With Spring Training quickly coming to a close, the pressure was on for the Blue Jays to start paring down their large exhibition rosters and start preparing for opening day on Sunday. Well, most of that pressure is gone now, as the Blue Jays made a bunch of moves this morning that have helped to clear up the 25-man roster picture:
#BlueJays announce that reliever Steve Delabar, an all-star in 2013, has been given his unconditional release.
— Brendan Kennedy (@BKennedyStar) March 29, 2016
#Bluejays clarify – Delabar has been placed on waivers for the purposes of granting him his unconditional release. #Jays
— Mike Wilner (@Wilnerness590) March 29, 2016
Gibby said Estrada will "probably" start the season on the DL, in which case they will break camp w/ 4 starters & an extra reliever.
— Brendan Kennedy (@BKennedyStar) March 29, 2016
John Gibbons says #BlueJays released Randy Choate. Hope he'll accept assignment to Buffalo.
— Shi Davidi (@ShiDavidi) March 29, 2016
John Gibbons makes it sound like Rule 5 pick Joe Biagini will break camp with #BlueJays. Says they want to take a further look at him
— Shi Davidi (@ShiDavidi) March 29, 2016
Whoa! That’s a lot to break down, but I’m going to give it my best shot.
The thing that probably stands out most to everybody is the release of Steve Delabar. It wasn’t that long ago that we were asked to #RaiseTheBar in an attempt to get the former setup man into the All-Star Game (a feat which we accomplished). For a while, Delabar looked like he was going to be a future closer in Toronto. He had extreme power stuff – a high 90s fastball and a diving splitter – and struck out hitters by the boatload; in his first 1.5 seasons in Toronto, he had a K/9 of 13.09. He always had some minor control issues, but with that kind of power it didn’t seem to matter. However, as happens so often with relievers, Delabar’s stuff began to take a step back. The fastball dropped to 93-95 mph, and the splitter lost some of his bite. When combined with the control issues, Delabar suddenly became very hittable on occasion. This led to an ERA of 5.07 split over 2014-2015, which just isn’t acceptable in a major league bullpen. Delabar will hope to latch on elsewhere, and the Blue Jays shed over $700K of his salary.
Randy Choate was also given the heave-ho by the Blue Jays, but they’re hoping he actually sticks around. I would have thought that he was the favourite for the role as the second left-hander in the bullpen – with Loup hurt – but it seems he didn’t impress. Considering he wasn’t his usual lefty-dominating self last year, it’s possible Choate could have trouble finding a big league job and remain with the Blue Jays.
It wasn’t all bad news for Jays relievers though. The cuts of Choate and Delabar and the DL stint for Estrada should make least two Blue Jays happy – Pat Venditte and Joe Biagini.
Thanks to his ability to pitch with both hands, Venditte rose to far more fame than one would expect for a bubble reliever. Still, he has shown a very advanced ability to retire left-handed batters, and has more value than a traditional specialist as he will still have the platoon advantage if the opposing manager sends up a pinch hitter (unless he switch-hits). It may seem like a novelty act, but if the Blue Jays do decide to go with a second lefty, he should be able to help the Blue Jays.
Biagini was a rule V pick from the San Francisco Giants who, at first, seemed like he might be a long shot to make the team. But, as names fell off the depth chart, Biagini rose quickly through the ranks. A starter in the minors, the tall righty has seen his stuff play up in short bursts out of the bullpen. His fastball has routinely touched 96 mph and he brings with it a pretty sharp curveball. The fastball can occasionally get a little straight, which leads to some hard contact, but there is definitely enough in that arm to warrant a longer look.
The other relievers on the bubble, Arnold Leon and Ryan Tepera, must also be breathing a little easier today. An eight-man bullpen certainly increases their chances of making the major leagues. Given that Tepera has an option left and Leon does not, I would assume Tepera is the most likely man to be sent down, but he also has reverse splits, so the Jays could opt to keep both of them and option Venditte. We’ll find out how this plays out within the next couple of days.
Finally, with Estrada officially hitting the disabled list, Marcus Stroman will be starting both the opener in Tampa on Sunday, and the home opener in Toronto next Friday (the 9th). The Blue Jays nominal ace is usually a high energy guy anyway, but expect him to be very amped up to be pitching in front of the always raucous home opener crowds. It will be a show worth watching.
That leaves just the battles for the fourth outfielder – between Darrell Ceciliani, Ezequiel Carrera, and Junior Lake – and the battle for closer – Roberto Osuna vs Drew Storen – as decisions yet to be made by the Blue Jays.
Real baseball is coming folks.
Lead photo: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports