Jays fan tweets at Rogers President asking for payroll increase. Gets a response.

[reedjohnsonfan]

Morrow as the #5 guy and acquire a #3 type starter and the rotation does not look terrible.

 

I said at the start of March if the Jays could be 5 games above .500 I would be Happy. Needless to say my expectations have been met. If we can play 5 games above .500 for June we will be in good shape and there should be no reason not to add 1 more starter and finally play meaningful games in August and September.

 

That would be alright. Masterson might get traded, he needs to turn it around first though. If the Jays don't have the prospects maybe they could take on a contract to avoid trading Sanchez/Stroman +. People are talking about Samadzija but I wonder if a guy like Edwin Jackson could be traded.

[Sammy225]

That would be alright. Masterson might get traded, he needs to turn it around first though. If the Jays don't have the prospects maybe they could take on a contract to avoid trading Sanchez/Stroman +. People are talking about Samadzija but I wonder if a guy like Edwin Jackson could be traded.

 

I could see Nolin being one of the guys that AA might try and get something for.

[KingKat]

That would be alright. Masterson might get traded, he needs to turn it around first though. If the Jays don't have the prospects maybe they could take on a contract to avoid trading Sanchez/Stroman +. People are talking about Samadzija but I wonder if a guy like Edwin Jackson could be traded.

 

Jays are not in a position to take on a contract if rumours are to be believed. If anything they may have to bundle dead weight like Romero along with prospects to off set any salary coming in.

[Anemic0ffense]

On a slightly related note, is anyone else super irritated that they haven't converted Drabek to a reliever yet? He has the stuff and the velocity to stick in the pen.

 

I have no idea why they keep trying him as a starter. He doesn't have the mental makeup to be able to handle it. We need help and he could be a boost.

 

They need to do this with both Drabek and Romero. The dreams of them putting it back together as starters are over. Maybe they gain some velocity as pen arms, and become dominant. Worked for Cecil... McGowan is also better in the pen.

[HERPDERP]

On a slightly related note, is anyone else super irritated that they haven't converted Drabek to a reliever yet? He has the stuff and the velocity to stick in the pen.

 

I have no idea why they keep trying him as a starter. He doesn't have the mental makeup to be able to handle it. We need help and he could be a boost.

 

I guess to give him enough innings reps to recover from TJ. As a reliever he may not get enough reps? I dunno.

 

I haven't taken a look at his repertoire yet but I guess if Drabek were to go in the bullpen he'd have to turn into FB/CH instead of FB/CB. If I recall he never threw his curve for strikes but rather as a chase pitch in the dirt.

[Anemic0ffense]

I guess to give him enough innings reps to recover from TJ. As a reliever he may not get enough reps? I dunno.

 

I haven't taken a look at his repertoire yet but I guess if Drabek were to go in the bullpen he'd have to turn into FB/CH instead of FB/CB. If I recall he never threw his curve for strikes but rather as a chase pitch in the dirt.

 

Why would he abandon the hook in a relief role? That was his swing and miss pitch before they decided to pretty much eliminate that pitch from his repertoire, for whatever reason... I think if he is able to focus on just an inning or two, he will become a better pitcher.

[Governator]

Blue Jays... don't be economic girlie men!

[jaysblue]

If Morrow comes back in July and the Jays are in it, I hope they don't use that as an excuse to not get a starter. It seems plausible though.

 

I could see this happening. False hope relying on Morrow to pitch like a No. 2 starter for the like the millionth time!

[Deadpool]

Blue Jays... don't be economic girlie men!

 

Never have a post and username matched up so well.

[Terminator]

Yeah I don't get how people can call Rogers cheap. I'm guessing these are the same type of people enamoured in debt. Rogers will spend more when they believe it will yield higher profits.

 

It's not that they are cheap (although they sometimes can be) it's that they are corporate and corporate ownership comes with it's own set of pitfalls.

[Chappy]

It's not that they are cheap (although they sometimes can be) it's that they are corporate and corporate ownership comes with it's own set of pitfalls.

 

Yup and making money is one of them. We don't have the luxury of an owner who wants to win at all costs. Rogers only cares about the bottom line as they should.

[Dick_Pole]

Rogers just cut a whole bunch of bodies from their work force once again. Imagine how good it looks to be adding $$$$ for baseball players to those people who don't know their future once their severance dries up. I have a running gag with my buddy who works there...if my emails to him start to bounce, I'll know what happened! He's not struggling financially so he can make jokes like that.

