Blue Jays kicking tires on Shields

[saskjayfan]

baez is crap...as long as shields sings in the NL I don't care where he signs.

[xposbrad]

I just don't think the Blue Jays will sign Shields because they are prepared to make a monster offer to Moncada and they will sign a guy like Cueto next year. I'm sure it will work out better for us to not sign him and go with signing a younger #1 guy next offseason.

[saskjayfan]

Do you really think James cares whether you care where he signs or not? Get a grip Sally.

 

I'm sure he doesn't. I'm also sure he doesn't care that you care that he does not care that I care he signs in the NL. Get a grip lucy.

[saskjayfan]

I just don't think the Blue Jays will sign Shields because they are prepared to make a monster offer to Moncada and they will sign a guy like Cueto next year. I'm sure it will work out better for us to not sign him and go with signing a younger #1 guy next offseason.

 

Here Here...I'm on board with this plan...but I'm pretty sure that's the Yankee plan.

[BigBounceyBlueBalls]

You're a strange dude.

 

Birds of a Feather, BlueJays fan!

 

You must be a Leafs fan too, now that would be twisted logic! Lol

[saskjayfan]

Well you didn't have to be so rude about it man..

 

we can hug it out and you can fly to sask and buy me and bbbb a few pints. I don't hold grudges..lol

[BigBounceyBlueBalls]

Well you didn't have to be so rude about it man..

 

Rude is what people like to do on here! Fyi, wait till you meet the superior minds of the bluejays hive, just believe everything they say and you'll get along just fine! Lol

[BigBounceyBlueBalls]

we can hug it out and you can fly to sask and buy me and bbbb a few pints. I don't hold grudges..lol

 

Make mine a Rum and where we meeting? lol

[ScientificReason]

You should be comparing the strength of the Jays to the strength of other teams in the American League, not to some idealistic standard.

 

So someone is not allowed to make an observation without weighing the pros and cons versus other teams in the league? GTFO with that nonsense.

[BTS]

Shields

Kennedy

Ross

Cashner

Johnson/Morrow/Despaigne/Erlin

 

Pretty good.

[Laika]

I don't really get it for San Diego.

 

Shields

Kennedy

Ross

Cashner

JJ/Morrow/Despaigne/Erlin/Wisler/Luebke/Kelly/Maurer

 

They had a lot of depth with upside already.

 

Maybe they flip the huge injury risk Ross for an infielder now?

[Spanky99]

Except that what if Bautista and Saunders go down? That isn't exactly an inconceivable scenario. At that point, our outfield is going to be what, Pillar, Pompey and Dirks?

 

Meh, if any team lost 2/3 of their OF and arguably one of their best bats, they'd be f***ed.

[flafson]

Could someone please explain to me how come such a talent like Shields gets to free agency so late as 33 years old?

Shields has been dominant all his career and it looks like the major thing between him and a huge pay day is cause he's 33 and not 30-31.

[BTS]

Could someone please explain to me how come such a talent like Shields gets to free agency so late as 33 years old?

Shields has been dominant all his career and it looks like the major thing between him and a huge pay day is cause he's 33 and not 30-31.

 

After 2008 he signed a 4-year deal with two option years.

[G-Snarls]

After 2008 he signed a 4-year deal with two option years.

 

Rays were smart

 

You can rarely get guys like him to sign deals like that

[BTS]

Rays were smart

 

You can rarely get guys like him to sign deals like that

 

Josh Donaldson will be in the same boat - 33 entering free agency.

[flafson]

Donaldson peaked at a late age though. Shields has been dominant for years.

[G-Snarls]

4 years plus multiple team options is very Anthopolesque

[Dick_Pole]

Buehrle 36: 20M (19 salary and 1 Signing bonus) and 1.5 Wins Steamer projection

Shields 33: ~19M and 3 Wins Steamer projection

 

If the only way to get Shields was to trade Buehrle and apply the salary savings to the first year of his contract, I stand by my comments. If the Jays lose a playoff spot by half a game instead of winning it by one and the variance can all be attributed to Buehrle versus Shields, I'll give everyone who pointed out this WAR difference a high five. It's a much better strategy to let Buehrle go after 2015 and try for one of these pitchers in 2016:

 

http://www.spotrac.com/mlb/free-agents/2016/pitching/

 

If the goal is to try to sign Shields and keep Buehrle for an all-out attempt in 2015, sure I'm all for it. It's not my money. But the point looks moot anyway.

