We have been putting off this challenge for a few weeks in hopes that the Players Association and MLB got their shit together with regards to the basic rules of play for the upcoming, fast-approaching season. Heck, we finally just got an official reporting date for players. Super great planning, team! We really should have known better.
At this point, it appears that MLB has decided to go been forced to go with 26-man rosters again this season. There does not appear to be a number limit on how many pitchers can be carried on a staff, so we could see a three-man bench to open the season.
For those who don’t know, The 26-Man Roster Challenge is a super simple game that has but one requirement: Name the 26 baseball players within the Blue Jays organization who will crack the opening day roster.
Sounds easy, right? Well, it really isn’t. If you decide to play, there are 4 ways to submit your ballot:
- Send us an email: 1bluejaysway(at)gmail.com
- Make a post on your blog, if you have one, and send us a link.
- Add your ballot to the comments section of this post, or the reminder(s) we post later.
- Twitter ballots will be accepted @1BJW
In the event of a tie—and, at this point, it's pretty much a given that there will be a tie—we ask that you also give us a prediction of what you think the spring training record will be for the boys in baby blue. From what we can see, it appears as though your Toronto Blue Jays will attempt to play 32 spring training games this year. Guess the annual test match/face fucking of the Canadian Junior National Team got COVID’d. We can’t have the best and brightest young stars of this great nation having to take two weeks off baseball activities to quarantine upon their return. We should mention there has also been talk of a "modified" East/West coast Grapefruit league schedule in the mix. Tupac and Biggie would be so impressed! If the spring schedule does get changed after the deadline, we will allow contestants who have entered a valid ballot to change their tiebreaker, if they so choose.
MLB in process of finalizing revised Grapefruit League schedule, placing teams in separate “pods” on east and west coasts of Florida, sources tell me and @MattGelb. West-coast teams in FL will play 28 games and east-coast teams 24, making up rest with intrasquad-type matchups.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) February 8, 2021
Try not to forget that sometimes it rains actual water, not just the virus from the sky in Florida, and the games don't generally get made up if they are cancelled. There is also a chance that if a game goes to extra innings and one team runs out of pitchers, both teams agree that the game ends in a tie.
It is not a requirement that you select a tie breaker—all ballots containing 26 names on it will be considered valid—but it is a very good idea that you do include one. Over the years, we have had numerous stupid-close finishes, and we actually had to break it right down to winning percentage. We have only had one outright winner in 11 years.
Some things to consider:
Finally we have a legit MLB roster! Position battles might actually be decided by who can best help the team win baseball games instead of all the other behind-the-scenes stuff involved in roster construction.
Derek Fisher, Julian Merryweather and Reese ‘The Parking Lot Prowler” McGuire are all out of options and need to head north with the team or risk being lost on waivers. That’s a nice three pack of players to consider. The Fisher Cat has got to be down to just a life or two left on his nine lives with this club. The fact that he hasn’t been cut yet means he probably has naked pics of Atkins and that he heads north as the little-used back up to the back up OF. He does have great handedness, so there’s that. McGuire can’t hit at all, and the pudgy Mexican can—a lot. You’d have to think it’s best that Kirk plays every day somewhere at this point in his development curve, but, if we are going to play for wins this year, the ones in April count the same as the ones in September. Merryweather has been stretching out as a starter this offseason for some reason, but you just have to think there’s a spot in the pen as a leverage arm or maybe a multi-inning piggyback type role pairing up with Ray or Matz. Shit, he could be a sensational opener, for that matter. Point being, he certainly gets a spot if he’s healthy.
What happens to Rowdy? If we are truly “all in,” that lefty power bat will be mighty useful late in a close ball game, even if it’s just as a deterrent. There are a few impact free agents still available on the market, so selecting a player for your ballot that currently isn’t in the organization is a viable strategy. There is the Marwin Gonzalez rumour that just won't seem to die. He would be a versatile piece that could allow for a short bench to be used right out of the gates. And, hey, why not add another cheater to the roster? Too soon?
As always, the dreaded minor-league-deal-with-an-
Prizes:
Good luck to all who decide to join in on the fun this year. We’re still searching for the elusive perfect ballot. It would be swell if this is the year!
Please include a team name and a tiebreaker. Do NOT forget the tiebreaker. The deadline to submit ballots is February 17th @ 11:59PM EST.
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