It’s time for some News and Notes.
It was reported that the Blue Jays offered a recently-traded player an extension, while another former player called Vladimir Guerrero Jr. one of the best players in the league right now. Moreover, we’ll look at some recent minor league releases.
Let’s dig into all of that in the latest News and Notes!
Blue Jays offered Danny Jansen a multi-year extension
According to Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet, the Blue Jays offered Danny Jansen an extension before the beginning of the season, but it didn’t materialize prior to Saturday’s trade.
Since arriving with the Blue Jays in 2018, the 29-year-old catcher has always been streaky. After two mediocre seasons in 2019 and 2020, Jansen became an average hitter in 2021, before posting an excellent 2022 season. That year, he slashed .260/.339/.516 with 15 home runs in 248 plate appearances, along with a 141 wRC+ and a career-best 2.7 fWAR.
Jansen had a good season in 2023, slashing .228/.312/.474 with 17 home runs in 301 plate appearances, with a 116 wRC+ and a 1.9 fWAR. After a hot start to the 2024 season, Jansen was slashing .212/.303/.369 with six home runs in 228 plate appearances before the trade to the Red Sox.
Still, the Jays’ front office saw it fit to at least offer Jansen an extension, something the Mark Shapiro-led team has done twice since taking over in late 2015.
Kevin Kiermaier: “Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is the best player in the big leagues right now”
In that same article, Ben Nicholson-Smith noted how Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette weren’t close to being traded. In another article written by Sportsnet’s staff, former Blue Jay Kevin Kiermaier reportedly noted that Guerrero Jr. is the best player in the big league right now.
And there’s merit to that argument. Guerrero Jr. had a rough first month, slashing .229/.331/.347 with three home runs in 136 plate appearances for a 99 wRC+. Since May 1 though, Guerrero Jr. is slashing .343/.405/.593 with 18 home runs, 21 doubles, and a 178 wRC+.
Since Guerrero Jr. got his haircut on June 19, celebrating five seasons in the big leagues, he’s slashing .374/.416/.777 with 14 home runs in 154 plate appearances for a 224 wRC+.
It goes without saying that the Blue Jays should be extending him as soon as possible, as the star player has expressed a desire to be a Blue Jay for life.
Recent minor league releases
The saddest part about the MLB draft and a trade deadline where a team sells is when they release prospects. Starting on July 25, the Blue Jays released quite a few players. They are:
Jean Arnaez
Dylan Rock
Robert Robertis
Luis Gomez
Carlos Meza
Felipe Bello
Daniel Pérez
Gregori Canó
Jonathan Peguero
Jorge Guerra
Faruk De La Cruz
Aneudi Escanio
There are a few notable names on the list. Dylan Rock was selected in the eighth-round of the 2022 draft, but struggled with the High-A Vancouver Canadians in 2024, slashing .184/.293/.272 with three home runs in 263 plate appearances.
Robert Robertis is an outfielder I pegged to have a breakout season prior to the 2023 season thanks to a solid 2022 where he slashed .290/.353/.402 in the Florida Complex League, as well as hitting two home runs with Double-A New Hampshire. However, he struggled in 2023 in Single-A, and didn’t hit much better in 2024 with the Dunedin Blue Jays.
Gregori Canó is the cousin of former big leaguer Robinson Canó, but the 19-year-old struggled once moving stateside, slashing .184/.302/.268 with a 29.7 K% and two home runs while playing for the Florida Complex League Jays.
As always, you can follow me on Twitter @Ryley_L_D.