TORONTO — At this point, everyone’s just watching the clock.
Sure, the two intrasquad games this week help to fill the days and keep everyone engaged, but the Blue Jays are still waiting to see who they’ll play in the ALDS, either the Red Sox or Yankees. This is unfamiliar ground for the Blue Jays, standing atop the hill watching everyone else try to scramble up it.
Day 1 of the intrasquad games was wonderfully strange. There were anthems, walkup songs, music, dance crews and T-shirt cannons … all for a Spring Training-style game where the rules only loosely applied. After another Thursday, the Blue Jays will be on to a workout and media day Friday before Game 1 Saturday.
Thoughts on where Yesavage goes for the postseason, and expectations for him next season? — u/lunasilvia
Trey Yesavage should start. The Blue Jays have bet aggressively on Yesavage all season, pushing him through five levels and starting him in big games down the stretch. Why stop now?
Lining up Yesavage behind Kevin Gausman and Shane Bieber makes sense. He’s also working with the advantage that no teams remaining in the postseason have faced Yesavage this season, so Yesavage’s deception and extremely unique delivery will be challenging to pick up on the fly. Manager John Schneider will be ready to pivot at any moment if it doesn’t look right, but Yesavage is worthy of a postseason rotation spot.
Next year? That’s when this really gets fun. Depending on the postseason run, Yesavage could end 2025 in the range of 120-130 innings, setting him up perfectly to push into the range of 150-170 next season. Nothing in baseball is more valuable than a homegrown, front-line starter. Yesavage looks like one from every angle.
The question of the day… every day.
Bichette is still facing an uphill battle to play in the ALDS, and it’s a steep hill. Until we see Bichette running, it’s going to be difficult to chart much of a timeline for his return. It seems like Vladimir Guerrero Jr. gave us a clue yesterday when asked about Bichette.
“We miss him and he knows we miss him,” Guerrero said. “That is God’s plan. Whatever God has for us, we’ve got to take. I hope we can win this series and he comes back for the next one.”
Max or Lauer for Game 4, or go with three days rest and Gausman? — u/AuntCleo1997
While Bichette is the “big” question, this might be the most interesting one. Chris Bassitt is a factor here, too, so it’s a three-horse race. The preface to this answer is that the Blue Jays are going to be secretive, so even though their ALDS roster will give us a hint, they surely won’t announce the starter until later in the series.
Handling Max Scherzer’s role feels like step one. Schneider sounds hesitant to put him in a bullpen role, given how routine-oriented Scherzer is, so if he’s not in the rotation, there could be another uncomfortable conversation waiting. One outcome that’s possible here: The Blue Jays roster Bassitt along with Eric Lauer, leaving both options open for Game 4, and decide when the time comes.
There was talk about Ernie Clement and Myles Straw being good locker room presences and bridging the gap between teammates. What were they doing exactly that led to such a close knit team? — u/TheTaxMan0
This is real, and I liked how Bichette phrased that when he said they’ve “bridged the gap” between players in the clubhouse.
An MLB clubhouse, like any office or workplace, has groups within the larger group. The young guys, the old guys, the relievers, the college football guys, the Puerto Rican players, the guys from Texas, you name it. Naturally, there are some “friend groups,” but in a good clubhouse, all of those groups are part of a larger whole. Clement and Straw have been crucial in that.
Here’s the best way to frame it. I’ve covered teams that, when a new player is called up or added, you see them spending time by themself, perhaps in the dugout or walking the hallways on the phone. With the 2025 Blue Jays, that player is dragged into a card game or a group immediately. It’s noticeable and it’s important.
If the Blue Jays were a sitcom, Clement and Straw would be the audience favorites.