Friday Bantering: Jays Bits

Happy start of the second half.

Ben Nicholson-Smith tells us that the Blue Jays are considering Nelson Cruz. Cruz is 43, but a right-handed bat, which we could use. He hit .245/.283/.399 in 49 games with the Padres before they released him a few days ago.

The Jays 40-man roster is full, and they have Chad Green and Hyun Jin Ryu. There will have to be room made on the 40-man for them.

What are the big questions for the second half?

• Can they be more consistent on offense? They really need to start scoring more.
• What will they get from Alek Manoah? If he can pitch reasonably, our rotation should be pretty good.
• Can the high-leverage stand up to the heavy workload they have been put under? There are a few of the guys in the pen who are likely to set career highs in appearances. Will Erik Swanson be able to pitch like he has if he gets up to 70-75 games? Tim Mayza? Will Nate Pearson be able to stay healthy as they start leaning on him more?
• What will they get from Ryu and Green?
• Can Vlad hit more like we expect him to?

The Jays have sold advertising space for TD Bank on their jerseys:

I guess it is better than this:

The rotation for the series against the Diamondbacks: