I never heard of Anthony Banda. Obviously those 6 innings he pitched for the Jays didn't make an impression on me.

Banda was a middle relief guy out of options that the Jays got for cash from the Pirates in July 22.
He got dumped after they got guys like Bass and Pop from the Marlins.
He's just an average middle reliever.
He's on a WS team because he hasn't reached arbitration and the Dodgers have 9 pitchers on the IL.

The Jays have a lot of pitchers on the IL in the farm.
The Dodgers have 5 starters on the 60IL due to TJ. Another one due to shoulder surgery and one more because of elbow tendinitis.
Technically, Kershaw is on the 15-IL with  toe inflammation.

The IL Lists are interesting. Dodgers: Brent Honeywell Jr., Clayton Kershaw, Brusdar Graterol, Connor Brogdon, Gavin Stone, River Ryan, Emmet Sheehan, Dustin May, Tyler Glasnow, and Tony Gonsolin. All pitchers with big ones obviously Kershaw and Glasnow. All but Brogdon are starters. Insane. Shows how deep you need to be to get through the playoffs and 162 games.

Yankees: Pitchers: JT Brubaker, Nestor Cortes, Jonathan Loáisiga, Lou Trivino; Hitters: DJ LeMahieu. Cortes and LeMahieu (despite negative fWAR) the big ones.

Health is critical to winning. Jon Berti didn't make the Yankee roster, nor did Kevin Kiermaier the Dodgers.

Quite a ball game, folks.

Missed most of it, but damn what a finish. The top 2 teams in baseball provided the entertainment they were supposed to. Freeman being the big star. Stanton continues to have a great post-season after being a laughingstock at times in season (his baserunning is a frequent joke). Ohtani & Betts combining to go 1 for 8, yet the Dodgers win anyways. Judge & Soto 2 for 8. But the 3rd part of the two teams deadly part of the lineup came through in Stanton & Freeman (HR each, with Freeman also having a 'triple' - gotta love when a ball goes crazy off a wall).

Yep, this is how a WS game should be. In doubt until the final pitch, with lots of drama and fun to watch plays.

Winning a postseason Gerrit Cole start is huge. The rest of the starting rotation is far more vulnerable.

Boone is getting second-guessed quite a bit - that was quite a spot to use a starting pitcher who hasn't been in a game for more than a month - and I don't really get his reasoning. He didn't use Hill, more of a ground ball putcher, because he thought it would be tough to double up Ohtani. So what? If Ohtani beats out the ground ball, you have runners on the corners. You can still walk Betts if you like and pitch to Freeman with the LH.

LAD is a very well constructed team.

Most people would have saved Rodon for Yankees Stadium where a lefty has an advantage.
Schmidt hasn't done well at home either.
I get that Rodon is the #2 starter on paper, but the playoffs is different.
Othani hasn't done much in his first playoffs and now he injured himself running the bases.The dodgers got their money's worth but the returns could start declining very soon.

scottt - no question it would've been smarter to save Rodon for Yankee stadium. Right now the Yankees are in deep trouble - down 2-0 they need to go 4-1 the rest of the way to win and that ain't easy against a team like the Dodgers. Next up the Yankees use a starter who missed most of 2024 but was very effective when used who has sat for 10 days now in Clarke Schmidt. His 2 post season starts were 4 2/3 IP each, allowing 2 runs each time. 5 regular season starts since coming back from injury - all in September, reaching 100 pitches once. 4 2/3 shutout innings game 1, but 10 runs in 20 innings over the next 4 games. Wouldn't be shocked if he is out before the 5th inning, heck I'd be shocked if he got through 5.

Dodgers have Walker Buehler going with his 5.38 regular season ERA and 6 post season ERA. Like the Yankees guy he isn't likely to get through 5. Boy I miss the days when starters would go 7+ and see a 6 inning start as bad. I suspect all managers feel the same.

FYI: Jays big 3....

• Berrios: 32 starts, 12 times 7+ IP, 11 times 6 to 6 2/3 IP, 5 times in the 5's, 4 times less (fewest 3 IP)
• Gausman: 31 starts, 2 times 9 IP, 1 8, 5 time 7 to 7 2/3 IP, 10 times in the 6's, 7 times in the 5's, 6 times less, once under 3 IP
• Bassitt: 31 starts, 1 time 8 IP, 3 times in the 7s, 10 times in the 6's, 11 in the 5's, 6 times less (lowest 2 2/3).
• Rodríguez: wasn't allowed to go too long - 21 starts, 2 6+ IP, 6 in the 5's, 13 fewer (worst 2/3 IP). Clearly a lot of work needed here, but never allowed to go to 90 pitches.
• Francis: 13 starts, 2 times 8 IP, 3 times 7 IP, 2 times 6 IP, 4 times in the 5's, 2 times less than 5.

