Notable Additions: Marco Estrada SP, Russell Martin C, Josh Donaldson 3B, Justin Smoak 1B, Michael Saunders OF

Notable Losses: Colby Rasmus OF, Melky Cabrera OF, Anthony Gose OF, J.A. Happ RP, Brett Lawrie 3B, Adam Lind 1B, Jon Mayberry Jr. OF, Casey Janssen RP

There was a lot of hype around the Blue Jays heading into 2015 and for good reason. They added the bat of Josh Donaldson and the veteran leadership of Russell Martin. Donaldson has been one of the best third basemen in the league the past two years. He finished 2014 with 98 RBIs and 29 home runs. He held the .456 slugging percentage to go along with his 31 doubles. Donaldson will fit perfectly into this lineup. They’re full of right-handed power bats. It’ll be interesting to see where they decide to put Donaldson in the lineup, but you can expect him to make a contribution wherever they put them. The addition of Russell Martin will be the most impactful. Martin is not only a catcher who can hit, but is also one of the best defense of catchers in the league. He finished the 2014 season with a .290 batting average, 11 home runs, and 67 RBIs. There are only a few catchers who are capable of putting up those numbers and handling the starting rotation with ease. Although both Martin and Donaldson will contribute, it will be Edwin Encarnacion and Jose Bautista who will bring the real fear. Encarnacion finished with 34 homeruns and 98 RBIs in 2014. He had a slugging percentage of .547 with a .901 OPS. He’s hit over 34 homeruns in each of his last three seasons and there’s nothing to indicate that he won’t do it again. Jose Bautista is just as much of a threat at the dish. He finished last season with 35 home runs, while driving in 103 runs. He held a .286 batting average and a .524 slugging percentage. He too will be able to repeat his performance in 2015. It’s no secret the Blue Jays are going to try to out hit everyone in their division and they may have the talent to do so.

The Blue Jays received the devastating news that pitcher Marcus Stroman will miss the entire 2015 season with an arm injury. He would’ve been the ace of the club. He finished last season with 11 wins and a 3.65 ERA. He threw in 130.2 innings while striking out 111 batters.  Instead, the Blue Jays will turn to veteran pitcher R.A. Dickey. You never know what you’re going to get from Dickey because of his unusual repertoire. His primary pitch is a filthy knuckleball. Well, some days it’s filthy. When he has the knuckleball working he’s unhittable. Unfortunately the pitch often drifts away from him. He finished last season with a 3.71 ERA through 215.2 innings. Luckily for the Blue Jays, he has been one of the most durable pitchers the past four seasons. He’s given at least 208 innings in each of the past four years. His best year was in 2012 when he finished with 20 wins and a 2.73 ERA. The Blue Jays will be hoping for Dickey to lead the club. Drew Hutchison will be looking to rebound in 2015. He finished the 2014 season with a 4.48 ERA through 184.2 innings. Also in the starting rotation will be Mark Burley and Aaron Sanchez.

The post Toronto Blue Jays 2015 Preview Edition #22 appeared first on KRUI Radio.

Yes, John Lester is an intriguing option that makes a lot of sense for the Cubs. He is still hanging on to his prime at the age of thirty, and he pitched for the Red Sox while Epstein was the general manager in Boston, helping them win a World Series in 2007. The two have maintained a close relationship, and since Epstein has left Boston, Lester has continued his success, winning another World Series in 2013 while posting a .59 ERA in two starts during that World Series.

He is 116-67 with a 3.58 ERA for his career to go along with a postseason ERA of 2.57 in 14 career appearances. While the Cubs have the money right now to afford the assuredly expensive Lester, they still have enough money next offseason to sign an ace, when the market is much larger with pitchers like Johnny Cueto, Yovani Gallardo, Doug Fister, Bud Norris, and David Price set to be free agents. A player that won’t be available come next winter is Russell Martin, and the Cubs should do everything they can to bring him in now.

Martin had a career year last season, hitting .290 with .402 OBP, numbers much higher than his career averages of .259 and .354.  because of this breakout year, his asking price is likely to be upwards of $80 million over five seasons.  His improved hitting and superior defense behind the plate (he led all National League Catchers in defensive WAR last season) are results that the Cubs have simply not been able to get out of current starting catcher Wellington Castillo.

Martin would be so valuable both behind and at the plate because he is a proven and productive veteran on a team comprised mostly of young, potentially great, hitters. The Cubs will have three players next season in Kris Bryant, Jorge Soler, and Javier Baez that will be going through their first full major league seasons and will be expected produce in the middle of the lineup.

Along with All-Star first baseman Anthony Rizzo, having Martin in the middle of the lineup will both protect the Cubs young sluggers hitting in front of him, as well as keep the team competitive when the youngsters are slumping, which all three of them will at some point or another during a 162 game season.

And while Kyle Hendricks is the only projected starting pitcher on the Opening Day roster that is under twenty five, the Cubs have three prospects in C.J. Edwards, Pierce Johnson, and Corey Black that all posted ERA’s of under 3.50 in Double A last season and are expected to start 2015 on the Triple-A roster.

It’s very reasonable to predict that at some point next season at least one of those pitchers will find their way into the starting rotation, and having Martin be the first catcher they throw to could be a huge help in their first stage of development.

All things considered, adding a big name pitcher such as John Lester would obviously be a huge move for the Cubs. But if they start opening day with the same starting pitching staff as they ended this last September with, it sure would be nice to see them throwing to number 55 behind the plate.

The post Why Russell Martin Makes Sense for the Cubs appeared first on KRUI Radio.