 

Keep in mind it's some high school kid who wrote that article and who had that conversation with Pelley...someone who has very little understanding of how the corporate world works. Rogers is already in the upper tier in terms of payroll. The Jays aren't exactly being run by Jeffrey Loria here. If Anthopolous makes a good business case over spending some extra dough to get a certain player, then I'm sure Rogers will give him a fair chance to hear him out.

[Solaxys]

Let's do it.

 

Also allow a 48 hour negotiating window.

 

Shields is durable and the kind of guy we could use to stabilize our back end.

 

But he is a flyball pitcher so...

 

He's a flyball pitcher, not a HR pitcher like Hendriks is. We'll be better

[Terminator]

Yup and making money is one of them. We don't have the luxury of an owner who wants to win at all costs. Rogers only cares about the bottom line as they should.

 

Making profits off the team, as you stated, is def a big factor for them. As you said, having an owner who wants to win at all costs, or one who even doesn't mind running the team at a marginal loss each year who can easily recoup those losses when they sell the team for triple what they paid for it, is best.

 

But Rogers overall bottom line, irrespective of whether the team is making profits or not, can play a big role as well. If their overall profits for the last quarter are bad, then it's harder for them to justify pouring more money in to the baseball team even if the team is breaking even or turning a little profit. Another good example, by Dick_Pole above, is that they recently laid off a bunch of employees. The optics of them laying off a couple of thousand people only to pour 5 million in to the team at the trade deadline looks bad. They may be willing to do that still, but the perception of their corporate culture may be difficult to do.

[HERPDERP]

I would call that BS because even AA is not stupid enough to trade with the Rays.

 

He's not that stupid..right?

[eastcoastjaysfan]

Just listened to a Buck interview on Tim and Sid. He even just said that from what he has heard around from the clubhouse is that Jays ownership will not fork over any extra dollars to land a Shields or Price in a trade.

 

Ok so get creative and find a way to shed payroll then! Structure 3 way deals involving us unloading Happ or Rasmus while receiving a better SP in return. Throw Happ into a deal with a few of our better prospects to land a good pitcher... His salary would offset the incoming salary quite nicely...

 

It's not impossible. AA appeared to thrive in the past when he was under strict budget limitations (although I've heard first hand accounts that this might actually not be true). He only seemed to make ridiculous moves when he had payroll flexibility to play with. There are always ways to improve your club.

[TheHurl]

"Me, being a little pissed off that the man who has been in charge of stopping the Blue Jays from landing numerous players via free agency and trades these past few years was basking in the glory of his team, while pretending that all was fine, decided to do a little bit of trolling"

 

This is exactly what Gibbers talked about after the trades, fans would soon forget about the increases.

 

Last three years it's $13M, $36M and $18M. That's a jump of 94% increase in 3 years and $66M which is only topped by the Dodgers and Nationals.

[Cooler Heads Prevail]

"Me, being a little pissed off that the man who has been in charge of stopping the Blue Jays from landing numerous players via free agency and trades these past few years was basking in the glory of his team, while pretending that all was fine, decided to do a little bit of trolling"

 

This is exactly what Gibbers talked about after the trades, fans would soon forget about the increases.

 

Last three years it's $13M, $36M and $18M. That's a jump of 94% increase in 3 years and $66M which is only topped by the Dodgers and Nationals.

 

Those jumps only reflect on a team that grossly underfunded themselves prior. In the late 1980s and early 1990s we were one of the top payroll teams in baseball every year. In this exact market ( which has grown substantially population wise ) with the exact same stadium. It's also a team that weathered a 65 cent dollar and an owner in Interbrew that cared nothing about the Jays or Canada.

[Bunchedundies]

Based on the rogers payroll situation, I do not expect any new starter this year of consequence, which sucks as this team won't be a serious contender without another started imo. Missed opportunity, as this team has the pieces to be elite with the right move.

[polar bear]

I could see this happening. False hope relying on Morrow to pitch like a No. 2 starter for the like the millionth time!

 

I'm really hoping,we have seen the last of Morrow.

[TheHurl]

Those jumps only reflect on a team that grossly underfunded themselves prior. In the late 1980s and early 1990s we were one of the top payroll teams in baseball every year. In this exact market ( which has grown substantially population wise ) with the exact same stadium. It's also a team that weathered a 65 cent dollar and an owner in Interbrew that cared nothing about the Jays or Canada.

 

The Jays were under $20M until 1992 (13th in 1990, 18th in 1991), which was after a 7 year run of top 3 attendance figures and breaking attendance records for three years (and two playoff appearances) they doubled their payroll. There was nothing currently to justify the payroll increase and profits are not up from 2010. So when does the payroll increases end? Five years ago Fans were saying "just give us $100M and we'll compete". Now it's just give us $150M and we'll win. After that it's we need the best free agents in the world and $200M. Fans will never be happy...all we should ask is that a few actually be smart.