I see a LOT of hope there for 2025 vs every other team. For an example, the team the Jays gotta try to beat in 2025 if they want to win their division.

Yankees: Rodon 32 starts, 3 7 IP, 13 6's, 9 in the 5's, 7 less. Cortes 30 starts, 1 8 IP, 7 7's, 6 6's, 8 5's, 8 fewer. Stroman 29 starts, 3 7's, 6 6's, 12 5's, 8 less. Gil 29 starts, 1 8 IP, 9 6's, 12 5's, 7 less. Cole 17 starts, 1 9 IP, 7 6's, 5 5's, 4 less. Schmidt 16 starts, 1 8 IP, 1 6's, 11 5's, 3 fewer.

So just 2 guys with 10+ starts out of 6 (the 2 with under 20 starts) had fewer flops than any regular in the Jays rotation outside of Rodriguez (with a strong pitch limit) Berrios had 11 7+ IP games vs 17 total for the Yankees big 6.

V good analysis of our SPs John N. Our SPs should be very strong or deep next year.

I am not thinking much about our position players. The D should be great. The O is unsettled IMO because we have a lot of candidates.

The pen is a mess however. I expect it to be addressed somehow. I looked at the LAD 40 man roster which has 7 60 day IL players all pitchers. They are probably going to have a hard time setting it in order by the winter meetings. They may add prospects to protect and later add FAs. They could also reduce by trades. Of course expiring contracts will leave. LAD/Jays are frequent trading partners and I am hoping for some deals from their surplus.

I predict the Jays will have a fairly easy task of setting their 40 man roster.

OH no question, the O and pen both need repairs. But I figured with the nightmare both the Yankees & Dodgers are going through it was worth looking at how our big 4 are all better than either of the WS teams big 4 at staying in games, and I expect Rodriguez to be as well once the training wheels are off in 2025. Trades with LAD have made sense lately, but the farm isn't as deep as needed to keep doing that, although getting a couple of guys for one of our surplus meh OF'ers would be nice. As 40 man deadlines come up I could see the Dodgers doing a 'we need space' deal.

In 2019 Bo complained " what more do I have to do to get called up"? We also remember Manoah in 2023.

Just trying to construct the LAD rotation for 2025. Othani, Yamamoto, Glasnow.

J Flaherty & W Buehler are FAs.

Maybes: Gonsolin TJ in Feb 2024, D May 60IL May 2023 forearm strain. If/when healthy and pitching well I don't see them being optioned down due to their seniority. B Miller has options but needs to earn a spot on the team. If Miller and others dominate AAA they will "need" to be called up or they will complain.

I am definitely going to follow the Dodgers off season moves and Opening Day roster. I think there is a very good young Japanese pitcher that could come to the US for 2025.

There is speculation that the Dodgers will have an inside track on star Japanese players after signing Ohtani and Yamamota last year. They will be even more attractive if they win the World Series.

Best sushi I've had outside of Japan is in the "Little Tokyo" area in LA.  Having a legitimate Japanese community must be appealing to some FAs.  

How many places have you tried? I've tried LA, Japan, Montreal, Maui and Toronto and Toronto ranks very well against LA. Maui is better than Japan.

No question the Dodgers will be the #1 location for Japanese players. Seattle was for years thanks to Ichiro, but the Dodgers took that over without a doubt. Roki Sasaki is the hot item, if he comes over. He is sub 25 so can only sign as an international free agent (extreme limits on what he can get) but entering his age 23 season with a 2.02 ERA lifetime in Japan you bet it'll be intense. Wonder if a team can get away with a 'wink wink' deal for mid-season 2025 for 10 years $300 mil or something. Odds are he'd only sign where he wants to go though, so probably LAD.

No question though the Jays will chase all top free agents, but lightly on starting pitchers (no real need there unless they have a team begging for someone like Bassitt in trade). Reading Bregman's name more often towards the Jays, as expected since he is a near perfect fit for the teams needs. Ah, unlimited budget sign Soto & Bregman and a few relievers, extend Vlad & Bo. Now that would be sweet. Ain't happening, but a fun dream.

I don't see how Bregman is a near perfect fit.
He'll be 31. He's declining. He bats right. He's a 20+ HR hitter.
This year he mostly hit second or 4th. When hitting second he had a .787 OPS. When hitting 4th he had a .605 OPS.
I guess he's a near perfect replacement for Bichette, if they trade Bichette and get a clean up hitter who hits left back.

