TORONTO — By now, everyone has heard the news: that Alex Vesia is out for the World Series due to a “deeply personal family matter.” We don’t want to speculate on what it might be, but from the tone of the comments around the team, we can guess that whatever it is, we’d want to be with our families at that time, too. So, no judgment from us on that front. God bless the Vesia family and hope that he grants them the strength to navigate whatever challenges they are facing.
However, that being said, there are still four more games that need to be won in the World Series, and likely Vesia was going to be a big part of that. So, in his absence, where can Dave Roberts turn to get the outs that he would have gotten from Number 51?
Well, first things first. His absence won’t be nearly as bad as if it had happened during the Philadelphia series with their strong left-handed hitting lineup. The Blue Jays’ thumpers are almost all right-handed: George Springer, Bo Bichette, Vladdy Jr., and Alejandro Kirk. Roberts is mostly likely going to lean on his righties to get outs from these guys. That means Blake Treinen (yikes), Emmet Sheehan, Roki Sasaki (late of course), and new additions Edgardo Henriquez and Will Klein, both of whom have been great and not-so-great at various moments lately.
But the Jays do have a few lefties who have the capacity to do damage. Daulton Varsho has some pop. Addison Barger, too. Andres Gimenez has had his moments, as has Nathan Lukes. So who to turn to in these cases? Well, there are plenty of choices.
Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on your perspective), Tanner Scott won’t be one of those options, as he just didn’t show enough improvement to warrant a roster spot. But Doc and Mark Prior can call the pen for a variety of lefties to get high-leverage outs. Probably, the best option is Anthony Banda, who’s pitched pretty well for the team in October (no runs allowed in three postseason appearances). Justin Wrobleski has looked dominant from time to time this season, but I wouldn’t bet the farm on him. Jack Dreyer is a very appealing option, as he’s logged some key outs and also given up no runs in October.
But there’s one lefty who might just figure into Doc’s new October bullpen plan. I’m talking about that little known kid out of Highland Park, Texas, Number 22. That’s right. Clayton Kershaw, who’s been a forgotten man since he took a bullet for the team in the loss to the Phillies. I’m not saying that he’s going to pitch big innings in the World Series, but I’m not NOT saying that.
What an irony it would be if Clayton Kershaw’s final act in his Hall of Fame career is pitching in relief as the Dodgers lock down a World Series. Talk about legacy. We’ll have to wait and see what happens. But whatever it is, it won’t be what any of us had anticipated 48 hours ago.
Prayers to the Vesias. And good luck to the newly configured Dodger bullpen. Here we go….
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