The Jays are apparently close to signing Don Mattingly, could be as soon as Wednesday morning

Long-time big league manager Don Mattingly is “very close” to signing with the Toronto Blue Jays

Per Joel Sherman, the 61-year-old legend Mattingly signing with the Jays could be announced as soon as Wednesday morning!

The announcement of Mattingly’s hiring is now expected as early as Wednesday morning. https://t.co/5lMxR4zyPG
— Joel Sherman (@Joelsherman1) November 30, 2022

News continued to pour in, but Mattingly noted on Jon Heyman and Sherman’s podcast that he’s in talks with a mystery team (the Jays per this NYPost article.) 

Don Mattingly was on The Show podcast @nypostsports with @Joelsherman1 & @JonHeyman today.
Mattingly says there is a team he is talking to that is very interesting to him.
Who is the mystery team that may end up hiring the Yankees legend and ex-Marlins manager? pic.twitter.com/BiC1oM3QxX
— Jake Brown (@JakeBrownRadio) November 29, 2022

 
Let’s look at what the veteran manager could offer.
The 61-year-old spent the last seven seasons managing the eternally rebuilding Miami Marlins, amassing a 443-587 record, which isn’t that bad when you factor in the team considers itself a small market.
Miami only had a winning record once in the seven years, coming in the plague season. However, early in his tenure (when they had good players), they sat around .500. Mattingly also spent five seasons with the Los Angeles Dodgers, where they went 446-363 in that span. Overall, he has an 889-950 record for a 48.3 win percentage.
However, the Jays re-sign John Schneider earlier in the off-season, so this begs the question, what role would he fill as a bench coach? As far as my research goes, there are no vacancies for the coaching staff, so I’m not too sure. Prior to becoming a manager, Mattingly’s job was that of a hitting coach.
Now, there are also questions about his leadership style, which is why I don’t see a fit. Unlike Charlie Montoyo and even Jon Schneider, Mattingly has never really allowed his players to be expressive. The most recent example of this came early in the 2022 season, when he sat Miami Marlins star Jazz Chisholm the day after hitting a home run.
As you may know, the Bahamian-born Chisholm is a rather expressive player, which is great for the game. However, Mattingly spent his 14-year career with the New York Yankees, even becoming their captain. So that begs the question if his hardass policies would affect the Jays, who enjoy having fun. Perhaps his policies would take a back seat as a bench coach? Perhaps it’s to help mentor John Schneider as he moves into his first full-season? What will happen to the home run jacket?
So many questions, but first he has to be announced. Expect updates to this article once he officially signs!
As always, y …

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Author: Brennan Delaney / Blue Jays Nation

Stock up, Stock down as Raptors difficult opening stretch ends

Stock up, Stock down as Raptors difficult opening stretch ends

Pascal Siakam and the Toronto Raptors navigated a very challenging stretch to begin the season with plenty of aplomb and flair. Despite seven matchups against teams expected to be in the playoffs, Toronto came out of it with a 4-3 record amid some injury problems. Things aren’t getting too much easier in the week ahead. […]
Stock up, Stock down as Raptors difficult opening stretch ends – Raptors Rapture – Raptors Rapture – A Toronto Raptors Fan Site – News, Blogs, Opinion and More

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Author: Mike Luciano / Raptors HQ

BJN Radio – Ep. 120: Three BOLD off-season predictions, thoughts on MLB’s playoff format, and more!

Though the playoff run ended very quicky, there’s plenty to talk about in Blue Jays land.

