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	<title>Toronto &#187; Randy Choate</title>
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	<description>Comprehensive coverage of the Toronto Blue Jays</description>
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		<title>Blue Jays Make Flurry of Moves</title>
		<link>http://toronto.locals.baseballprospectus.com/2016/03/29/blue-jays-make-flurry-of-moves/</link>
		<comments>http://toronto.locals.baseballprospectus.com/2016/03/29/blue-jays-make-flurry-of-moves/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 29 Mar 2016 14:15:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Joshua Howsam]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Articles]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[News]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Joe Biagini]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Pat Venditte]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Randy Choate]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Steve Delabar]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://toronto.locals.baseballprospectus.com/?p=793</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[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 [&#8230;]]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>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:</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550"><p lang="en" dir="ltr"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BlueJays?src=hash">#BlueJays</a> announce that reliever Steve Delabar, an all-star in 2013, has been given his unconditional release.</p>
<p>&mdash; Brendan Kennedy (@BKennedyStar) <a href="https://twitter.com/BKennedyStar/status/714790566333177856">March 29, 2016</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550"><p lang="en" dir="ltr"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Bluejays?src=hash">#Bluejays</a> clarify &#8211; Delabar has been placed on waivers for the purposes of granting him his unconditional release. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Jays?src=hash">#Jays</a></p>
<p>&mdash; Mike Wilner (@Wilnerness590) <a href="https://twitter.com/Wilnerness590/status/714810168157016065">March 29, 2016</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Gibby said Estrada will &quot;probably&quot; start the season on the DL, in which case they will break camp w/ 4 starters &amp; an extra reliever.</p>
<p>&mdash; Brendan Kennedy (@BKennedyStar) <a href="https://twitter.com/BKennedyStar/status/714807907234086912">March 29, 2016</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">John Gibbons says <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BlueJays?src=hash">#BlueJays</a> released Randy Choate. Hope he&#39;ll accept assignment to Buffalo.</p>
<p>&mdash; Shi Davidi (@ShiDavidi) <a href="https://twitter.com/ShiDavidi/status/714808235870576640">March 29, 2016</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">John Gibbons makes it sound like Rule 5 pick Joe Biagini will break camp with <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BlueJays?src=hash">#BlueJays</a>. Says they want to take a further look at him</p>
<p>&mdash; Shi Davidi (@ShiDavidi) <a href="https://twitter.com/ShiDavidi/status/714808490322214912">March 29, 2016</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<p>Whoa! That&#8217;s a lot to break down, but I&#8217;m going to give it my best shot.</p>
<p>The thing that probably stands out most to everybody is the release of Steve Delabar. It wasn&#8217;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 &#8211; a high 90s fastball and a diving splitter &#8211; 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&#8217;t seem to matter. However, as happens so often with relievers, Delabar&#8217;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&#8217;t acceptable in a major league bullpen. Delabar will hope to latch on elsewhere, and the Blue Jays shed over $700K of his salary.</p>
<p>Randy Choate was also given the heave-ho by the Blue Jays, but they&#8217;re hoping <em>he</em> actually sticks around. I would have thought that he was the favourite for the role as the second left-hander in the bullpen &#8211; with Loup hurt &#8211; but it seems he didn&#8217;t impress. Considering he wasn&#8217;t his usual lefty-dominating self last year, it&#8217;s possible Choate could have trouble finding a big league job and remain with the Blue Jays. </p>
<p>It wasn&#8217;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 &#8211; Pat Venditte and Joe Biagini.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>The other relievers on the bubble, Arnold Leon and Ryan Tepera, must also be breathing <em>a little</em> 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&#8217;ll find out how this plays out within the next couple of days.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>That leaves just the battles for the fourth outfielder &#8211; between Darrell Ceciliani, Ezequiel Carrera, and Junior Lake &#8211; and the battle for closer &#8211; Roberto Osuna vs Drew Storen &#8211; as decisions yet to be made by the Blue Jays.</p>
<p>Real baseball is coming folks.</p>
<p><em>Lead photo: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports</em></p>
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		<title>Artificial Turf Wars Ep. 3: Encarnacion, The Evil Empire, and Exchanged Souls</title>
		<link>http://toronto.locals.baseballprospectus.com/2016/03/18/atw-episode-3-encarnacion-the-evil-empire-and-exchanged-souls/</link>
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		<pubDate>Fri, 18 Mar 2016 10:30:38 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Artifical Turf Wars]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Articles]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Podcast]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Artificial Turf Wars]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Do-Over]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Edwin Encarnacion]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Marco Estrada]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[New York Yankees]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Randy Choate]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://toronto.locals.baseballprospectus.com/?p=465</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Jay Jaffe of Sports Illustrated stops by to preview the New York Yankees in the final installment of the AL East Preview Series. The boys also discuss Edwin Encarnacion&#8217;s injuries/contract talks, Marco Estrada&#8217;s return to health, the signing of Randy Choate, and address the state of the battle for the final spot in the rotation. [&#8230;]]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="https://twitter.com/jay_jaffe" target="_blank">Jay Jaffe</a> of Sports Illustrated stops by to preview the New York Yankees in the final installment of the AL East Preview Series. The boys also discuss Edwin Encarnacion&#8217;s injuries/contract talks, Marco Estrada&#8217;s return to health, the signing of Randy Choate, and address the state of the battle for the final spot in the rotation. They also give a Do-Over to the White Sox for the Adam LaRoche fiasco and answer listener questions.</p>
