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Blue Jays: Who will be the team’s fifth starting pitcher? – Jays Journal

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BOSTON, MA – OCTOBER 24: Hyun-Jin Ryu #99 of the Los Angeles Dodgers delivers the pitch during the first inning against the Boston Red Soxin Game Two of the 2018 World Series at Fenway Park on October 24, 2018 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)

The Blue Jays have greatly improved their starting pitching depth, so much so that someone will be on the outside looking in. With a plethora of options, which pitcher will win the #5 job in the rotation?

The Blue Jays have done a major overhaul to their starting rotation so far this off-season, so much so that their work might be finished in that area of the team for now.

They started by trading Chad Spanberger to Milwaukee in exchange for Chase Anderson, and followed that up by tendering a contract to Matt Shoemaker before the arbitration deadline. Tanner Roark was their first significant free agent agreement, inking a two-year, 24 million dollar pact. Ross Atkins and company rounded things out by landing their big fish starter, getting Hyun-Jin Ryu to come north of the border on a four-year, 80 million dollar pact.

As of this writing, those are the four starting pitchers I would consider to be locks for the Blue Jays’ rotation on Opening Day, assuming they’re all healthy at that time. It’s a much better place than the pitching staff was in a month or two ago, and it should be a significant improvement from the pieced-together group they used throughout 2019.

Now that Charlie Montoyo has four veterans at his disposal in the rotation, it’ll be very interesting to see what direction the club goes with the fifth starter’s spot. There are actually several suitable options for the role, and I suspect the competition will be pretty intense when Spring Training open up. Things could get even more crowded if and when Nate Pearson makes his MLB debut in 2020, although I suspect that won’t happen until July or later, if it happens next season at all.

For now, who are the Blue Jays options for that fifth starter’s role? Let’s have a look.

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Edler to sign one-day contract to retire as a Vancouver Canuck

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VANCOUVER – The Vancouver Canucks announced Tuesday that defenceman Alex Edler will sign a one-day contract in order to officially retire as a member of the NHL team.

The signing will be part of a celebration of Edler’s career held Oct. 11 when the Canucks host the Philadelphia Flyers.

The Canucks selected Edler, from Ostersund, Sweden, in the third round (91st overall) of the 2004 NHL draft.

He played in 925 career games for the Canucks between the 2006-07 and 2020-21 seasons, ranking fourth in franchise history and first among defencemen.

The 38-year-old leads all Vancouver defencemen with 99 goals, 310 assists and 177 power-play points with the team.

Edler also appeared in 82 career post-season contests with Vancouver and was an integral part of the Canucks’ run to the 2011 Stanley Cup final, putting up 11 points (2-9-11) across 25 games.

“I am humbled and honoured to officially end my career and retire as a member of the Vancouver Canucks,” Edler said in a release. “I consider myself lucky to have started my career with such an outstanding organization, in this amazing city, with the best fans in the NHL. Finishing my NHL career where it all began is something very special for myself and my family.”

Edler played two seasons for Los Angeles in 2021-22 and 2022-23. He did not play in the NHL last season.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 17, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

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Sixth-ranked Canadian women to face World Cup champion Spain in October friendly

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The sixth-ranked Canadian women will face World Cup champion Spain in an international friendly next month.

Third-ranked Spain will host Canada on Oct. 25 at Estadio Francisco de la Hera in Almendralejo.

The game will be the first for the Canadian women since the Paris Olympics, where they lost to Germany in a quarterfinal penalty shootout after coach Bev Priestman was sent home and later suspended for a year by FIFA over her part in Canada’s drone-spying scandal.

In announcing the Spain friendly, Canada Soccer said more information on the interim women’s coaching staff for the October window will come later. Assistant coach Andy Spence took charge of the team in Priestman’s absence at the Olympics.

Spain finished fourth in Paris, beaten 1-0 by Germany in the bronze-medal match.

Canada is winless in three previous meetings (0-2-1) with Spain, most recently losing 1-0 at the Arnold Clark Cup in England in February 2022.

The teams played to a scoreless draw in May 2019 in Logroñés, Spain in a warm-up for the 2019 World Cup. Spain won 1-0 in March 2019 at the Algarve Cup in São João da Venda, Portugal.

Spain is a powerhouse in the women’s game these days.

It won the FIFA U-20 World Cup in 2022 and was runner-up in 2018. And it ousted Canada 2-1 in the round of 16 of the current U-20 tournament earlier this month in Colombia before falling 1-0 to Japan after extra time in the quarterfinal.

Spain won the FIFA U-17 World Cup in 2018 and 2022 and has finished on the podium on three other occasions.

FC Barcelona’s Aitana Bonmati (2023) and Alexia Putellas (2021 and ’22) have combined to win the last three Women’s Ballon d’Or awards.

And Barcelona has won three of the last four UEFA Women’s Champions League titles.

“We continue to strive to diversify our opponent pool while maintaining a high level of competition.” Daniel Michelucci, Canada Soccer’s director of national team operations, said in a statement. “We anticipate a thrilling encounter, showcasing two of the world’s top-ranked teams.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 17, 2024

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

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Maple Leafs announce Oreo as new helmet sponsor for upcoming NHL season

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TORONTO – The Toronto Maple Leafs have announced cookie brand Oreo as the team’s helmet sponsor for the upcoming NHL season.

The new helmet will debut Sunday when Toronto opens its 2024-25 pre-season against the Ottawa Senators at Scotiabank Arena.

The Oreo logo replaces Canadian restaurant chain Pizza Pizza, which was the Leafs’ helmet sponsor last season.

Previously, social media platform TikTok sponsored Toronto starting in the 2021-22 regular season when the league began allowing teams to sell advertising space on helmets.

The Oreo cookie consists of two chocolate biscuits around a white icing filling and is often dipped in milk.

Fittingly, the Leafs wear the Dairy Farmers of Ontario’s “Milk” logo on their jerseys.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 17, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

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