Blue Jays Will Soon Reach Pivotal Moment in Developing Young Talent
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As with any franchise in Major League Baseball, most of the focus tends to go toward the veteran players who are setting records, winning games and making history at the plate or on the mound. With that, the younger players tend to fly under the radar until something drastic happens — they set a rookie record, or they're predicted to become baseball's next up-and-coming star.
As a result, fans tend to miss out on watching the young guns develop. However, for the Toronto Blue Jays in particular, this could start to cause some trouble down the road. Now is the time to prioritize development.
As noted by Keegan Matheson of MLB.com, the Blue Jays have a few substantial contracts that are on track to expire one year from now. These contracts belong to George Springer, Kevin Gausman, Shane Bieber, Daulton Varsho and José Berríos.
With the number of significant veteran contracts rounding the corner, Matheson notes that now is the time for Toronto to start dialing in on its young internal contributors. Specifically, this is to "balance out this top-end spending," he wrote.
This has been an offseason filled with unthinkable spending for the Blue Jays. To further the matter, this is the second consecutive season that the franchise has gone over the established competitive balance tax threshold. Looking ahead at the seasons to come, Toronto is going to need to start turning its head toward its rising players, but specifically its No. 1 prospect.
Which Younger Star Should Be a Priority?
After watching top prospect Trey Yesavage stun the nation during the postseason, he is certainly worth putting more energy toward this offseason and beyond. There isn't much doubt surrounding his ability to develop into one of the top pitchers in the Major Leagues, but this can only come to fruition with time, and ultimately, the Blue Jays will need to continue fostering his natural talent.
He started in five postseason games for Toronto, recording a 3.58 ERA and 39 strikeouts across 27.2 innings pitched, with a 1.05 WHIP. The right-hander has proved himself to be a worthy pitcher, one who has a high chance of growing into a Blue Jays ace.
As Toronto continues to navigate this offseason in hopes of reaching the World Series once again this year, it's equally as important to draw attention to the prospects like Yesavage, who will eventually be considered veterans of the franchise in years to come.
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Maria Aldrich lives in the captivating Adirondack Mountains in New York where she can be found scaling cliffs, hiking in the High Peaks and paddling down local rivers. After graduating from SUNY Potsdam with a degree in Exercise Science and a minor in Wilderness Education, Maria began documenting her backcountry experiences through written stories. Over the years, she has found herself drawn to sports journalism and now focuses on MLB, WNBA, NCAA and NHL writing. She can be reached at mariaaldrich20@outlook.com.