Conspiracy theory: Changing of CEOs at Rogers prevented needed payroll increase?

[G-Snarls]

http://www.sportsnet.ca/baseball/mlb/what-does-new-rogers-ceo-mean-for-jays/

 

Shi Davidi:

 

The new chief executive officer of Rogers Communications Inc., visited the Toronto Blue Jays last month as part of his company-wide review, and team president Paul Beeston doesn’t expect the change atop the company’s management to affect the current or future plans of his ball club.

 

Guy Laurence took over from the retiring Nadir Mohammed—who signed off on the significant payroll jump necessary to pull off the blockbuster deals with the Marlins and Mets two off-seasons ago—back in December. The former head of Vodafone UK has said he expects to present the results of his review to the Rogers board in May before making his strategies public.

 

How the Blue Jays will play into that strategy is uncertain, but Beeston believes the principles guiding his team’s operations will be “seamlessly moving from one (CEO) to another.”

 

“(Laurence) was very supportive,” Beeston says in an interview. “He comes in knowing that Rogers owns the team 100 percent, he asked very good questions in a very collegial manner, and I thought he got a huge learning curve on the game itself. We were all impressed and all encouraged.”

 

As for which areas of the Blue Jays business Laurence inquired about, all Beeston would say is, “That’s none of your business.”

 

While Mohammed brought continuity to the CEO’s role after succeeding the late Ted Rogers, Laurence is expected to take a different approach with the various Rogers platforms. The Globe and Mail described him in a recent profile as “an unconventional executive who upturned traditional work cultures with madcap management tactics.”

 

Whether such an approach trickles down to the Blue Jays is another question mark, although it’s worth noting Laurence’s predecessors largely gave the team room to operate as it saw fit within its allotted budget. Mohammed provided special approvals for the deals with the Marlins and Mets that pushed the club’s payroll from roughly $80 million in 2012 to $120 million in 2013, under the understanding internal growth alone would take the commitment up to $135 million for 2014.

 

Given the lack of external additions made by the Blue Jays during the off-season, some have wondered if GM Alex Anthopoulos’s had his hands tied financially amid the transition from Mohammed to Laurence. Beeston insists that’s not the case, and supporting that assertion is the fact that the Blue Jays were near a $14-million, one-year deal with Ervin Santana before he signed with the Atlanta Braves.

[The_DH]

Okay then if AAs hands weren't tied per se then what was his excuse for the most invisible offseason by a 74 game winner?

[Jays]

What's his excuse for not trading Janssen, Santos and Happ to free up payroll?

[G-Snarls]

Sure glad we have Beeston here to help him along!

 

Beeston: "None of your business". LOL for days.

[jays_fever]

Having a new CEO of the company being briefed about the game by Paul Beeston..how nice

[Terminator]

What's his excuse for not trading Janssen, Santos and Happ to free up payroll?

 

Yeah if he truly did have no payroll to work with he could have traded those 3 to free up some space.

[z3r0s]

Yup. The FO does not get a pass even if payroll was frozen. $130 million is plenty.

 

$130 is plenty of cash, but with the boost in TV revenue sharing I would hope it could be higher if needed.

[John_Havok]

Okay then if AAs hands weren't tied per se then what was his excuse for the most invisible offseason by a 74 game winner?

 

Simple, horrible player valuations and not willing to even come close to market value on free agents.

[Olerud363]

Having a new CEO of the company being briefed about the game by Paul Beeston..how nice

 

One would hope that he would get some alternative views.

 

Not even joking though. The entire fate of the franchise is in the hands of an unknown intern. You are a high powered suit who knows nothing about baseball. You get a lower suit to get you a list of names of baseball experts to double check Beeston. The other suit has his intern get a list of baseball experts.

 

The next 10 years are in that interns hands. The intern puts Pat Tabler, and Buck Martinez on that list, then the fate of the franchise is different then if he/she puts some sabermetric guys on the list.

 

Guy's secretary: Mr. Tabler here to see you sir.

 

Guy: Tabler?? Now who is that exactly?

 

Guy's secretary: A baseball expert sir.

 

Guy: Excellent. No stone left unturned.

[GeorgiaPeach]

What's his excuse for not trading Janssen, Santos and Happ to free up payroll?

 

Beeston loves vets

[G-Snarls]

Yup. The FO does not get a pass even if payroll was frozen. $130 million is plenty.

 

It would be if planned for and properly used. But it wasn't obviously.

 

After the 2013 fiasco I think most of us conceded that a bump to ~150M was needed to be competitive and save face in 2014. A slight overspend free agent signing and a smart trade involving some salary leaving could have put us in the thick of it.

[JJippidy]

It would be if planned for and properly used. But it wasn't obviously.

 

After the 2013 fiasco I think most of us conceded that a bump to ~150M was needed to be competitive and save face in 2014. A slight overspend free agent signing and a smart trade involving some salary leaving could have put us in the thick of it.

 

Not just the 2013 trades, the biggest reason for the need is the fact that this team hasn't produced any of it's own talent.

 

That's an issue that goes back well past the AA era.

 

Remove Dickey, Buehrle and Reyes from the equation and take back the talent given up, sure you have a better farm and less committed payroll, but you also have a rotation that consists of Morrow as the #1...

