3 players from the 2021 Blue Jays who are failing miserably elsewhere
By Eric Treuden
While the front office surely made some mistakes, here are three players from the 2021 Toronto Blue Jays struggling elsewhere.
Heading into the 2022 season, the Toronto Blue Jays lost as many pieces from last year’s squad as anyone around the league including significant names like Marcus Semien, Randal Grichuk, Reese McGuire, Steven Matz, Brad Hand, Robbie Ray and Corey Dickerson to name a few.
The Jays have looked strong to start the year as they currently sit 41-32, good for third place in the AL East. The Yankees have dominated the division so far this season but the Jays are a sneaky pick to go on a hot streak and overtake them before all is said and done.
While the Blue Jays have looked strong in the new year, some of the former players that ended up elsewhere have not.
Who are 3 players from the 2021 Blue Jays struggling on their new teams?
#3 – LHP Steven Matz (St. Louis Cardinals)
Throughout his six-year career as a member of the New York Mets, Steven Matz always seemed to be right on the cusp of greatness. After a horrible showing in 2020, Matz found himself traded to the Blue Jays in what would be his first non-Mets action at the big league level.
In 29 starts last season playing in Toronto, Matz promptly went 14-7 with a 3.82 ERA and 117 ERA+ in 150+ innings, a performance that was able to land him a four-year, $44MM contract with the St. Louis Cardinals in his first trip through free agency.
Here we are at the end of June and Matz has nine starts under his belt in his return to the National League and he has not looked good. In just over 37 innings, Matz has a 6.03 ERA and 65 ERA+ as well as eight home runs allowed already.
Not only has he struggled through subpar results on the mound but he has also struggled with staying healthy. Matz was placed on the injured list back at the end of May with a left shoulder impingement and has not yet returned. Cardinals President of Baseball Operations John Mozeliak recently told Rick Hummel of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that Matz is in line to make his first rehab start later today.