Blue Jays wrap camp with quirky intrasquad finale, roster calls loom |
DUNEDIN, Fla. – On their last day of spring training, the Toronto Blue Jays staged a glorified intrasquad game that included national anthems, in-game announcements and the opportunity to get weird.
Innings of one out and four outs. Hitting in and out of order. Baserunners put on as needed. Outs that went for hits and hits that went for outs. Everyone got their work in and bounced, bound for Toronto where workouts loom ahead of Friday’s Opening Day.
“There were a few firsts,” manager John Schneider, fresh off signing a two-year extension, said afterwards. “Just things that we wanted to see, a lot of little detailed things that were trying to look for. A little quirky but glad we got it in.”
Final box checked, the Blue Jays left Florida behind for the journey north with a couple of roster calls remaining ahead of Wednesday’s deadline. The final spot in the bullpen is down to intriguing Rule 5 pick Spencer Miles and side-armer Chase Lee, who can be optioned to triple-A Buffalo; while the last spot on the bench is between incumbent Davis Schneider, who has options remaining, and Leo Jimenez, who does not.
As always, there is an element of roster management at play, as the Blue Jays could open with both Miles and Jimenez, retain Lee and Davis Schneider in the system and see how it all plays out once the schedule gets rolling. If they go the other way, Miles would need to be put through waivers and returned to the San Francisco Giants if he goes unclaimed, while Jimenez would also need to be put on waivers, where he’s likely to be claimed.
All four were travelling to Toronto with the club, leading to a “couple of sleepless nights for those guys,” John Schneider said, while GM Ross Atkins explained that “when we........