 

This team was always going to have to spend if it wanted to compete during Jose' window.

[G-Snarls]

Not just the 2013 trades, the biggest reason for the need is the fact that this team hasn't produced any of it's own talent.

 

That's an issue that goes back well past the AA era.

 

Remove Dickey, Buehrle and Reyes from the equation and take back the talent given up, sure you have a better farm and less committed payroll, but you also have a rotation that consists of Morrow as the #1...

 

This team was always going to have to spend if it wanted to compete during Jose' window.

 

Totally true

 

You really cannot build a complete team with a great chance of contending through the draft and trade markets alone. Free agents can plug critical holes allowing you to keep all the talent you've already acquired. AA doesn't seem to really understand this at all.

[G-Snarls]

Remove Dickey, Buehrle and Reyes from the equation and take back the talent given up, sure you have a better farm and less committed payroll, but you also have a rotation that consists of Morrow as the #1...

 

Morrow

Happ

Alvarez

Cecil

Rogers

 

How do you like THAT alternate reality 2013 rotation? LOL but it could have happened.

[G-Snarls]

I concede, of course, that the 2015 would be shaping up much better. In no particular order:

 

Morrow

Stroman

Syndergaard

Sanchez

Not sure

 

(Nicolino omoitted because I don't think he will cut it)

[Angrioter]

I concede, of course, that the 2015 would be shaping up much better. In no particular order:

 

Morrow

Stroman

Syndergaard

Sanchez

Not sure

 

(Nicolino omoitted because I don't think he will cut it)

 

Desclafani guy is decent

[eastcoastjaysfan]

Say if you were the new head of a trading floor or something at a major bank. A trader comes up to you and asks to be allocated 20% more money to trade with for the upcoming year. This trader had an absolutely disasterous year last year and has not shown a track record of success at all.

 

Would you allocate him more money? Of course not. You don't know this guy or have any personal relationships with him. All you see are the horrendous results.

 

The new head of Rogers made the right decision. AA has shown zero ability to spend large amounts of money efficiently.

[kgm1]

Having a new CEO of the company being briefed about the game by Paul Beeston..how nice

 

The blind leading the blind . Great , Now we really know as fans we will have decisions made by a head office with no clue .

[KingKat]

Say if you were the new head of a trading floor or something at a major bank. A trader comes up to you and asks to be allocated 20% more money to trade with for the upcoming year. This trader had an absolutely disasterous year last year and has not shown a track record of success at all.

 

Would you allocate him more money? Of course not. You don't know this guy or have any personal relationships with him. All you see are the horrendous results.

 

The new head of Rogers made the right decision. AA has shown zero ability to spend large amounts of money efficiently.

 

That all makes sense but then what are we to make of the Ervin Santana negotiations? Pure smokescreen?

 

In a way, Santana makes AA look worse because it suggest that he did have some money to spend and just decided to go Ervin or bust rather than spread the money around and plug some holes while he still had the opportunity.

[Gorlak]

Trading two of the Jays 3 potential closers on good deals to get 10 mil to spend is dumb, Especially since the bullpen will likely be overburdened again this year. They should trade one, Which he tried to do and it should be for talent not cash. Happ would have been gone if they signed somebody, But they didn't make a deal so he is more useful then the cash at the moment. 130 million is a great payroll, But this is not in a vacuum, Timing needs to be considered and holding back another 10 and letting the Jays enter the year with a glaring weakness is short sighted.

[Gorlak]

It was a one year deal and he would have been able to clear some payroll.

[Gorlak]

If they aren't contending they should trade all three, But throwing Delabar into the closers role and hoping for the best is not something a contender should bet on. The WAR those two could put up is likely higher than what the 10 mil gets you anyway. This team is better with them on it, So unless they can bring in something better that's MLB ready , moving them would be a lateral move at best. They wouldn't get the Jays Tanaka Money.

[Gorlak]

I'm not impressed by the new CEO's previous work. I bet he emphasizes cutting costs and prices at Rodgers and working on a reboot of their public image.

[Stangstag]

I'm not impressed by the new CEO's previous work. I bet he emphasizes cutting costs and prices at Rodgers and working on a reboot of their public image.

 

As long as he gives the Jays a 120-140 million payroll to work with, I'm fine with him.

[Gorlak]

He is British so I doubt he cares about baseball at all. He will need to make a profit on the team every year or he will lower the budget, Whether that's through integrated products or ticket sales or whatever. I think he will recommend a reduction in payroll, Not for this season, but in the next few years.

[o2cui2i]

Having a new CEO of the company being briefed about the game by Paul Beeston..how nice

 

now the CEO knows as much about baseball as AA and he didn't have to start in the mail room to get his education.

[Muck Bartinez]

I concede, of course, that the 2015 would be shaping up much better. In no particular order:

 

Morrow

Stroman

Syndergaard

Sanchez

Not sure

 

(Nicolino omoitted because I don't think he will cut it)

 

Alvarez, Hutchison... and about 40 M to spend hahahahahahaha... [tears of sadness]

 

/scene.

[G-Snarls]

Alvarez, Hutchison... and about 40 M to spend hahahahahahaha... [tears of sadness]

 

/scene.

 

Not sure how I forgot Hutch. yeah. Even if some one busted (likely) there would be more money to add.