, not even the club’s most ardent supporters.
As July 30 draws near, prepare to witness some well-known names being replaced and some lesser-known players given more prominence.
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