:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/53089371/609379552.0.jpg)
Looks like the relief market hit its apex within the past 48 hours. Here’s whats new:
As first reported by Jon Heyman, Jerry Blevins, once on Toronto’s radar, signed with the Mets last night. The details of the contract are unknown, but it was previously predicted that it would be similar to Boone Logan’s one year, $5.5M deal with Cleveland.
Jerry Blevins has deal with mets
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) February 4, 2017
Blevins has been the best left-handed reliever on the market for the past two months, and the Blue Jays have shown continuous interest in him. On November 21st, Ben Nicholson-Smith first linked Blevins and Toronto, and after a period of silence, on January 25th, the two were in contact, per Nicholson-Smith.
Continuing with relief news, Sergio Romo has signed with the Dodgers... Maybe. Jon Morosi of FOX Sports first reported an agreement between Romo and the Dodgers, as many industry sources confirmed, but, later yesterday evening, Jon Heyman reported that the deal may not be quite as solidified as some thought.
Source: Sergio Romo, #Dodgers agree on contract. @MLBNetwork @MLB
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) February 4, 2017
Romo twist: Dodgers appear likely, but 2nd team is still bidding. Sergio headed to Caribbean series so answer may wait
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) February 4, 2017
Heyman later explained in an article that the Washington Nationals may be the “second team,” given their bullpen needs. Of course, as a Blue Jay fan, I’d like to think Toronto may be the mystery team, but the odds of that are very slim to none.
We all know that Kevin Pillar can field, but has trouble at the plate. Joshua Howsam at Baseball Prospectus might have a solution to that. He hypothesizes that, should Pillar move a little closer to the plate in the batters box, he would be able to make more contact and, therefore, become a better hitter. It’s a bit of a long-shot, but, if you follow the logic, it makes sense. You can read the piece for yourself here.
Whatever they’ve tried with Pillar to this point clearly hasn’t worked. This move at least gives him a chance. As has been shown, the move closer to the plate could improve the quality and frequency of contact for Pillar both in and out of the zone, and even increase his ability to get on base without a hit. If he can even get slightly better at those things, he’s a star player with his work in centre field.