Blue Jays are better prepared to deal with COVID-related ‘unknowns’ than AL East opponents

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This article was published 15/03/2022 (1667 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

DUNEDIN, Fla.—The road to an American League East title just got a lot more difficult for teams in the division that still have unvaccinated players.

Earlier this month, it was confirmed that players unvaccinated from COVID-19 will not be granted entry into Canada. Instead, they will be placed on a restricted list for all games in Toronto and will not be compensated for missed time.

Then on Tuesday afternoon it was announced that similar rules will apply in New York, which hosts the Yankees and Mets. The city confirmed to the New York Daily News that unvaccinated players are covered by the same private employer mandate that has prohibited NBA star Kyrie Irving from suiting up for the Brooklyn Nets at home.

The Blue Jays don’t have anyone on the 40-man roster who is still unvaxxed. But it’s possible they will be playing against teams who are missing key players.

“I think the way that it works in our advantage is that our players have had to deal with a lot of uncertainty, and they’ve had to deal with more unknowns than most, and they’ve handled it so well, that’s how we’ll benefit coming out of this,” Jays GM Ross Atkins said.

“There will be other unexpected hurdles for us to overcome, and they’ve become a tighter group because of it. They care about each other. They enjoy each other’s company and I think the having gone through that pandemic has something to do with it.”

Not done shopping

Opening day is approximately three weeks away but the short timeline hasn’t stopped the Jays from remaining aggressive in their attempt to upgrade the roster. After officially signing lefty Yusei Kikuchi earlier this week, the front office has shifted its attention to the infield.

Freddie Freeman remains in play, as rumours continue to link him to the Jays, and Kyle Schwarber is another possibility. The Jays currently have Cavan Biggio, Santiago Espinal and Kevin Smith battling for jobs at second and third base and, while the plan remains to have Vladimir Guerrero Jr. be an everyday first baseman, the club hasn’t closed the door to occasionally using him at third as well.

“I think it’s unlikely that we don’t add another position player … Is that someone that is every single day in the lineup?” Atkins said. “We don’t have to do that, but I think it’s unlikely that we don’t add another position player.”

Atkins said that upgrade could be found in free agency or trade, where names like Jose Ramirez and Ketel Marte continue to pop up in the rumour mill without any indication they’ll be moved.

One thing that shouldn’t be an issue for 2022 is money, but with several long-term contracts on the books and with Guerrero and Bo Bichette eventually requiring extensions, the club is being cautious about not overspending too much into the future.

“We need to be thoughtful about how we’re thinking about today and tomorrow, but we have the full support to do that from our leadership,” Atkins said.

Clean bill of health

The Jays are still awaiting the arrivals of reliever Yimi Garcia and catching prospect Gabriel Moreno, who are in the process of dealing with their work visas, but according to manager Charlie Montoyo, everyone else on the 40-man roster has reported to camp and passed their physicals.

The coaching staff will have to hope the medical report stays that way for a few more weeks, but it won’t be easy with players ramping up quickly in an abbreviated spring. Montoyo doesn’t plan on rushing anyone, which is why he’ll rely on feedback from his players before determining who goes where and for how long once Grapefruit League games begin on Friday.

“We’re going to talk to everybody, see how they feel,” Montoyo said Tuesday. “We did a lot today, thinking that it’s going to rain tomorrow, so it’s going to be an easier day tomorrow. But it’s going to be a how you feel, Bo, how you feel, Kikuchi, whoever. We’re going to talk to everybody individually.”

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Phelps good to go

Reliever David Phelps will have a chance to compete for a spot in the bullpen after he reported to camp feeling good after last year’s surgery. Phelps missed almost five months last season because of a back injury and later signed a minor-league deal with the Jays, which included an invitation to spring training.

Phelps struck out 15 batters and allowed just one earned run over 10 1/3 innings before being lost for the 2021 season.

“He’s in a great spot,” Atkins said. “He’s throwing and should be ready to go full steam ahead.”

Gregor Chisholm is a Toronto-based baseball columnist for the Star. Follow him on Twitter: @GregorChisholm or reach him via email: gchisholm@thestar.ca