[TDotttt2005]

I would call that BS because even AA is not stupid enough to trade with the Rays.

 

He's not that stupid..right?

 

Friedman "So Alex, lets revisit that Edwin for Price Deal"

AA "How about we throw in Sanchez. He'll have to be paid in 6-7 years, and with the Romero extension we're contemplating, and the cost overruns with putting grass into the Rogers Centre, we wont be able to afford him"

Friedman "You know you have a point, we can take Norris and Stroman off your hands too."

AA "Done. Wanna get some Souvlaki?"

[Bunchedundies]

Doesn't rogers realize another starter greatly improves the chances of bigger crowds and playoff baseball which = more profit?

[HERPDERP]

Doesn't rogers realize another starter greatly improves the chances of bigger crowds and playoff baseball which = more profit?

 

Just like any business, upper management do not have the technical understanding of specific details that their more specialized employees/technicians do.

 

I.e. Rogers may only have a basic understanding of our rotation. They take a look at the basic stats for Hendriks (era, hits, IP) and say that he is doing a great job and that we don't need help.

 

While the front office recognizes that he is extremely lucky and is bound to regress into the shitball he was for the past few years.

[TheHurl]

Doesn't rogers realize another starter greatly improves the chances of bigger crowds and playoff baseball which = more profit?

 

history doesn't show either statement to be necessarily true

[TheHurl]

But hold the phone. We're competing well on a $135M payroll right now, sold off zero prospects going into this season, and are probably only one addition short of cementing our playoff run. So Rogers has a business decision based on that current reality. Can a rental at a cost likely no more then $8M justify the attendance and TV viewership increases likely to occur in late 2014 and possibly 2015 ? My gut says yes, but Rogers could gamble that the team is good enough already and risk being wrong, it's their call. And past 2014 their fiscal risk is minimal, they are among the lowest long term commitments in all of baseball. They could become the Astros overnight if they wanted to with ease. Or is it the Expos model ( late years ) you crave for Toronto ? Or are you aiming for where the Rays are going soon ?

 

Rogers isn't about to take a bath on the Jays...everyone knows that (and even if they did they could sell it off at a tidy price. First off I believe that the Jays should go for it this year and make a run. I don't believe this team is built for a long sustainable run, so go ahead and add a piece or two, or three. I don't think fans should make stupid comments about blaming Rogers for no spending. They f***ing well doubled the payroll over 3 years...most team's fans would kill for that commitment. Especially when there were no results to justify the move (and the profits have actually went down since then). People keep saying win and it will change things...if I'm a corporate head I'm saying "win, up profits, and then I'll give you more money". That's the model I want to see built. Show you have value on your team. Sustainable success, or a model where it looks like it could be. How about increased sales in tickets.

 

This model of "increase payroll and success and profits will come" is pure and utter ********. Build, market, turn profits and payrolls increase. It's a business, don't deal in BS s*** that's not true. Yankees didn't draw the best attendance in the AL until they made the playoffs for 7 straight years and won 4 world series.

 

So yes increase payroll for the rest of the year...but f*** if it doesn't work then the cuts (payroll and heads) should be expected.

 

sold off zero prospects going into this season,

 

Did we have any left?

[Bunchedundies]

history doesn't show either statement to be necessarily true

 

History also shows doing nothing almost guarantees another disappointing season and empty seats.

[Dick_Pole]

History also shows doing nothing almost guarantees another disappointing season and empty seats.

 

Does it? Lots of teams have gone from worst to first since I began following baseball.

 

The problem is Jays fans' minds have been tarnished from years of competing with the Yankees and JPR crying poor against the Yankees payroll that we all have it stuck in our heads that spending = winning. Look at the World Series winners since the turn of the century. It's often not the case.

[Bunchedundies]

Does it? Lots of teams have gone from worst to first since I began following baseball.

 

The problem is Jays fans' minds have been tarnished from years of competing with the Yankees and JPR crying poor against the Yankees payroll that we all have it stuck in our heads that spending = winning. Look at the World Series winners since the turn of the century. It's often not the case.

 

YEs but those teams never had J happ and liam hendricks starting..........It may not apply to all teams, but this team is not going to have a chance with this rotation over the long haul, Buerhle is going to regress some. I am not talking about a specific payroll number, this starting rotation could blow up pretty quick.

[Caper]

The other thing is... The Jays are going into a draft. Do we want every agent thinking the Jays are sitting on a big pile of cash? Not a great negotiating position.... that and any potential resigns that may occur this season.