We took a look back at Toronto’s two-game sweep to Seattle in the wild-card series with a different perspective now that the 111-win Los Angeles Dodgers and 101-win Atlanta Braves also got dropped in five-game sets. Does it matter that the higher-seeded teams are losing if it adds more drama and excitement?
After that, we talked about off-season stuff, including whether Shohei Ohtani wants out of Anaheim, which Blue Jays could ink long-term contracts this winter, who the most realistic trade partners would be, and the arbitration projections MLBTR made for 13 players.
We also made three bold predictions for the off-season that we’ll be sticking to no matter what!
You can listen to the episode here…
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Author: Cam Lewis / Blue Jays Nation

Norman Powell looking forward to facing old Raptors teammates

Norman Powell looking forward to facing old Raptors teammates

The Toronto Raptors have very few holdovers from the 2019 championship team still on the roster, as Pascal Siakam and Fred VanVleet are among the few who have survived all of Masai Ujiri’s roster purges. Norman Powell was not so lucky, as the Tampa season prompted a trade. Powell was sent to the Portland Trail […]
Norman Powell looking forward to facing old Raptors teammates – Raptors Rapture – Raptors Rapture – A Toronto Raptors Fan Site – News, Blogs, Opinion and More

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Author: Mike Luciano / Raptors HQ

The Bo Bichette Redemption Tour continues

In sports, it’s very easy to hyperbolize and dramatize statements like “That guy carries the offense!” and “That’s a one-man team!” For the Toronto Blue Jays right now, it is quite literally a one-man show on offense, as Bo Bichette once again carried the offense during a critical game in September for the Toronto Blue Jays. They defeated Tampa Bay 3-2 behind a gutsy two-run home run from Bichette to give the Blue Jays the lead in the bottom of the 8th.

Bichette’s home run was off of Rays closer Jason Adam, who has been shoving for the Rays all year. Bo, last week’s AL Player of the Week, battled amidst a seven-pitch at-bat against Adam, taking tough sliders and fouling off fastballs. On pitch number seven, Bichette pulled a slider over the left field fence for his 24th home run of the season. It was a little mind-boggling why the Rays even pitched to Bichette with an open base and considering how well he has been swinging the bat.

BO KNOWS CLUTCH!
Bo Bichette gives the Blue Jays the lead in the bottom of the 8th! pic.twitter.com/b9w8HzI23p
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) September 13, 2022

The homer was extremely reminiscent of Bichette’s go-ahead home run late last year against the Yankees, taking a Clay Holmes sinker over the right field fence to lead Toronto to victory. Both home runs were in the bottom of the 8t …

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Author: Evan Stack / Blue Jays Nation

Raptors: 3 bold predictions for Christian Koloko in 2022-23

Raptors: 3 bold predictions for Christian Koloko in 2022-23

The Toronto Raptors made a very strong draft choice at No. 33 overall in the 2022 NBA Draft, as they addressed their lack of tremendous height by adding 7-1 Arizona center Christian Koloko. Considering how many prognosticators expected him to be picked in the first round, the Raptors were regarded to have pulled off quite […]
Raptors: 3 bold predictions for Christian Koloko in 2022-23 – Raptors Rapture – Raptors Rapture – A Toronto Raptors Fan Site – News, Blogs, Opinion and More

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Author: Mike Luciano / Raptors HQ

The Blue Jays’ 2022 Trade Deadline — One Month Later

To say the very least, the Blue Jays had an interesting deadline this year.

The overwhelming seller’s market convinced the team to take a ‘raise the floor’ approach, adding Whit Merrifield, Mitch White, Zach Pop, and Anthony Bass, all at a low acquisition cost. Much was made of the Blue Jays’ decision to not pursue more significant additions at the time.
One month later, does the deadline look better or worse? Well…
For all intents and purposes, it’s hard to view the deadline as anything but the front office choosing to punt on a high variance season. At times, the Jays looked unstoppable, at times, dreadful. Punting was an interesting move considering that this was a team full of players expecting more.

It was a captive audience of #Bluejays players in front of the TVs in the visitor’s clubhouse at the Trop this afternoon. Have to believe they were expecting more than what they’ve seen thus far.
— Rob Longley (@longleysunsport) August 2, 2022

Regardless of whether or not the team took that perceived disinterest from the front office as personal, they’ve really not shown any signs of improvement post-deadline. A month of August that ended 13-14 has been followed up by a hot start to September, a month in which the Blue Jays haven’t lost a game thus far, but it remains to be seen how long the latest hot streak lasts. Even though the team hasn’t been performing to expectations, how have the additions themselves performed?
In some ways, it’s really tough to say. Zach Pop got “caught in a numbers game” (as Dan, Buck, and Pat have put it on Sportsnet), a game that resulted in his demotion to AAA on August 23rd. He’s only pitched 7 2/3 innings as a Jay. Whit Mer …

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Author: Tate Kispech / Blue Jays Nation

BJN Radio – Ep. 103: Ross Stripling’s gem, Yusei Kikuchi to the bullpen, and more!