[jays4life19]

I still think I'm less concerned about the starting rotation than I am the bullpen and 2B

 

I'm okay with the bullpen. I think the Jays likely did the right thing by not investing serious resources into it. 2B is sketchy, ideally you would like to have Travis as depth and have a 1 year bridge to him but i think we can get by if he opens up as the starting 2B.

 

This off-season is better then anything i could have imagined and i'm fine if we don't do anything else. I would have hated the idea of signing Shields before the off season started but given the moves we made i would be fine with something like 4 years and 76 million.

[Dick_Pole]

I still think I'm less concerned about the starting rotation than I am the bullpen and 2B

 

Well...if you sign a guy like Shields for instance you help fix the RP situation in two ways - first, you bump back one of the young guys or Estrada into the BP. Second, with an inning eater like him you limit the amount of IP needed from the BP which translates to one less guy needed (the worst one falls off the 25-man) and/or everyone is working a little less (and a little more effectively from less strain). The SP and RP depth situation is one in the same.

[RealAccountant]

I'm okay with the bullpen.

 

Wow

[Ehjays]

Sheilds will not sign here, he wants to be close to home which is west coast

[G-Snarls]

For those who want to backload a Shields contract I just don't know. They already did that heavily with Martin I had forgotten:

 

5 years/$82M (2015-19)

signed by Toronto as a free agent 11/18/14

15:$7M, 16:$15M, 17:$20M, 18:$20M, 19:$20M

 

I just can't see them doing that with another big contract. The Reyes and Martin contracts will be weighing the team down in 2 years. On a positive note we may have 2-4 good cheap starters at that point.

[pat_borders]

AA is going to have to get creative with payroll to have a shot.

 

Navarro trade in the works?

 

The only way to get creative with payroll is to trade Dickey or Buherle with $10M

[RealAccountant]

Sheilds will not sign here, he wants to be close to home which is west coast

 

Not if jays kick in the extra year

[BigBounceyBlueBalls]

Dickey and Thole first please!

[TwistedLogic]

Not if jays kick in the extra year

 

Which would be f***ing stupid.

 

They already have two young guys that have established themselves in the rotation in Stroman and Hutchison. They have another two knocking on the door in Norris and Sanchez, with Castro not far behind. If only Norris were to pan out and Castro and Sanchez both were to bust, it's still only a matter of time before Osuna and Hoffman are knocking, with guys like Foley and Smoral then on the way behind them. There's no need to be locked into Shields for another three years by the time those guys are ready. The Jays have so much young talent that signing a guy through his age 38 season makes less sense for them than almost any other team.

[GreekFatAss]

Does everyone not remember how many on here were dying to get Santana at the expense of Hutchison or Happ. How did that work out for us? In the end we will be fine when Norris and the other kids come knocking.

[Jimcanuck]

Which would be f***ing stupid.

 

They already have two young guys that have established themselves in the rotation in Stroman and Hutchison. They have another two knocking on the door in Norris and Sanchez, with Castro not far behind. If only Norris were to pan out and Castro and Sanchez both were to bust, it's still only a matter of time before Osuna and Hoffman are knocking, with guys like Foley and Smoral then on the way behind them. There's no need to be locked into Shields for another three years by the time those guys are ready. The Jays have so much young talent that signing a guy through his age 38 season makes less sense for them than almost any other team.

 

We should be happy if 2 of Norris, Sanchez, Osuna, Castro, Foley, Smoral establish themselves as MLB starters

 

Even Norris is no sure thing. The list of top pitching prospects that crashed and burned is very very long.

 

Shields is a workhorse that is a nice replacement for MB as rotation anchor