The Ramifications of the Matt Olson Trade

On Monday afternoon, the Atlanta Braves traded a boat load of prospects to the Oakland Athletics for first baseman, Matt Olson.

Oakland will receive OF Cristian Pache, C Shea Langeliers, SP Ryan Cusick and SP Joey Estes, sources tell ESPN. Massive haul for Matt Olson, the Braves’ new first baseman.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) March 14, 2022

Immediate thoughts:
My immediate thoughts on this is what are the Braves doing? According to Baseball America, they traded Shea Langeliers (#2), Cristian Pache (#3),  Ryan Cusick (#9), and Joey Estes (#14). With those prospects, their farm ranked 22nd in terms of overall farms, so it’s likely that the Braves will drop significantly.
That’s not all that bad, but once you factor in they were in a prime position to sign fan favourite, Freddie Freeman (who’s also a first baseman), my eyebrows raised. If it was a budgetary deal, why give away four prospects who would have like six years of control?
The guy did win the World Series last season (the Braves got hot at the right time), but Alex Anthopoulos has a tendency to blow up farm systems for short term success. He needs a lesson in sustainability.
Ramifications for the Jays:
At one point, the Yankees were the favourites to trade for Matt Olson, so the fact that the Yankees won’t be able to get him is definitely a positive. It’s likely that Freddie Freeman will sign with the Dodgers (although the Jays remain aggressive), meaning that the Yankees could very well re-sign Anthony Rizzo or move D.J LeMahieu to first. This would be significantly worse for the Yankees than trading for Olson or signing Freeman.
However, the Jays could be looking into Matt Chapman, also of the Oakland A’s. While his value h …

Read More

Author: Brennan Delaney / Blue Jays Nation

Alex Anthopolous led the Braves to the World Series after becoming a very different general manager than the one he was in Toronto

Today is a strange day for Blue Jays fans.

The Atlanta Braves, a team that won 88 games and dropped all six of their meetings with the Blue Jays, just won the World Series.
There was most certainly a ‘that should be us’ feeling attached to watching this post-season as a handful of flawed, underwhelming teams competed while the Blue Jays watched from the sidelines because their late-season run came up just short.
But that’s not where the ‘what if?’ sentiment ends.
Alex Anthopolous became the first Canadian general manager to guide a team to a World Series championship, adding fuel to the narrative that he’s the one who got away. While you want to be happy for AA, it’s difficult not to wonder what would have happened if he hadn’t been pushed out the door in Toronto.
That said, it’s possible to praise AA’s excellent work in Atlanta while also being happy about the incredibly promising position Blue Jays are in currently. These aren’t necessarily mutually exclusive things, especially when you consider that AA isn’t the same executive now that he was when he was here.

There has always been animosity towards …

Read More

Author: Cam Lewis / Blue Jays Nation

BJN Radio – Ep. 13: The good times keep rolling with a series win over the Phillies

After picking up a sweep in Atlanta over the Braves, the Blue Jays kept the good times rolling in Dunedin by taking two of three over the Phillies.

The bullpen had a rare implosion on Friday night resulting in a loss, but the team rebounded on Saturday behind a strong outing from Anthony Kay. Finally, the Blue Jays pulled off the series win on Sunday by kicking the crap out of a former teammate, Chase Anderson.
We talked about the good things from the series, like Vlad Jr. busting out of his slump and Lourdes Gurriel starting to figure things out at the plate. We also talked about some of the bad things, like whether we should be worried about the injury-riddled bullpen finally having their extreme workload catching up to them.
Finally, we took a look ahead to this week’s three-game series with the Boston Red Sox, who just don’t want to fall back down to earth.
You can listen to the episode here…

Read More

Author: Cam Lewis / Blue Jays Nation

The Blue Jays host the Phillies to kick off their final homestand in Dunedin

Fresh off a three-game sweep over the Braves in Atlanta, the Blue Jays will return to Dunedin to face the Philadelphia Phillies. Let’s hope the team can follow up their 1992-esque pounding of the Braves with a 1993-esque pounding of the Phillies.

