Happy election day to those on the other side of the border. We used to say how great it was that Western countries could have an election and a change of government without a shot fired. Looking back at the last American one, it isn’t valid any longer.
I’m wearing my Democracy in Action tee shirt, which shows a bunch of clowns in a room.
I got an email this morning from booking.com with the betting odds on Corbin Burnes’ free agency. It has the Blue Jays with the fourth-highest odds to sign him, at +500, a 16.7% chance. That surprises me; I would guess there is little to no chance the Jays sign him.
He’s been a top starter for the last several years, but Keith Law figures he will get $25 million a year for five years, which seems more than the Jays would like to spend on a starting pitcher. I would think hitters and relievers would be higher on their list.
We’ll do free-agent polls soon, but I don’t see Burnes happening. Of course, I am frequently wrong, just ask my wife.
Shi Davidi tells us that the Jays (likely) snuck under the Competitive Balance Tax, which is a good thing for them. The Tax goes up each consecutive year a team is over. And, odds are, if the team does add hitting and pitching, they will be over it this coming year.
The Blue Jays, who in a franchise first paid a $5.5 million CBT penalty in 2023, would have been hit with a 30 per cent tax on any overages this year as a club exceeding the threshold for a second consecutive season.
The tax cut-off is to be $241 million next year, which should give the Jays $30 million-ish to spend if they want to stay under.
In the Sun, Rob Longley asked if Vlad Guerrero is a bust this off-season. He says the Jays need to sign him early if they want free agents to consider the team this winter. He skips the question of whether they would have money for free agents if they signed Vlad, but that’s okay.