The media treats the Jays as a second rate team and Bregman would be a top player on a second rate team that has an outside chance of getting the last wildcard.
Now all I'm reading is that the Dodgers will sign Soto.

BA has apparently just released their 2024 MLB Draft Report Cards.Does anyone has access? What's their hot take?

Bregman is easily the best 3B available this off-season, and despite a slow start this was his 3rd straight 4+ bWAR season. His peak was an 8.9 in 2019 (after a 7.9 the year before). This is a guy whose normal is all-star level. Basically he is what Chapman was, 1 year younger than Chapman is, but more O and a touch less on D. Outside of writing off defense (Vlad at 3B) I don't see how the Jays can do better overall at 3B. Ha-Seong Kim is an option but he is a pure defense guy with a 90-105 OPS+ so not what the Jays should be chasing. Eugenio Suárez could be a free agent (team option) with power, but defensively is a 0 pretty much (league average) and only once reached 4.0 WAR (dead on in 2018) - he also K's around 200 times a year which goes against everything Atkins says matters to him.

I really can't see how Bregman isn't the best option at 3B for the Jays outside of hoping Vlad can handle 120+ games there with Clement and Barger as backups should he not be able to. Now, if you see 2025 as a rebuilding year then yeah, Bregman isn't ideal. But if you want to contend he really fits in well - just don't give him 5+ years.

The Jays don't need a 3B. They need 2 big bats. Bregman isn't that.
Bregman doesn't make them score an extra run per game.
Third base is fine. The Jays rebounded in August with an injection of left bats. 
The last thing to do is spend the payroll on defensive right bats entitled to hit at the top of the lineup.

On the other hand, Bregman looks like a great fit for the Yankees.
They could move Jazz back to 2B and he replaces Torres' bat.
They don't need him to try to hit clean up. 

The two behemoths on the field are top heavy lineups that alternate left/right bats through an through.
Every good team is constructed like that. The difficulty is in finding the top hitters. 
The Jays don't need to invest in the bottom of the lineup.
Bregman does not fit unless they drop Bichette, but the key part is finding a good power left bat. 

scottt - Not sure you want then for 3B. Soto was #4 in Slg in the majors. Bregman was #42. More power in free agency: Pete Alonso (#38), Jurickson Profar (#37), Willy Adames (#35), Christian Walker (#31), Eugenio Suárez (#28), Teoscar Hernández (#16), Anthony Santander (#15) - the last 2 the only non-Soto's with a 500 Slg%, all but Adames & Suárez are DH/1B/corner OF. Just read a rumor that the Jays are planning to chase Adames (29 years old next year 109 wRC+ lifetime, 119 last year) and trade Bo. Suárez is a 3B but like I said earlier he K's a TON which Atkins hates with a passion.

So Yankees must do what gas never happened in the World Series now - make a comeback from 0-3. Go Dodgers!

BF gave Clement 3.4 WAR and Bregman 4.1. That's doesn't move the needle.
If they have that money to spend, they better start by extending Guerrero rather than blowing it on marginal gains.
Profar has no track record.  Adames was worth 3.1 WAR. 

When there's an MVP available, the media talks about the Dodgers, the Yankees and the Mets.
The Jays come up when they look at free agents who are better than average but not All-Stars.
Adames has never been to an All-Star games. Play the prospects and save the money for real stars.

What do I want?
Option 1, Soto.
Option 2, Santander + trade for Rooker.
The big market teams are all set at DH. It's the perfect time to pounce.

KP looked very uncomfortable last night.
Needs to relax a bit.

I'd love Soto of course, Santander & Rooker would be sweet, no question. If no one else with cash is after DH's then the window is open for the Jays with Rooker, Santander, and other defensively challenged individuals.

" Needs to relax a bit."

I'd say Aaron Judge is squeezing the bat a bit too hard, too.

Hey Dalimon, nice list!  Once you asked that question, I realized perhaps I need to give more Toronto sushi a try - got any recommendations?
I always figured it's just about the freshest fish.   Sushi lunches in Tokyo were the best, fresh off the boat.  So not surprised to hear about Maui. 

I agree with Scottt. The Jays should not be chasing Bregman.

He will give decent production for 3 years and then the last 3 years of his deal will be a concern. Basically Springer all over again. Plus the draft pick penalty as he will get a QO.

Plus the Jays have Clement to hold down the fort, and Barger, Jimenez, Orelvis, Kasevich and a couple of others who could develop into the position over the next year.

Sign Vlad, hope for a rebound with Bo, find a catcher (Jansen), sign a bopper for LF and round up some bullpen arms. Thats a good as we can realistically hope for.

