Weekly Takes - Monday, November 3rd Edition

Weekly Takes - Monday, November 3rd Edition 

1. My takeaways from the Blue Jays’ historic game three loss to the Dodgers… (I am going to do this chronologically, since so much happened)

• An awfully umpired game. The high strike call on Daulton Varsho changed the complexion of the entire first inning. Yes, the high strike ended up being called all night, but even throughout the game, the low strike call was not. If you are going to be bad, be consistently bad. 

• Outside of T1 in game four, the Jays can no longer pitch to Shohei Ohtani in any notable spot. They are going up against the greatest baseball player to ever live. That is just the reality. Future generations will call this the “Shohei Ohtani treatment” and not the “Barry Bonds treatment.”

• John Schneider needs to relax with his subs. A one-run lead in just the seventh inning is not enough to deplete your own lineup. I understand the rationale behind every move he made, but the Addison Barger one in particular was awful. Likewise with the Alejandro Kirk one.

• I had no issue with Schneider pitching to Ohtani in the seventh inning. Reality is, Seranthony Dominguez threw as bad of a pitch as you can throw. Just brutal.

• I have a major issue with the Jays sending Davis Schneider home in the tenth inning. Again, I understand the rationale, but miss me with “the Dodgers simply completed a perfect relay.” They did, yes, but even if they somewhat botched it, Schneider would have been out by a mile. A bad send.

• The game ended when Nathan Lukes swung three times at ball four to Clayton Kershaw with the bases loaded in the 12th inning. The depleted Jays lineup had no chance after. Not the game for Ernie Clement to have his worst game of the season.

• I had no issue with Schneider keeping Brendon Little in for a second inning of work. Going with Shane Bieber and losing would have been season-ending. Instead, you play a game very soon with a chance to turn a best-of-seven into a best-of-three.

• And simply put, that has to be the Jays approach. They had so many chances to win game three, but it is over with. No one is going to feel bad for you. It would have been a heist to steal a “Shoehi Ohtani game” and to win the first game on the road, but beating a dynasty is not supposed to be easy. Bieber needs to shove the way he did in game three in Seattle. Dominguez, Little, and Eric Lauer are all down, while ideally you do not have to use Jeff Hoffman. But their bullpen is shot too.

2. My takeaways from the Jays bounce back win over the Dodgers in game four…

• Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and his power needed to arrive at some point and it did so in grand fashion. Their best player was their best player, coming off the worst loss in franchise history. Needed.

• Needed just as much as Guerrero Jr.’s home run was Bieber’s performance. Not only did he give the offence a chance to win, but he saved a depleted bullpen. Hoffman and Dominguez will be ready to go for game five, with an off-day to follow on Thursday. Massive.

• It was not without hiccups, though. Schenider should have gone with Chris Bassitt for a third and final inning in the 9th. Not using Louis Varland would have made this a perfect win.

3. My takeaways from the Jays’ game five win over the Dodgers…

• There is nothing left to say about Trey Yesavage. It is the greatest player development story in Toronto sports history. He is already an ace. A superstar before he even has the chance to be named an All-Star. The future and present of the Jays’ staff.

• It was another perfect Jays win. Great defence, great pitching, and a one big inning to blow it open. Do it one more time.

• It will not be easy, going up against Yoshinbou Yamamoto in game six. But that is what makes this win so huge. You have two cracks to close it out. And your two cracks are going to come with your ace (Kevin Gausman) and a future Hall of Famer (Max Scherzer). Go and get it.

4. My takeaways from the Jays’ game six loss to the Dodgers…

• It sucks to waste another Kevin Gausman masterpiece. He made one bad pitch to Mookie Betts and that was it. I rather have allowed ten runs and the Dodgers offence gets their runs out of the way in this one. All you can hope is their offence stays quiet for one final game.

• I feel bad for the fans in the stadium who had no idea what was happening in the bottom of the ninth, but no, the umpires called that correctly and everyone at home should have realized what was happening. Whether the Dodgers played this ball or not, it would have been second and third with no one out.

• Barger cannot take such a big lead, to say the least. It is not as though he was going to score from second on the hit anyways. Just a bad play that will be talked about forever… unless the Jays win game seven.

• I like that Max Scherzer, the veteran, starts game seven. He has been there, done that. But Jeff Hoffman, Louis Varland, Chris Bassitt, and yes, Yesavage better be ready to go. Scherzer needs to be taken out quickly if he is not fooling anyone.

