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The Toronto Blue Jays have a losing record but the front office is trying to turn that around.
After making a slew of additions in the winter, including Andrés Giménez and Anthony Santander, the team made its biggest move of all by locking in franchise slugger Vladimir Guerrero Jr. with a $500 million extension shortly after opening day.
Initially, that hasn’t been enough to put the team into a playoff position, but the Blue Jays haven’t stopped there. On Monday, the team signed veteran starter Spencer Turnbull in a move designed to shore up one of their primary weaknesses.
Though veteran starters Chris Bassitt, Kevin Gausman and José Berríos have been solid, the three of them won’t be enough to carry the team to the postseason. The Blue Jays had been hoping to get more out of future Hall of Fame hurler Max Sherzer, but he has now been moved to the 60-day injured list as a thumb injury keeps setting him back.
“Scherzer has been sidelined since the opening week of the season due to the lingering thumb issue, lasting just three innings (45 pitches) in his lone start for Toronto,” per Sportsnet. “The setback is the latest in a slew of injuries for the former three-time Cy Young winner as he made a combined 17 starts in the two seasons prior to signing a one-year deal worth $15.5 million to join the Blue Jays.”
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It’s a harsh move for the Blue Jays when Scherzer has lasted just three innings so far this season, but there’s still reason for optimism that he can help drive a playoff run. He’s now targeting a late May return to the mound and the hope is that he’ll post some more innings before his contract is up.
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Peter Chawaga is a veteran journalist covering Major League Baseball for The Sporting News. His MLB reporting has included feature interviews with commissioner Rob Manfred and Hall of Fame slugger David Ortiz, salary analysis, player rankings and more. He has covered baseball for Forbes, Yardbarker, Pitcher List, Athlon and other outlets.
With over ten years of newsroom experience, he has previously covered finance, technology, arts, and culture for newspapers, magazines, and websites nationwide. He graduated from Wake Forest University with a degree in English and journalism.
English (US)