The QO is a big turnoff for Bregman as is his likely demand for 6 years from the Jays (odds are he takes 3-5 from the Astros). But if the Jays won't let Vlad play 3B regularly in 2025 and aren't comfortable with Clement/Barger they might need to. Not comfortable with Suárez if he is available.

My betting right now is a big push for Soto, then after they figure out he isn't coming going for Santander (QO probable and is entering age 30 season so not perfect but taking him and his 44 HR from Baltimore would be nice) and then waiting a bit before signing Tyler O'Neill to DH/LF. The Willy Adames talk is interesting but can't see it unless someone makes a solid offer for Bo for some reason instead of signing Adames themselves (seems unlikely, but possible). Yeah, a trade for Rooker would be sweet but Atkins keeps saying he hates K's and loves flexibility (he is a pure DH really) so he seems a poor fit.

All of this leading to Vlad at 3B for 50-120 games, Clement there for the rest, and Horwitz at 1B a lot. Wagner 2B mixed with Jimenez (cannot be sent down). Rest pretty much set. Oh yeah, plus a backup catcher - wouldn't be surprised if Jansen is resigned.

At some point you have to give the young players a fair/longish chance. D Schneider got ABs because Springer, KK, Turner, Vogelbach, Bo and maybe others were not playing well enough to earn ABs. 2025 will be different because there is a lot of competition. J Schneider, Atkins and others will have to sort that out.

Agreed bpoz - but if the team wants to contend in 2025 then you need a bit more certainty than kids - Wagner/Jimenez/Schneider/Martinez sharing 2B is good. Having LF as a mix of Loperfido/Schneider/Clase/Berroa/Roden/Schreck is not as good of an idea imo unless you really believe in one or more of them. 3B with Clement/Barger/Martinez could work with Vlad around for 20-50 games, I get nervous though. Leaving DH as well as LF/3B/2B to the kids/whoever else is here is pure insanity though. Someone has to be added. Add 1 and kids get TONS of time, add 2 and kids get some time. Add 3 and kids get virtually no time unless subtractions also happen. It'll be interesting to see what Atkins does.

Btw, don't forget players become free agents the day after the WS ends (could be as soon as tomorrow). But cannot sign with a new team until 5 days have passed. The trade market also re-opens the day after the WS ends. All player/team options must be decided on 5 days after the WS ends. For the Jays all of this impacts only Ryan Yarborough (the teams only free agent). No player or team options this winter (unlike last one with the weird Green contract). The QO is expected to be $21.05 million this year, teams must offer them within 5 days of the end of the WS, and players have until November 19th to accept or reject it. The non-tender date is November 22nd (Romano if the Jays feel won't be back until late 2025 could be, but not likely, Swanson, Cabrera, Tate, Pop are all non-tender candidates but just Pop I expect to be non-tendered).

Arbitration (exp $ in millions): 4: Vlad ($28.9), 3: Romano ($7.75), Varsho ($7.4), Swanson ($2.9), Cabrera ($2.5), Tate ($1.6), Kirk ($4.2), Clement ($1.8), Manoah ($1.75), Pop ($1.3).

Free Agents post 2025: Vlad, Bassitt, Bo, Green, Romano, Swanson, Cabrera, Tate

Via Cot's the Jays CBT payroll level for 2025 is expected to be $203,887,953 which is $37,112,047 below the 1st tax level.

Over $20 mil: Springer (25-26), Gausman (25-26), Bassitt (FA post 25)
In the $10's: Berrios (FA post 28), Bo, Green
Rodriguez at $7 mil (FA post 28).

Every player I didn't mention above (arb or set salary) is pre-arb thus under $1 mil each. Some players (Berrios & Rodriguez) have options - the years I listed were if everything is exercised.

The Jays need a frontline SP far more than they need Bregman. Counting on two guys who have never pitched a full MLB season is a really bad idea.

Koiso sushi was amazing in Maui. Fish shopped frozen from Japan.

Aoyama sushi is a nice gem in Toronto north of the city. Zen can be good hut overpriced. That's about it...everything else overrated to me.

Enjoy!

Homerun F Freeman. LAD ahead 2-0.

Those Yankee "fans" who tried to rip the ball out of Mookies glove were nuts. Give them a lifetime ban from baseball.

The second guy should face assault charges.

The end results might not look like a crap shoot, but individual performances aren't exactly predictable.

Those Yankee "fans" who tried to rip the ball out of Mookies glove were nuts.

There was a time when broadcasts would show fans being escorted from the premises after bad behaviour, as a caution against future jackassery. That has stopped for some reason.

The Yankees defensive meltdown in the 5th inning reminds me of Elvis Andrus.