How they’re doing…
The Phillies have been so-so this year. They’re 20-18 after taking two of three from the Washington Nationals but their run differential suggests that they’re slightly overachieving.
They rank below-average offensive with 4.13 runs per game and 4.26 runs against per game. Their starting rotation, led by Wheeler, Nola, and Zach Eflin is one of the best in the big leagues, but their bullpen, yet again, is a weak point as they rank 21st in baseball with a 4.51 bullpen ERA.
Philly’s offence also took a big blow this week as J.T. Realmuto was placed on the COVID Injured List and won’t be available for this weekend’s series. Realmuto, who has slashed a .314/.418/.520 line this season, has been Philly’s only consistently good bat other than Bryce Harper. Rhys Hoskins and Andrew McCutchen are both underachieving and Alec Bohm and Didi Gregorious are struggling mightily.
Mandatory Credit: Peter Aiken-USA TODAY …

Read More

Author: Cam Lewis / Blue Jays Nation

Raptors: Kyle Lowry passes Chris Bosh on all-time Raptors scoring list

Raptors: Kyle Lowry passes Chris Bosh on all-time Raptors scoring list

Thursday’s game against the Atlanta Hawks represented more than just an opportunity for the Toronto Raptors to get the second half started off right. It was a chance for Kyle Lowry to once again prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that he is the best player to ever wear Raptors colors by passing Chris […]
Raptors: Kyle Lowry passes Chris Bosh on all-time Raptors scoring list – Raptors Rapture – Raptors Rapture – A Toronto Raptors Fan Site – News, Blogs, Opinion and More

Read More

Author: Mike Luciano / Raptors HQ

Grades: Toronto Raptors pick up eighth-straight in milestone-filled matchup

The Toronto Raptors defeated the Atlanta Hawks 130-114 on Tuesday night as they picked up their eighth win in a row in a game that was very special for a few different reasons. The Toronto Raptors’ win over the Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday night was their first home game since the tragic death of Kobe […]
Grades: Toronto Raptors pick up eighth-straight in milestone-filled matchup – Raptors Rapture – Raptors Rapture – A Toronto Raptors Fan Site – News, Blogs, Opinion and More

Read More

Author: Michael Walton / Raptors HQ

Before The Tip: Raptors @ Hawks, Jan. 20th

The Toronto Raptors visit the Atlanta Hawks at State Farm Arena for a Monday matinee. The dinos will be gunning for a fourth straight win while the Hawks have won only 10 times all season. It’s Martin Luther King Day in the land of America, so this game will tip at 2:30 EST. The fourth-place […]
Before The Tip: Raptors @ Hawks, Jan. 20th – Raptors Rapture – Raptors Rapture – A Toronto Raptors Fan Site – News, Blogs, Opinion and More

Read More

Author: Jordan Skuse / Raptors HQ

Why Vince Carter not signing with the Toronto Raptors was a good thing for both sides

  After signing a one-year deal with the Atlanta Hawks, Vince Carter won’t be returning to the Toronto Raptors for his final season. That’s a good thing, for all parties involved. Vince Carter and the Toronto Raptors have spent the last few seasons flirting with the possibility of a pre-retirement reunion. However, his decision to […]
Why Vince Carter not signing with the Toronto Raptors was a good thing for both sides – Raptors Rapture – Raptors Rapture – A Toronto Raptors Fan Site – News, Blogs, Opinion and More

Read More

Author: Jordan Skuse / Raptors HQ

Josh Donaldson is killing it so far this year

The rain is finally being brought to Atlanta. After a slow start to the season, Josh Donaldson has been dominant as of late. The former MVP went three-for-five with a couple of bombs in Atlanta’s 11-5 win over Cleveland last night and owns a slash line of .270/.400/.500 for the season.

Josh Donaldson with a LOUD home run to left pic.twitter.com/i4XPQDNmuy
— ESPN (@espn) April 22, 2019

Donaldson is now on pace to put up 5.4 WAR this year. He has played in all 21 of Atlanta’s games. Maybe — and stick with me here – the Blue Jays should have extended him a qualifying offer instead of liquidating him for pennies on the dollar.https://t.co/TLS0bk0pIz
— Jonah Birenbaum (@birenball) April 22, 2019

As Jonah Birenbaum points out, Donaldson’s not-really-unexpected turnaround this year makes the decision to deal him for virtually nothing prior to the trade deadline last year all the more curious. The Jays, of course, took a gamble with Donaldson, opting to not trade him in the off-season due to the slight chance he could help the team compete in the 2018 season. That didn’t work out, Donaldson got hurt, the team sucked, and he ended up getting …

Read More

Author: Cam Lewis / Blue Jays Nation