Raptors news: Scottie Barnes injury update, Nick Nurse talks Precious Achiuwa

Raptors news: Scottie Barnes injury update, Nick Nurse talks Precious Achiuwa

The Toronto Raptors were staying relatively healthy following a very tough burst of injuries earlier in the season, but Scottie Barnes suffered a knock in their most recent contest that set off alarm bells. With Toronto currently in a heated battle for a play-in spot, every victory is going to be important. Barnes left their […]
Raptors news: Scottie Barnes injury update, Nick Nurse talks Precious Achiuwa – Raptors Rapture – Raptors Rapture – A Toronto Raptors Fan Site – News, Blogs, Opinion and More

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Author: Mike Luciano / Raptors HQ

3 trade deadline moves Jakob Poeltl has clearly outperformed

3 trade deadline moves Jakob Poeltl has clearly outperformed

The Toronto Raptors were met with a wave of quizzical looks when they traded away multiple draft picks, including a very lightly protected first-round pick, to re-acquire big man Jakob Poeltl. While he would help fix the team’s lack of rim protection, he would do nothing to repair the team’s lackluster 3-point percentage. After a […]
3 trade deadline moves Jakob Poeltl has clearly outperformed – Raptors Rapture – Raptors Rapture – A Toronto Raptors Fan Site – News, Blogs, Opinion and More

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Author: Mike Luciano / Raptors HQ

Leafs Rumours: Toronto looked into Erik Karlsson before the trade deadline

If you thought you were done with weekly rumours updates on this site after the trade deadline… you’ll eventually be right. For now, we have a bit of a rumour of something that could have been but wasn’t at the deadline. It’s via Elliotte Friedman on 32 Thoughts citing that the Leafs were in on both Mattias Ekholm and Erik Karlsson.
Elliotte’s report is that the Leafs inquired about both players, but it couldn’t make cap sense for them. Ekholm ultimately went to Edmonton and Nashville only retained 4% of the contract in the process, and Erik Karlsson will finish his Norris calibre season in San Jose. That’s where it gets interesting.
Things won’t change for the Sharks after the season ends. They are still needing assets to rebuild and that’s their priority. Things won’t change for Karlsson too much either. He might not have a career year in the remaining four years of his contract, but he is still a premier offensive defenseman and one of the league’s best right-shot defensemen. His contract will take him until he’s 36 and he has a bit more of an injury history than say Mark Giordano, so there might be a steeper dropoff (there often is with elite skaters when age catches up to them), but he potentially still has a lot to offer, although with an $11.5M …

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Author: Jon Steitzer / The Leafs Nation

Toronto scores runs for Drew Hutchison (2023 edition), the prospects shine, and more as the Blue Jays pummel the Tigers 18-5

For a quick second there, I thought we were teleported back to late July when the Jays thrashed the Boston Red Sox 28-5.

While the score only finished 18-5 and there was only one home run from our player of the game, the Jays decimated the Tigers. This included a thirteen-run fourth inning.
Due to it only being a radio broadcast, there were no highlights I was able to clip from this afternoon’s game. I did, however, have time to make a sick meme, which you can see in the header. Let’s look at the player of the game.
Blue Jays Nation’s player of the game: Vinny Capra
There were a few position players that could have gotten the player of the game award (and they’ll be explored in “Things worth mentioning”, but today, it belongs to Vinny Capra.
Capra hit the only Blue Jays run of the game but also drove in seven runs, going 2-4. Coming into this game, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. had the most Blue Jays RBIs with five, but Capra overtook that within just a game.
Last season with the Buffalo Bisons, he slashed .283/.378/.403 with five homers, and an even 13.1 BB% and K% in 222 plate appearances. Interestingly, his homer numbers actually declined from the 2021 season, when he hit 10 homers in just 282 plate appearances.
The 26-year-old super-utility player also appe …

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Author: Brennan Delaney / Blue Jays Nation

Did Raptors preview 2023-24 starting lineup vs. Pelicans?

Did Raptors preview 2023-24 starting lineup vs. Pelicans?

The Toronto Raptors were supposed to preview their brand new 2022-23 lineup against the New Orleans Pelicans. After trading for Jakob Poeltl at the deadline, Nick Nurse was expected to start him at center, Scottie Barnes and All-Star Pascal Siakam at forward, and Fred VanVleet and OG Anunoby in the backcourt. Unfortunately, VanVleet was ruled […]
Did Raptors preview 2023-24 starting lineup vs. Pelicans? – Raptors Rapture – Raptors Rapture – A Toronto Raptors Fan Site – News, Blogs, Opinion and More

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Author: Mike Luciano / Raptors HQ

Clippers insider reveals laughable Fred VanVleet trade package

Clippers insider reveals laughable Fred VanVleet trade package

The Toronto Raptors were supposed to be the team that set the trade deadline on fire, trading away names like OG Anunoby and Fred VanVleet to move ahead into a brand-new era. Unfortunately for some fans, none of those moves came to fruition despite some juicy rumors. The Jakob Poeltl trade brought a quality rebounder […]
Clippers insider reveals laughable Fred VanVleet trade package – Raptors Rapture – Raptors Rapture – A Toronto Raptors Fan Site – News, Blogs, Opinion and More

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Author: Mike Luciano / Raptors HQ

Blue Jays Nation’s 2023 Preseason Top 50: #5 Yosver Zulueta

We’re approaching the upper-echelon of Blue Jays prospects, as today we’re looking at 25-year-old flamethrower, Yosver Zulueta.

