TORONTO – Under various circumstances, this may have been the day Blue Jace fans applauded the defending American League winner Sai Young. This would be his chance to reconnect with teammates who played with him in two playoffs and perhaps answer some questions about how close he was to re-signing in Toronto in the winter.
Instead, Robbie Ray was nowhere to be found on Monday when the Seattle Mariners arrived in Toronto for the first of three games against the Blue Jays. His absence has raised some questions and perhaps answered some others, but the reunion will have to wait until July, when the Blue Jays (and thousands of fans) visit Seattle for four games.
Officially, the Sailors gave no explanation for Ray’s absence. Manager Scott Servais admitted that Ray was not in Toronto and noted that he is expected to move to Boston, where Seattle is next.
This is clear: anyone entering Canada must have received two doses of COVID-19 vaccine, including professional athletes. So far, Ray has not commented on his vaccination status. Meanwhile, MLB rules state that unvaccinated players will be placed on a list of restrictions where they will not receive pay or service time. But MLB rules include a provision that prevents teams from gaining an unfair advantage over the Blue Jays.
Those who have done at least four consecutive innings in a game cannot be placed on the restricted list and replaced in the active list until three days have passed. This makes Ray, who did six innings on Sunday, inadmissible. Otherwise, opposing teams could simply start time strategically and expand their bunkers or benches while in Toronto. This would be a mini optional assignment that would help everyone except the Blue Jays, so it is not allowed under MLB rules (except in the national interest, allows unvaccinated players to play in Canada in 2021, but has expired since) .
Whether this is happening to Mariners is not a matter of public information. But while Seattle put right-hander Drew Steckenrider on Monday’s list of restrictions, no such move was made for Ray. In practice, this means that the Mariners are on par with the Blue Jays. And Ray, who signed a five-year deal for $ 115 million last winter, will continue to receive his full salary ($ 346,153 for the next three days for anyone who follows).
Probably the best part is that the Blue Jays wrestling team will not face Ray, who led the American League with 248 outs and 2.84 ERA last year. When turned on, a left-handed fast-slider combination can be devastating.
“Consistency,” recalls Blue Jays manager Charlie Montoy. “I remember he was always the same person and he hit with all his passes. When he directed, the whole team felt that today we have a chance to win. We have Robbie Ray.
“The rest is history,” Montoyo concluded. “He was really good.”
So far this year, the results are average for Ray, who has a 4.62 ERA in eight starts with 18 leading walks in the American League. However, from Mariners’ point of view, it was useful to have someone who could draw innings and miss bats.
“He means a lot,” Serve said. “I know he doesn’t have the season he had last year, but things are still very good. I think there were 26 or 27 swings and omissions yesterday. He just had a bad inning that affects every outing, but he gives us a chance to win almost every time he’s been there, and he does six or more innings in a row. I don’t know a living manager who doesn’t accept that. “
Of course, Montoyo could say the same about Kevin Gaussman, who made an ace after signing a similar five-year, $ 110 million deal in Toronto. It will be some time before anyone says which of these deals turns out to be better, but the Blue Jays have reason to be excited about the early returns of Gaussman, who beat Ray by a big margin of 2.40 ERA and 54 outs in comparison of two walks.
Whether or not Ray was vaccinated, no matter how severely the Blue Jays persecuted him in the winter, the Toronto office is facing difficult decisions as it seeks to increase that list over the summer.
This is true for all wrestling teams, but it is especially important here. Most of the time the team arrives in Toronto, one or two players are on the list of restrictions. But these teams can still replace everyone on the list of restrictions before renewing as usual a few days later. For Blue Jays, unvaccinated players are essentially no beginners as long as there are current travel restrictions, a challenge that makes their available player the smallest player in MLB.
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