Gotta love watching Yankee errors. C'mon Dodgers. 6 outs away from giving Ohtani a title (and Teoscar and Freeman a second title).

I shouldn't be happy about someone's misery, but there is something nice about the Yanks losing the series on Cole's failure to cover 1st in the 5th inning

Boone made questionable decisions in the first 3 losses, but the players blew this one by themselves.
Also, the errors were not made by guys leaving this fall. It was Judge, Volpe and Cole who gave it up.
That's 3 core pieces.

Soto did a fine job of getting on base, but Judge had trouble scoring him or even just moving him.
He sat there shocked or dejected for long minutes before he signed himself and left.

Othani didn't do much either. I start to wonder how he will age over that contract.

There was a crazy number of walks in this game.
Every Jays game I watch, many of these pitches are called for strikes.

After watching this postseason, it's hard to advocate for contact over power.

The first thing that came to my mind was the 2022 Wild card game 2 when the Jays blew a 7-run lead to escape winning a postseason game.

Congratulations to the LAD & Teo.

We have a schedule of off season dates thanks to John N.

One move I am expecting is G Cole opting out. He is allowed this but is 34 years old. NYY can void his opt out by adding a 10th year.

I am looking forward to all teams 40 man cuts.

bpoz I think you're right. Zack Wheeler signed for 42 million ages 35-37. Cole is entering that same age and is paid 6 million less per year if he does not opt out. He should be able to get 40 million per year.

Greenfrog, when are you coming back to post?

I forgot that Anthony Banda was briefly a Blue Jay. So many relievers, so little time.

dalimon5 I checked your math. It was perfect. No insult intended. Cole chooses to opt out and NYY voids his decision by adding a 10th year at $36mil.So he will be a Yankee next year.

This is going to be a great off season for me because:

1) With so many mediocre & therefore easily replaceable 40 man players Atkins has the luxury of a ton of harmless transactions.

2) Rule5 bothers me a lot less this year. For example C Cooke or D Santos picked most likely is returned.

3) A big trade is possible to someone for their personal reasons such as reducing budget and improving their playoff chances such as St Louis. Who would St Louis give up? They like to add stars so a star FA makes their incumbent "has to go". If he has to go then they want something cheap that does not need a 4o man spot. We got Grichuck for nothing much.

4) Swanson & Bassitt can be traded if Atkins replaces them with FAs (Swanson). I don't really know how they would find a replacement for Bassitt. Seattle & Miami seem to have surplus SPs usually. I would need to check.

Primer taken from MLBtraderumors.com

OCTOBER 31: Free agency begins for eligible players, but they aren’t permitted to sign with other teams for at least five days. Free agents no longer count against their previous teams’ 40-man rosters. Trades of players who were on the 40-man roster reopen for the first time since last summer’s deadline.

NOVEMBER 3: Gold Glove winners announced.

NOVEMBER 4: Free agents are eligible to sign with any team. All players or teams with contractual options/opt-out clauses must make their decisions by this evening. Teams have until 4:00 pm Central to decide whether to issue qualifying offers to eligible free agents.

NOVEMBER 4-7: General managers meetings in San Antonio, Texas. The GM Meetings typically lay the groundwork for the offseason rather than spurring much roster movement in themselves. They’re nevertheless significant as an opportunity for media to speak with high-level executives, which can shed some light on teams’ goals for the winter.

NOVEMBER 12: Silver Slugger award winners announced.

NOVEMBER 14: Reliever of the Year and Comeback Player of the Year award winners announced.

NOVEMBER 18: Rookie of the Year award winners announced.

NOVEMBER 19: Players have until 3:00 pm Central to decide whether to accept the qualifying offer. If they accept, they’ll return to their previous team on a one-year, $21.05MM contract. Players who accept a QO, like all major league free agent signees, cannot be traded without their consent until June 15. Those who decline the QO are tied to draft compensation. MLBTR’s Mark Polishuk recently covered what each team would receive for losing a qualified free agent and the penalties that teams would pay to sign a player who declined a QO.

NOVEMBER 19: Rule 5 protection deadline. Teams must add players who would otherwise be eligible for the Rule 5 draft to their 40-man roster by this date to keep them out of the draft.

NOVEMBER 19: Manager of the Year award winners announced.

NOVEMBER 19-21: Quarterly owners meetings in New York.

NOVEMBER 20: Cy Young award winners announced.

NOVEMBER 21: MVP award winners announced.