Did you know, that this was his first real season in the Blue Jays organization? Not only that, but he had a quick rise, playing in all “A” levels, ending his season with the Buffalo Bisons. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen that before!
But before we look into his season, let’s look at the criteria.
Brennan’s criteria:
Instead of writing this out every time I did for the mid-season Top 60, I’ll copy and paste my criteria for how I rank and scout these players.
There are many factors that determine a top prospect. The eye test is the biggest driver in determining a top prospect, but proximity to the majors, ceiling, and floor is also important. Moreover, statistics are another key ingredient, as everything works together to give you numbers.
As for the grades, it’s important to remember that they are relative to the league in which they play. A kid from Dunedin is not going to have a 50-grade hit tool if he were placed in the big leagues. But relative to the league in which he plays, a .300 hitter is eligible to have that grade.
For these prospects, I’ll be reviewing their background, numbers in the minors, pitch mi …

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Author: Brennan Delaney / Blue Jays Nation

Is this the year for the Leafs to overpay, Sandin vs. Liljegren and a tip of the hat to a legend: Leaflets

Is this the year for the Leafs to overpay, Sandin vs. Liljegren and a tip of the hat to a legend: Leaflets

It’s Saturday morning and we’re hours away from the Leafs vs. Habs. It feels good. It feels like the these two teams are never good at the same time, but that also hasn’t stopped the Habs from knocking off the Leafs before so it’s not a game to be taken for granted. If the Leafs can beat up on just one lottery team, this is the one they should commit to.
Now here are the stray thoughts rattling around in my head…
It’s time for the Leafs to go all-in (but in a smart way)
On the Leafs Morning Take yesterday, Nick Alberga was discussing possible Leafs trade targets with Frank Seravalli. One of the players that was swiftly dismissed in the conversation was Bo Horvat. Then not a minute later it was mentioned that Boston could be a possible landing spot for Horvat. The belief is that the price on Horvat is more than the Leafs are willing to pay, but at the same time, the Bruins would be willing to pay it. So let’s break that down.
The Bruins find themselves in a situation where their prospect pool is even more drained than the Leafs. They have a very similar draft pick situation, and their salary cap situation is even more …

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Author: Jon Steitzer / The Leafs Nation

Chris Boucher calls out media as reason for improved Raptors bench play

Chris Boucher calls out media as reason for improved Raptors bench play

The Toronto Raptors were the only team in the NBA to have all five of their starters average above 15 points per game in 2022. Fans pointed to Scottie Barnes and Pascal Siakam playing well in the starting group as cause for celebration, but some were frustrated with Chris Boucher and Malachi Flynn, among others, […]
Chris Boucher calls out media as reason for improved Raptors bench play – Raptors Rapture – Raptors Rapture – A Toronto Raptors Fan Site – News, Blogs, Opinion and More

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Author: Mike Luciano / Raptors HQ

The Drew Hutchison trade has come full circle: Digging into the best trade tree in Blue Jays history

With the announcement that the Blue Jays were signing Drew Hutchison to a minor league deal, it’s once again time to look at the best trade tree in Blue Jays’ history.

Drew Hutchison was drafted by the Blue Jays in the 15th round of the 2009 draft and was a serviceable starter for Toronto for several years. On August 1st, 2016, the Jays sent him to the Pittsburgh Pirates to kick off the insanely beneficial trade tree.
The Blue Jays receive Francisco Liriano, Reese McGuire, and Harold Ramírez for Drew Hutchison:
Prior to the trade, Hutchison was rocking a 4.97 ERA and a 6.54 FIP in 12.2 innings pitched, spending most of the season in Triple-A.

The @BlueJays acquire LHP Francisco Liriano, C Reese McGuire & OF Harold Ramirez from @Pirates for Drew Hutchison. pic.twitter.com/7AbBW7UfDp
— Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) August 1, 2016

To put it simply, I have no idea what the Pirates were thinking here. This will be the last time we’ll discuss Hutchison for a while.
Fransico Liriano:
Prior to the trade, Liriano was having a “meh” season, posting a 5.46 ERA and a 5.28 FIP in 113.2 innings pitched. He had a 22.2 K%, but an incredibly high 13.2 BB%, and didn’t look much better than Hutchison, right?
Wrong. To end the 2016 season, Liriano was crucial as he had a 2.92 ERA and a 3.98 FIP in 49.1 innings pitched with the Jays. His K% increased to 25%, while his BB% decreased drastically to 7.7%. For those 49.1 innings alone.
Interestingly, Liriano was invited to 2021 Spring Training and was a final cut, before retiring. Would’ve been cool for him to come back though.
The Blue Jays won this specific trade, but there’s more!
Reese McGuire:
Prior to the trade, Reese McGuire ranked as Pittsburgh’s 5th best prospect according to MLB Pipeline.
Obviously, he didn’t pan out, as most prospects don’t …

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Author: Brennan Delaney / Blue Jays Nation