5. My takeaways from the Jays heartbreaking and soul-crushing game seven loss..

• The worst loss a fan base has ever experienced. Two outs away from winning the World Series and your lights out closer allows a home run to the number nine hitter who started the series on the bench. They had the ultimate opportunity to not have that home run matter in the bottom of the ninth when they had the bases loaded and just one out, only for Daulton Varsho to not get the ball out of the infield. I understand the logic of Isiah Kiner-Falefa not wanting to be doubled up on a line drive to third base, but Varsho was not hitting a line drive to the left side of the infield. Take a bigger lead. They then get out of a bases loaded, one out situation of their own in the top of the tenth, only to allow the ultimate hot breaker in the top of the 11th. I would have started Addison Barger to stay out of the double play in the bottom half, but regardless, all these moments we will have to relive forever. The Jays did not just lose a championship. They lost it in the most disgusting way possible.

• It is a shame, because of how likable this team was. It is a shame, because of how deserving this team was. They controlled this series. The Baseball Gods got this one wrong. The Dodgers won – and flags fly forever – but Joseph is absolutely right to say it should have been the Jays.

• The one person who deserves a ton of credit is Yamamoto. He has cemented himself as a top three pitcher in the world. He went full Madison Bumgarner on the Jays.

• And if you are the Jays, all you can do is hope that you are the 2014 Royals, who Bumgarner beat in the 2014 World Series, in Kansas City, in game seven. Come back a year later and win it all. 

6. And if you are the Jays, that is all you can think right now. We should be looking ahead to a parade, but instead you have to pick yourself up off the mat and look ahead to 2026.

Miss me with the “they will not have the same magic” conversation. Will George Springer and Gausman regress a bit? Sure. Will Nathan Lukes and Myles Straw be as good? Probably not. But I do not buy that we have seen the best of Clement, who showed in the postseason that he can hit righties. Anthony Santander will be healthy. They will have a full season of Yesavage, Varland, Barger and Schneider. Hoffman and Guerrero Jr. should play closer to their playoff form, rather than their regular season form. The rotation will be better too, if Ross Atkins makes the rotation a top priority. Which is a must.

The element of surprise will be gone. The Jays will be hunted, not hunters. But they will still be a damn good team.

7. The top priority, of course, needs to be Bichette. Give me an offensive core of Guerrero Jr., Bichette, Kirk, and Barger for the next half decade, complemented with the likes of Clement, Varsho, and Schenider for the next little while. That is an elite offence. And a motivated one, to say the least. Bichette’s last big moment as a Jay cannot be his home run. It just can’t be.

8. With that, here is what my roster would be for 2026…

Starting Rotation…

1. Yesavage

2. Gausman

3. Vacant (I would be open to bringing Bieber back, but I would love to go all-in on a Dylan Cease, Michael King, or Ranger Suarez)

4. Vacant (I am all for bringing back Scherzer if you can dump Jose Berrios somehow and have Scherzer as your #5, but you need to upgrade at #4. This has trade written all over it.)

5. Berrios (or Scherzer if you can dump Berrios)

Bullpen…

• Vacant (Closer) (You need to find a closer that simply does not allow as many home runs as Hoffman)

• Hoffman (SU RHP)

• Fluharty (SU LHP)

• Varland, Braydon Fisher, and Yariel Rodriguez (Mid inning RHPs)

• Little (Mid-Inning LHP)

• Eric Lauer (Long Relief)

Healthy Yimi Garica and healthy Nick Sandlin are going to be challenging for spots too, while Chris Bassitt would be nice if he is down to come back as a reliever. It could be a very crowded bullpen, challenging the likes of Rodriguez and Little. That is a good thing. The only bullpen move they should make this winter is going big-game hunting for a closer.

Lineup…

1. Springer (DH)

2. Bichette (2B)

3. Guerrero Jr. (1B)

4. Barger (RF)

5. Kirk ( C )

6. Santander (LF)

7. Clement (3B)

8. Varsho (CF)

9. Gimenez (SS)

An elite defensive team, with an MVP candidate (Guerrero Jr.) and 8 potential All-Stars (Springer, Bichette, Guerrero Jr., and Kirk, and to a lesser extent, Barger, Santander, Clement, and Varsho)

Bench…

• Tyler Heineman (Backup C)

• Schneider (Backup 2B & LF)

• Lukes (Backup LH OF)

• Straw (Backup RH OF/top PR option)

Maybe Josh Kasevich has a great camp to beat out Straw at some point (it would be nice to have a natural shortstop on the bench.)

All in all, bring back Bichette and run the offence back as is. Go and get two starting pitchers and a closer.

That will be quite expensive, but the Yankees and Red Sox are going to be better. The only way to overcome this loss is by having a great offseason and putting yourselves back in the position to do this again next October.