Thursday Bantering: Relief Market, Reese McGuire, Payroll

I have no idea how to start these. Here’s the latest news:

• Per Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet, the Blue Jays remain active in the relief market. They are interested in both a left-handed and right-handed reliever, although no deal seems imminent, as of now. Toronto signed left-hander J.P. Howell to a one year deal on Tuesday night, answering one of their biggest needs.

• John Lott of The Athletic wrote on Blue Jay prospect Reese McGuire and his potential at the major league level yesterday, highlighting his family history of catching. His father, uncle and grandfather were all catchers, the last of which was on the roster for Duke University in the College World Series of 1952. McGuire, a defensive specialist of sorts, has struggled with power at the plate, a problem that Lott addresses in the article.

“On the offensive side, he’s got a simple, compact swing. He’s also got a lot to offer offensively. Right now, he’s known for his defence but he’s got a chance to produce with his bat as well.”

• Ben Nicholson-Smith tweeted out a rough estimation of Toronto’s current budget yesterday, totaling the payroll at around $154M. This leaves an estimated $10M left, but, as the total does not include league minimum players, there may be less money to spend. Even so, Toronto theoretically could sign Jerry Blevins or Boone Logan to a two year, $12M deal, and it would remain within the team’s budget.

• When news is slow, what’s better than a simple challenge? Tammy Rainey at Baseball Prospectus accepted the challenge of a Twitter user in creating a roster made up of one player from each of the past 25 years. It results in a pretty interesting read.