Using 20/20 vision to examine Blue Jays 2020 hopes

Could Cavan Biggio (son of Hall of Famer Craig Biggio) be the next savior of the Toronto Blue Jays and help make the 2020 season a winning one?

May 8, 2019

Jays Possible 2020 Run

By Rob Seguin

As bad as the Jays have been of late and as much hope as Vladdy Junior’s recent promotion provides Jays fans for the future, what’s really exciting is if you look at the possible 25-man Opening Day roster for 2020.

Consider this starting 9 (potential batting order):

Dante Bichette, 2B

Lourdes Gurriel, RF

Vladimir Guerrero, 3B

Cavan Biggio, DH

Randall Grichuk, CF

Rowdy Tellez, 1B

Teoscar Hernandez, LF

Danny Jansen, C

Freddy Galvis, SS

Assumptions:

-Gurriel is moved to the outfield; Bichette to second and Biggio is the super-utility guy and occasional DH.

-Justin Smoak, Devon Travis, Eric Sogard and Luke Maile are traded primarily for pitching/outfielders at the minor-league level.

-Ken Giles, David Phelps and Galvis have their options for 2020 picked up by the Jays based on their performance in 2019; Giles is signed to a longer-term contract during 2020.

-Marcus Stroman is traded; Aaron Sanchez is not and he’s signed to a multi-year deal for $10M/year based on a strong back-half 2019 performance

-Jacob Waguespack makes the team as a starting pitcher to complement Sanchez, Ryan Borucki, Trent Thornton and Matt Shoemaker; replaces the departed Clay Buchholz and Garrett Richards (FAs) and traded Stroman.

-Nate Pearson starts in triple-A and joins the rotation at the trade deadline in July when Shoemaker is dealt for prospects

-Reese McGuire is promoted and takes over for Maile as the back-up catcher

-Justin Shafer and Corey Copping are promoted to the bullpen to replace Elvis Luciano (sent down to double-A), and Daniel Hudson (FA).

-The Jays’ 2020 committed payroll is just short of $80M including the $19.4M they must pay Troy Tulowitski (thankfully, it will be the last year). This provides them tremendous payroll flexibility to pony up perhaps as much as $100M/year to sign their top young players to longer term deals and/or free agents over the next 2-3 seasons, before the bulk of their young core become arbitration-eligible in the 2022-2024 window (Guerrero, Bichette, Biggio, Alford, Tellez, Jansen, Pearson, Borucki and Thornton).

-Currently, the 2020 free agent class include pitchers Gerrit Cole (29), Alex Wood (29), Stephen Strasburg (31) and Chris Archer (31) to name four of eight or nine strong and not-to-old starters who may still be available in the off-season

-In case any high-end prospect stubs their toe, or trips on a sprinkler head going into 2020, as for position players, how about Avisail Garcia (29), Nick Castellanos (28), Anthony Rendon (30), or Scooter Gennett (30) to name four of six or seven great options

PlayerHome RunsAB's/RBIAvg./OPSNotesContract/Payroll
McKinney10250/30.240/.7504th outfielder2020: $559k entry level deal until 2022
Drury15250/35.270/.750Utility guy off the bench2020: Arbitration-eligible (Estimate $3M)
Grichuk25400/80.250/.800Everyday dependable centre-fielder with great exit velocity2020: $12M ,2021: $19.3
Biggio20400/90.240/.900Super-utility player who's left handed power bat fits well into the Jays line-up2020: $575k entry level deal until 2024
Hernandez20300/50.240/.780If he doesn't find his 1st half 2018 game he may be gone2020: $578k entry-level deal until 2021
Bichette20400/80.270/.900The full package of speed, power, good defence, smart player2020: $575k entry level deal until 2024
Jansen10350/50.230/.700His improved defence in 2019 carries over and he improves offensively to earn every day playing time on an improving team2020: $558k entry level deal until 2022
Alford15300/40.240/.750Starting right fielder if he shows he can hit MLB pitching2020: $558k entry level deal until 2024
Galvis15450/45.240/.680Steady, veteran presence, on-field and club house leader2020: $5.5 million club option
Gurriel15400/75.290/.850Moved to Left Field from super-utility role or 2nd base2020: $2.5 million, 2021: $3.5 million, 2022: $4.5 million, 2023: $5.4 million, 2024: Free Agent
Tellez20400/80.240/.850Great left-handed power2020: $558k entry-level deal until 2022
McGuire 5200/20.220/.650Back-up catcher. Very good defensively2020: $558k entry-level deal until 2024
Guerrero25450/100.300/1.000Will flourish if the guys around him in the line-up (Grichuk, Bichette, Biggio, Gurriel) perform to potential2020: $558k entry level deal until 2022
      
PitcherWon-Loss ERA InningsNotes/Assumptions 
Sanchez15-103.00200Finds his A game in the 2nd half of 2019 and is signed to a multi-year year deal 2020: $10M (est.) Arb-eligible; 2021: FA
Shoemaker6-43.50100Great bounce-back from knee injury in 2019; gets traded at the 2020 deadline for prospects2020: $3.5M est. Arbitration-eligible; 2021: FA
Borucki10-104.20150Returns to 2018 form from injury-plagued 20192020: $565k entry level deal until 2022
Thornton10-104.50150Great movement on mid-90's fastball and nasty curve2020: $555k entry level deal until 2022
Waguespack10-155.00150Decent 5th starter options2020: $555k entry level deal until 2024
Pearson6-43.00100Jays patience to leave him in the Minors for all of 2019 and the first half of 2020 to build up strength pays off - potential ace2020: $555k entry level deal until 2024
Copping 4.5060Strong breaking ball and mid-90's moving fastball2020: $555k entry level deal until 2024
Law 4.0070Steadying presence2020: Arb. Eligible (est. $1.4M)
Mayza 3.5080Continues to improve2020: $568k entry level deal until 2022
Shafer 3.0080Successor to Giles for 2021 closer's role2020: $575k entry level deal until 2024
Pannone 4.5060Crafty lefty2020: $560k entry level deal until 2022
Gaviglio 4.0080Improved 2019 performance helps him lock in long relief role2020: $580k entry level deal until 2021
Biagini 4.0080Settling in to 7th inning role2020: ($1.5M est) Arb. Eligible, 2022: Free Agent
Phelps 4.0060Proven 8th inning guy2020: $1.0M; 2021: FA
Giles 3.4080If not moved in 2019, signs longer term deal in 20202020: $8.0 million est., Arbitration-eligible; 2021: Free Agent
Total Payroll    2020: $78 Million**

*Contract/Payroll figures from NBC Rotoworld

** Includes retained salary for Tulo ($19.4M)

If the Jays, use their considerable budget resources, could a World Series run happen as soon as 2020?

Maybe, baby. And hopefully it does before the 2021 labour shut-down looms. Canadian baseball fans don’t want to a repeat of the 1994 Expos debacle.



Editor’s note: In this the 50th anniversary of the Ottawa-Nepean Canadians we have opened the doors to former Canadians to take pen in hand (or open up the laptop) and write a few memories. Rob Seguin played for the Canadians from 1981-to-1983. This piece originally appeared on Bluebird Banter on March 18th.