After that Canada/Finland, I’m sure I’m five pounds lighter.
Tomorrow, we get our first real fake baseball game of the year. The Jays are playing the Philles in Dunedin. It is a 1:00 pm start time and it will be on Sportsnet 1. Eric Lauer is listed to start the game.
And speaking of Lauer, he told Gregor Chisholm that, he felt, the Jays told him he would be in the starting rotation this season. But, after adding, Dylan Cease and Cody Ponce, there might not be a spot for him.
“It is a little frustrating,” Lauer admitted during an interview with the Star this week. “I mean, I was told last year some things, like, for certain would happen this year, and then we made some moves.
“We got some great guys, so I’m not mad about that, but I think I’m still in a position where I’m in a great spot to produce and all I have to do is go out there and do it.”
I do feel for him. He was terrific last year, and, generally, that would mean he would have a spot in the rotation. But the team does have to do what they think is best, they had the chance to improve the pitching staff. It would be wrong not to do it.
Having the extra arm is great for the team, but not so great for Eric. If he starts the season in the bullpen and stays there for a couple of months, it would be hard to see him switching back to the rotation. If he really wants to be a starter, I guess he could ask for a trade, though it might be hard to leave a team that made it to the World Series.
He is a free agent after the season. If he were to get 30 starts and pitch the way he had last year, he’d be looking at a big contract. If he is a long reliever, he would likely be looking at far less of a payday.
Beyond that there isn’t a lot for Jays’ News:
- Kevin Gausman talked about the possibility of retiring after the season. I’m expecting that he’ll be good enough this year to get offers that he would have a hard time refusing.
- Shane Bieber is further ahead than the Jays thought he would be. He’s throwing ‘120 feet’. There is no rush to get him onto the mound, but he might get there sooner than we figured.
- Shi Davidi tells us that Ricky Tiedeman feels good, thinks he’s ready to contribute and that he threw two simulated innings yesterday.
Late add:
Happy Friday.