<p>Finally, the boys announced a contest to become the final entrants in the BP Toronto fantasy league. All you have to do is follow <a href="https://twitter.com/TurfPod" target="_blank">@TurfPod</a> and tweet your most creative fantasy team name. The winners will be notified of their inclusion in the league and their entries will be read on Episode Four of Artificial Turf Wars next week.</p>
<p><strong>Podcast</strong>: <a class="powerpress_link_pinw" title="Play in New Window" href="http://s3.amazonaws.com/btr.shows/8/510/show_8510011_2016_03_18_04_11_11.mp3" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Play in new window</a> | <a class="powerpress_link_d" title="Download" href="http://s3.amazonaws.com/btr.shows/8/510/show_8510011_2016_03_18_04_11_11.mp3" rel="nofollow">Download</a></p>
<p><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/ca/podcast/blue-jays-plus-podcast/id705699884?mt=2"><img class="alignnone wp-image-63" src="http://toronto.locals.baseballprospectus.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2016/03/itunes1.png" alt="itunes" width="125" height="46" /></a></p>
<p>Follow the guys on twitter: <a title="@coolhead2010" href="https://twitter.com/coolhead2010" target="_blank">@coolhead2010</a>, <a title="@JoshuaHowsam" href="https://twitter.com/JoshuaHowsam" target="_blank">@JoshuaHowsam</a> and <a title="@CWSherwin" href="https://twitter.com/CWSherwin" target="_blank">@CWSherwin</a></p>
<p>Intro music is Slow Burn (<a href="http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Kevin_MacLeod/" rel="cc:attributionURL">Kevin MacLeod</a>) under <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/" rel="license">CC BY 3.0</a>.</p>
<div><strong>Podcast Email</strong>-<a href="mailto:artificialturfwars@baseballprospectus.com" target="_blank">artificialturfwars@baseballprospectus.com</a> Please drop us a line if there is a guest you&#8217;d particularly like us to interview, to submit a question to <strong>Stump the Josh</strong>, or to simply give us feedback on the podcast. We&#8217;d love to hear from you!</div>
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		<title>Blue Jays Sign LHP Randy Choate, Acquire Insurance for Aaron Loup&#8217;s Arm</title>
		<link>http://toronto.locals.baseballprospectus.com/2016/03/11/blue-jays-sign-lhp-randy-choate-acquire-insurance-for-aaron-loups-arm/</link>
		<comments>http://toronto.locals.baseballprospectus.com/2016/03/11/blue-jays-sign-lhp-randy-choate-acquire-insurance-for-aaron-loups-arm/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 11 Mar 2016 17:18:29 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Gideon Turk]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Articles]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[News]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Randy Choate]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Toronto Blue Jays]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://toronto.locals.baseballprospectus.com/?p=245</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The Blue Jays have made yet another depth signing today, agreeing to terms with LHP Randy Choate on a minor league deal, according to Sweeny Murti of Sportsradio 66 WFAN. The last active member of the 2000 Yankees&#8211;LHP Randy Choate&#8211;going to Blue Jays camp on a minor league deal. &#8212; Sweeny Murti (@YankeesWFAN) March 11, 2016 Choate, [&#8230;]]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>The Blue Jays have made yet <a href="http://toronto.locals.baseballprospectus.com/2016/03/08/bluejays-depth-spring-training/" target="_blank">another depth signing</a> today, agreeing to terms with LHP Randy Choate on a minor league deal, according to Sweeny Murti of Sportsradio 66 WFAN.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">The last active member of the 2000 Yankees&#8211;LHP Randy Choate&#8211;going to Blue Jays camp on a minor league deal.</p>
<p>&mdash; Sweeny Murti (@YankeesWFAN) <a href="https://twitter.com/YankeesWFAN/status/708320192712085505">March 11, 2016</a></p></blockquote>
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<p>Choate, 40, is a veteran player likely looking for one last chance at big league success. He is <a href="https://twitter.com/ScottyMacThinks/status/708344498498224129" target="_blank">famous</a> for being strictly a <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/LOOGY" target="_blank">LOOGY</a> over his career. He has held lefties to just a .195/.276/.274 triple slash in his 15 year big league career, but has struggled against righties who have hit him to the tune of .290/.403/.404. However, his ability to get left handers out has deteriorated as he has gotten older, and last year with the St. Louis Cardinals, opposing lefties were all the way up to a .695 OPS against Choate in 94 plate appearances. His stuff has also gotten worse as he has aged, with his fastball averaging just 84.2 mph in 2015, compared to the 87.2 mph average it was at back in 2009.</p>
<p>The move comes days after Aaron Loup, the Blue Jays projected second lefty in the bullpen behind Brett Cecil, was shut down for 2 weeks due to forearm soreness. That type of injury is usually a precursor for a more significant injury to the UCL, which would require Tommy John surgery if large enough. Given that, the Blue Jays are smart to pick up Choate as an insurance plan if Loup will not be ready in time for Opening Day, or worse.</p>
<p>This is the latest signing in a concerted effort from the Blue Jays front office to strengthen the depth of the team and the Buffalo Bisons AAA roster. Choate will be competing with a plethora of other pitchers for the final two (or three, if Loup is injured) bullpen spots, including Rafael Soriano, David Aardsma, Joe Biagini, Bo Schultz, Ryan Tepera, Gavin Floyd, Steve Delabar, and Pat Venditte.</p>
<p><em>Lead photo: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports</em></p>
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