By Jin Sung Kim] “A potential return of Hyun-jin Ryu after the All-Star break is a reasonable investment.”
The Toronto Blue Jays are in last place in the American League East with a record of 28-26 through the 29th (KST). They have a winning percentage of over .500, but the level of depth is too high. They’re a whopping 10.5 games behind the first-place Tampa Bay Rays. They’re also 3.5 games behind the third-place New York Yankees in the wild card race. They’ll have to overcome the Boston Red Sox, Seattle Mariners, and Los Angeles Angels. The road to the postseason will be a thorny one.
Toronto has been decent this season, ranking third in team batting average (.264) and fourth in team OPS (.753). The offense is middle to slightly above average for the American League as a whole. The mound, on the other hand, is middle to bottom of the league. They’re 8th with a 3.99 team ERA and 9th with a 1.30 team WHIP.
The starting rotation is particularly bad. Their 4.07 ERA is 6th in the American League. That’s not bad, but they don’t have a dominant ace. 안전놀이터 Kevin Gausman (3-3, 3.03 ERA), Chris Bassett (5-4, 3.80 ERA), Jose Berrios (5-4, 3.86 ERA), Yusei Kikuchi (5-2, 4. Alec Manoa (5-2, 4.56 ERA) and Yusei Kikuchi (1-5, 5.53 ERA) fill out the rotation when they’re not sick, but Manoa’s downfall and Kikuchi’s May collapse are unfortunate. The bullpen isn’t overwhelming. It ranks ninth in the American League with a 3.83 ERA.
On Monday, Bleacher Report made its final division projections for the season. In the American League East, Tampa Bay (103 wins and 59 losses) was picked to win the division, followed by the New York Yankees (99 wins and 63 losses) and Baltimore Orioles (94 wins and 68 losses) for the wild card. Toronto, on the other hand, was predicted to finish fourth in the division with 91 wins and miss the postseason. Based on their record so far, it’s a fair prediction.
As Bleacher Report notes, “It’s the bullpen that’s doomed Toronto. They are 24-3 when holding opponents to three runs or less this season and 2-20 when allowing six or more. Gaussman and Bassitt have been reliable for the most part, but they’ve had a few bad outings. Manoa was completely destroyed by walks.”
Ryu, who had hoped to return after the All-Star break, is literally Toronto’s hope. At this point, it seems natural for him to move into the rotation ahead of Kikuchi. “Even though Toronto is likely to finish fourth, potentially bringing back Ryu is a reasonable investment,” said Bleacher Report.
The odds of Toronto winning the World Series are +1900, which means if you bet $100, you’d win $1900. The odds of the Rays making the postseason are -120, which means you’d have to bet $120 to win $100. Anyway, Tampa Bay and the Yankees have -2500 and -250 postseason odds, respectively, so it’s a tough race for Toronto.
Still, Bleacher Report sees the return of Hyun-Jin Ryu as a bright spot for Toronto. Ryu will have to take the mound under a lot of pressure in the second half. As a reminder, even after rehabbing from Tommy John surgery, it takes time to get back to your best. Final season of four years and $80 million. Toronto needs to squeeze the last $20 million out of Ryu.