NOVEMBER 22: Non-tender deadline. Teams must decide whether to offer contracts to the arbitration-eligible and pre-arbitration players on their 40-man roster. They do not need to agree to salaries by this date, but there’ll be a flurry of salary agreements as players who might otherwise be non-tender candidates often lock in deals at slightly lesser than projected salaries to avoid being cut loose. Players who are non-tendered immediately become free agents without going through waivers.

DECEMBER 8: Hall of Fame Classic Baseball Committee announcement.

DECEMBER 8-11: Winter Meetings in Dallas, Texas. The Winter Meetings are the offseason’s busiest few days and annually feature ample free agent and trade activity.

DECEMBER 10: Amateur draft lottery. The Rockies and Marlins have the best chance (22.45% each) of securing next year’s first overall pick.

DECEMBER 11: Rule 5 draft. Players selected must stay on their new teams’ active rosters for the entire ’25 season or be offered back to their original organization.

DECEMBER 15: Closing of the 2024 signing period for international amateurs.

JANUARY 9: Teams and arbitration-eligible players exchange salary filing figures. They’re free to continue negotiating beyond this date, though virtually every team treats this as an unofficial deadline to avoid an arbitration hearing unless they sign a multi-year contract.

JANUARY 15: Opening of the 2025 signing period for international amateurs. The majority of the international signings for the year will be announced on this date, as virtually all the top prospects have reached handshake agreements by this point. The notable (potential) exception: Japanese star Roki Sasaki, who has expressed an interest in being posted for MLB teams but would be subject to amateur bonus pool restrictions as a player under the age of 25 if his NPB team makes him available this offseason.

JANUARY 21: Baseball Writers’ Association of America Hall of Fame announcement.

JANUARY 27 – FEBRUARY 14: Arbitration hearings. Arbitrators must choose either the team’s or player’s filing figure, not a midpoint.

FEBRUARY 12: Voluntary report date for pitchers and catchers. Players from the Dodgers and Cubs, who’ll open the season in Tokyo, could arrive a few days earlier.

FEBRUARY 17: Voluntary report date for other players.

FEBRUARY 20: Spring Training play begins.

MARCH 18-19: Dodgers and Cubs open regular season play with a two-game series at the Tokyo Dome.

MARCH 27: Domestic Opening Day.

Read somewhere (forget where) that a few teams are cutting payroll (probably due to US TV rights locally falling apart) including Texas, St Louis, ChiSox, and Minnesota.

• St Louis: Nolan Arenado is their top $$$ but he wanted to be in St Louis and has full no-trade protection; Willson Contreras is next, same protection; Miles Mikolas next RHP final year of contract, a workhorse but just a 78 ERA+ last year - no interest; Steven Matz LHP final year as well but injured and 83 ERA+; Ryan Helsley is their closer, in line for a big arbitration win (49 saves vs 4 blown) in his final year pre-free agency so he is available. In the end there is very little there unless we trade for a quality prospect and eat a big salary (Mikolas or Matz).
• Texas: Jacob deGrom they'd love to dump but who'd take that contract and glass arm? $115 mil left over 3-4 years ('28 option is a club option after him missing so much time) - high risk, high reward guy; Corey Seager next $31-$32 mil a year for 25-31 for an all-world SS (145 OPS+ last year) - yeah, we'll take him, but no way they are trading him; Semien - $26 mil per for 25-27, $20 for 28, likely not available even with a 100 OPS+ last year but entering age 34 season so might be; No one else jumps out as worth clearing out for payroll purposes, plus they intend to compete in 2025.
• Twins: always a tight budget, Carlos Correa top cost - owed a fortune and misses half a year with more serious injuries likely given his health (that stopped the Mets and Giants from signing him) - no sane GM would touch him with a 10' pole right now; Byron Buxton would be sweet (137 OPS+ last year in CF, 110 lifetime) but he hasn't had more than 102 games in a season since 2017 - $15 mil a year for 25-28, if they want to dump him the Jays would happily take him I'm sure and put him in LF (hoping to reduce injuries like move Springer to RF seems to have done); backup catcher Christian Vázquez has 1 year $10 mil left and with a 60 OPS+ I'm sure they'd be happy to dump him but can't imagine he'd be on the Jays list of wants.
• White Sox - well, this is a 'duh' - you lose 121 games, you cut anyone you can. Yoán Moncada is the biggest cost at $25 mil or a $5 mil buyout with a 101 OPS+ the past 2 years over 104 games I expect the buyout, but being a 3B the Jays will probably look at him as a free agent once cut; Andrew Benintendi is next at $16.5 the next 2 years, then $14.5 in '27 - he has been reasonably healthy the past 2 years with a 91 OPS+ in LF so I'd think the Jays would have minimal interest here even with his 20 HR in '24. Luis Robert Jr. in CF is interesting due to a 117 lifetime OPS+ vs the 87 in '24. $15 mil in '25 then club options for 26/27 at $20 mil each or $2 mil buyout. He had 38 HR in '23 to go with 20+ SB each of the past 2 years - he'd be sweet to steal from them and put in LF to keep the OF strong on defense plus adding real power and speed to LF. No one else is making enough to be worth dumping.

SO a few interesting pieces out there from teams that are cutting payroll. I'd love Robert Jr but his high K figures would scare off Atkins, most others on the lists I don't see being available at reasonable prices.

With so many teams on shaky grounds regarding local television money, could be a slow moving winter season.

Outside of Soto, yeah, I'd expect things to be a bit slower. Jays should pick who they want most and decide if that player is significantly better than other options. If so then chase hard (Soto), if not then wait and see (Profar, Hernandez, Santander, O'Neill, etc. - any could be decent in LF/DH but odds are at least one will be hunting for work come January thus be more willing to go for fewer years or lower dollars). 1B/DH has Alonso, Walker, Goldschmidt as solid options but none really excite me at what their opening prices will be - but come February they also might come down to earth.

Of note: FanGraphs has projected WAR on their FA chart now. Soto at 6.9, Bregman at 4.1, Adames & Torres in the low 3's, Santander, Teoscar, Alonso at 2.5-2.9; plus Profar, Walker, and Higashioka (C) as 2's.

Pitchers over 3: Burnes, Fried, Flaherty, Kikuchi; in the 2's: Pivetta, Boyd, Severino. For relief only Jeff Hoffman gets a 1, Tanner Scott, Clay Holmes, Aroldis Chapman, Blake Treinen, Chris Martin, and Joe Kelly at 0.6-0.9; tons more at 0.5 and lower.

So I expect the Jays to chase Soto hard, then go softer on the rest before signing someone in January. Nov/Dec might see a few relievers signed and a trade or two. My biggest quick hope is for them to sign Vlad (rumor was $350/11 years was where the sides were leaning with an opt-out after 5 years).

Yarbrough should be getting a ring. Nobody would mind having him back in Toronto.

Yoan Moncada just got bought out by the WhiteSox for $5 M.

Missed most of last year. Historically, had one monster year (140 OPS+), a couple of good ones and a few lousy ones. Is 29.

I am not sure how good he is at 3B. He was good at one point.

I would not mind it if the Jays signed him on a deal for a couple of million plus incentives.

If he doesnt bounce back, they have others (incl Clement). If he does, he could really make a difference. He has a lot of talent.

Wouldnt be that different from the IKF signing. Speaking of which, I bet PIT would not be adverse to giving him away after a 63 OPS+ with them post trade. Not sure there is a place for him here with the emergence of Clement and the need to keep Jimenez.

Yoan Moncada is a very interesting one - just 12 games last year, 92 the one before, and 104 in 2022. So clearly lots of injury issues and performance issues all with the White Sox who clearly are a poorly run franchise (121 losses, need I say more?). 2021 was his last healthy full season and he has a 120 wRC+. His defense is generally OK, but had a very poor year in '23 by DRS (-6). He is a guy I'd want a few scouts opinions on, and deeper statistical analysis on, and a full physical. Is he close to 100% now? Is he likely to rebound? If so then yeah, sign him with an option for 2026. If not then move on to whoever is next.

Moncada suffered a strained adductor while running to first base and missed over 5 months.
He was  making 25M last year.
He hit 25 HR in 2019. 14, 12, 11 and 0, the last 4 years.
Sounds like the type of guys a non-contender takes a flyer on.

Agreed Scottt - unless he takes a minor league contract or the scouts are sky high on him I'd look elsewhere for help in 2025 than Moncada. Due diligence dictates you look, but realistically someone will give him a ML deal so not a likely candidate to be a Jay. Right now the #1 priority is to sign Vlad long term, and to try to get Soto. Do the initial groundwork on the other LF/DH candidates and look into Bregman. Maybe do a hard press on any relievers the Jays are high on, with a light touch to the agents of secondary targets.

Let's hope we get some action here in the early days of the off-season for the Jays. There's already been one pretty big trade with AA shipping out Soler..(which by the way, being traded hours after the final pitch of the world series must mean they'd wanted to shed themselves of him). My gut tells me they'll want to address the bullpen first.

Soler was a band aid to try to  make the playoffs. They had no room for him in the outfield or at DH.

Team options are being declined widely - There will be much mediocre talent on the free agent market, which is where I expect the Jays to shop.