The vibes were very bad and suddenly they’re good again. That’s baseball, baby!

It was doom and gloom as the Blue Jays looked completely lifeless in losing the first two games of their series with the Baltimore Orioles but an incredible start from Ross Stripling and a late-game explosion offensively resulted in a momentum-changing win.
We talked about the Baltimore series, how the Orioles are becoming scary, how great Ross Stripling has been, the importance of George Springer to the lineup, and a whole bunch more. After that, we looked ahead to the upcoming four-game series with the struggling Yankees in New York.
You can listen to the episode here…
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Author: Cam Lewis / Blue Jays Nation

Top 10 all-time rebounders in Toronto Raptors franchise history

Top 10 all-time rebounders in Toronto Raptors franchise history

The Toronto Raptors have not existed for a very long time, nor have they been consistent championship contenders for most of that tenure. However, they have still seen many star players put up solid performances in that iconic purple jersey and their new modern look. While guards like Vince Carter and Kyle Lowry have made […]
Top 10 all-time rebounders in Toronto Raptors franchise history – Raptors Rapture – Raptors Rapture – A Toronto Raptors Fan Site – News, Blogs, Opinion and More

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Author: Mike Luciano / Raptors HQ

The Blue Jays have been in talks with the Angels about Noah Syndergaard and Raisel Iglesias

According to Blue Jays Nation’s very own Brendon Kuhn, the Blue Jays are in talks with the Los Angeles Angels about Noah Syndergaard.

The 29-year-old signed a one-year contract with the team after undergoing Tommy John surgery back in May 2020.

Source: Blue Jays are in talks with the Angels about Noah Syndergaard
— bk (@_bkuh_) August 2, 2022

The 6’6 righty has posted a 3.83 ERA and a 3.96 FIP in 80 innings pitched. His K% sits at 18.9%, but it has been rising as he’s shaken off the rust.

Thor, Dirty 89mph Changeup. pic.twitter.com/RvjO33flhL
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) July 5, 2022

Interestingly, the Jays originally drafted Syndergaard in the 2010 draft but traded him to the New York Mets for the reigning NL Cy Young winner, R.A. Dickey.
Pitching with the Mets, the righty was known for his high velocity, as he sat in the upper 90s for a time. However, after the surgery, his velocity dropped to the mid-90s.
Despite only pitching two innings after the 2019 season, Noah was offered a qualifying offer from the Mets, which he declined. He signed a one-year, $21,000,000 with the bad team from LA.
Are the Jays interested in Raisel Iglesias?
According to Blue Jays Nation’s own Thomas Hall, the Blue Jays have also been in talks with the Angels about their closer, Raisel Iglesias.

#BlueJays have intensified their pursuit of Syndergaard.
They remain interested in Iglesias, but are mainly focused on Thor. https://t.co/BTBvpzRt4v
— Thomas Hall (@ThomasHall85) August 2, 2022

This season, the 32-year-old right has posted a 4.04 ERA and a 3.18 FIP in 35.2 innings pitched. He definitely offers swing and miss, as he has a K% of 32.9% while keeping the free passes down to 6.2%.
His velocity has ticked down about one mile per hour (it makes a difference) to 95.3 mph, after hovering at around 96.3 the past two seasons. However, this doesn’t stop him from getting swings, as his K/9 is still fantastic.

Raisel Iglesias, Fatality Sword. 🪦pic.twitter.com/5Ow1fDbIPK
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) May 22, 2022

What worries me is his contract. This season he’s only making $10 million, which certainly fits his price tag after a great career (3.13 ERA, 3.34 FIP in 517.1 IP). However, he’ll be making $16 million in each of the next three seasons.
If this is the start of a …

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Author: Brennan Delaney / Blue Jays Nation