I'm completely okay with the Jays picking up O'Hearn if the Orioles decline the option. Then use that saved money (not spent on Alonso or Sanander) to go get a real bullpen and OF bat.

I don't think he's an upgrade on Horwitz. Neither has enough power to hit behind Guerrero.
O'Hearn has never had more than 60 RBI.

I really wish MLB would stop stretching out award season for weeks after the season, and then weeks to go through them. Either have an actual awards show like the NHL used to (do they still?), or just name the winners immediately. Maybe a 2 day rollout? Sports coverage barely even notices because the NBA, NFL, and NHL are in full-swing. 

Brandon Lowe is staying with TB as they exercised their option. Too bad he would be perfect for Toronto. Blake Snell is available. I know lots around here don't like him but he is really really good.

Looking at Keith Law's Top 50 Free Agents list I see tons of pitchers and few hitters. Soto, Adames, and Bregman will basically get to pick their location and price, while Profar, Teoscar, and others will get far better deals than they normally would. Kim is hurt which will cost him big time, Alonso has been solid but not as good as needed for a 1B/DH. Santander he has at #17 (bad D and poor BABIP), Walker #20 listed as a solid defender at 1B so he might be a solid sign if Vlad going to 3B (cheaper, fewer years due to age).

It'll be a fun winter in Jays land with speculation all winter I suspect.

The Angels have traded Canning Griffin for Soler, picked up Scott Kingery for cash, grabbed Ryan Noda from waivers at the cost of losing Roansy Contreras. 
Fully in rebuilding mode with a payroll still over 168M at the moment.

Rhys Hoskins has picked his player option for 18M. He's been an average bat hitting .214 with 26 HR. He's not good defensively at 1B.

Hunter Renfroe has picked his player option for 7.5M. He hit .229 with 15 HR which makes him below average. 
Chris  Stratton has picked his player option for 4.5M after throwing over 58 innings in the pen with a 5.55 ERA.
Imagine if the Jays front office was pulling moves like that. 

Alonso had a 123 OPS+ last year. That's about what Horwitz produced and he was the second best hitter on the team after Guerrero.
Obviously that's not Freedy Freeman's level, but it's not that easy to find a better bat at 1B.
Guerrero, Harper, Olson, and that's about it. Bregman had a 118 OPS+.
There are a bunch of DH types who can play LF but not 1B.

I like Santander. He's had a career year but rising power at 29 is fine. We saw that before.
I would expect 3 or 4 more great years before a steep decline.
He's also a switch hitter.

Profar has a chaotic track record.
He was great this year. He could be good or bad next year.
The safe bet is to project him to be average.

Deciding Vlad's future with the Jays is the most important off season concern IMO.

After the trade deadline I thought that our offense was ok or even good. The good is because Vlad, Kirk and Horwitz were v good or at least good. E Clement walks too little but also Ks little. His Avg is good but that is not really enough but can be enough if other players can do more.

The pen after the trade deadline was horrible. I don't believe any of the new pitchers claimed a 2025 position. Yarbrough did but he is a FA.

Swanson returned July 20 and was V good since then. Maybe get 2 more reliable bullpen arms.

Atkins has to improve the O. I don't want another Springer contract. But I have faith that the O will improve. Maybe even get good.

Jim Bowden had a column predicting where the top free agents would land and Toronto was not mentioned at all except for being one of many teams in on Soto, and that Tampa would play their home games at the Jay's Dunedin complex.

Can we let pitchers adjust to Horwitz before we start ranking him 4th best in MLB by OPS?

Horwitz had his worst month in July, so I wouldn't worry about the league adjusting to him.
I prefer Wagner at second and I'm not convinced Horwitz has enough power to DH.
I see both as platoon bats.

Manfred has mentioned Dunedin, the Phillies' complex in Clearwater, the Yankees' in Tampa, the Pirates' in Bradenton and the Tigers' in Lakeland.
I don't know why Tampa wouldn't be the preferred location.

Moncada on a 1 year pillow contract is a decent gamble, also if the Mets are moving on from Brett Baty, I like him as a change of scenery guy.

Lots of sites saying the Jays are going hot and heavy after Soto on day 1 tomorrow, maybe giving him an Ohtani offer ($700 million). Let's hope. Hey, it isn't my money. It'd make sense to go after him hard on day one with a 'this is all we will do' whatever that amount is, then if he won't take it within a week or whatever you just walk away and move forward on other options thus avoiding the Ohtani sweepstakes situation.

John, which sites can you cite?

Varsho finally wins a very well deserved gold glove. Good news on that front.

I believe it was Hector Gomez on twitter who said the Jays were going hard for Soto.

Surprised that the Braves didn't renew d'Arnaud.