Jays trying to trade for Jay Bruce

[Rusty_Savage]

No, it's not hard to understand. That doesn't make it less stupid.

 

What exactly is stupid about it? That he doesn't talk about potential trades? That he doesn't talk about contract negotiations?

 

Would you like him to start a blog? How about:

 

rossatkinstraderumorscontractnegotiationsandallotherthingsidontwantyouneanderthalstoknow.mlb.bluejays.com

 

I don't think he is the stupid one

[ValiantJaysFan]

What exactly is stupid about it? That he doesn't talk about potential trades? That he doesn't talk about contract negotiations?

 

Would you like him to start a blog? How about:

 

rossatkinstraderumorscontractnegotiationsandallotherthingsidontwantyouneanderthalstoknow.mlb.bluejays.com

 

I don't think he is the stupid one

 

Great job combining a strawman argument with reductio ad absurdum.

 

Edit: And ad hominem.

[BTS]

If we have a couple million dollars to burn even though we are supposedly right up against the budget, then I'd much rather have another bullpen arm, or another starter, and have Pompey in LF who is far better defensively. Not to mention if they're going to get another outfielder, we have no leadoff hitter, why not fill that need instead of going out and getting Jay friggin' Bruce of all people?

 

Do you realize how serious an investment it is to acquire a bat good enough to hit first in this lineup?

[ValiantJaysFan]

Do you realize how serious an investment it is to acquire a bat good enough to hit first in this lineup?

 

So f*** it, let's just get Jay Bruce?

[Rusty_Savage]

Great job combining a strawman argument with reductio ad absurdum.

 

Edit: And ad hominem.

 

 

Well what's so stupid about Atkins having a media scrum during Spring Training?

[KingKat]

Sadly Blair is just guessing, and even worse, his guesses are no better then yours or mine.

 

That's putting it kindly.

[ValiantJaysFan]

Well what's so stupid about Atkins having a media scrum during Spring Training?

 

Answer questions, or don't do it. What's the point of repeating "I'm not gonna answer questions about X" a hundred times when he knew he was only gonna get questions about X?

[okbluejays]

Give Blair a pass this time. I think I may have misquoted/misunderstood him.

[CHRIS]

Answer questions, or don't do it. What's the point of repeating "I'm not gonna answer questions about X" a hundred times when he knew he was only gonna get questions about X?

 

It's not his fault if he gets asked the same question he's already said that he won't answer. I'd rather him do that than not offer himself up to answer any questions. The Toronto media for the most part really blows.

[Rusty_Savage]

Answer questions, or don't do it. What's the point of repeating "I'm not gonna answer questions about X" a hundred times when he knew he was only gonna get questions about X?

 

So put if off until they forget about Jose Bautista? Guess what, that won't happen. Nip it in the bud and move on. Because he can't avoid the press until they forget about it, however convenient that may be.

[L54]

Answer questions, or don't do it. What's the point of repeating "I'm not gonna answer questions about X" a hundred times when he knew he was only gonna get questions about X?

 

Common sense isn't your biggest strength is it?

[Stangstag]

Jay Bruce is hot garbage. I would literally prefer Michael Saunders in a wheelchair over Jay Bruce. We have Dalton Pompey. As long as has an OBP over .294 and a WAR over 0.8 he's a better option than Bruce. I don't think you understand how bad Jay Bruce is. Do you know how bad he is? oWAR of 0.2. dWAR of -0.2 and -1.7 in 2014. $12 million a year for that. I don't care how much money Cincinatti or LAA is retaining, if we are paying him league minimum it's too much. And as for the "he's better than Saunders just sitting on the DL all year" argument, if that's the case then what a horrible move trading Revere, and what an even more terrible lack of preparation by this regime by not having a viable backup plan.

 

Jay Bruce has no place on a contending baseball team, period.

 

Funny, the Reds went to the playoffs 3 times with Jay Bruce as their everyday RF. He was a big part of their offense. I know He sucked in 2014, and wasn't much better in 2015, but he could bounce back.

[ValiantJaysFan]

So put if off until they forget about Jose Bautista? Guess what, that won't happen. Nip it in the bud and move on. Because he can't avoid the press until they forget about it, however convenient that may be.

 

But he didn't nip it in the bud, he avoided it. That's my point.

[ValiantJaysFan]

Funny, the Reds went to the playoffs 3 times with Jay Bruce as their everyday RF. He was a big part of their offense. I know He sucked in 2014, and wasn't much better in 2015, but he could bounce back.

 

What year was that?

[intentional wok]

So f*** it, let's just get Jay Bruce?

 

There's probably an argument to be made that the Jays shouldn't touch Bruce, but if the Reds or Angels send some wallet over then that really mitigates the cost. It could have ended up being a negligible bump in salary.

 

There's also an argument that the Blue Jays already have top-of-the-order bats (Tulo, for instance). Spending more on someone who is better than Jose, Edwin, Josh, Troy, etc., will cost a lot. This player certainly isn't available on the market, and any trade cost would be pretty hefty.

 

And how good of a reliever do you think the Jays can still just pluck off the market? Assuming the Jays were willing to just pay Bruce outright, that means they have 10M to play with. I'm not sure I'd be comfortable splurging 10M on a reliever when there's already a pretty decent pen starring Osuna, Storen, Cecil, et al.

 

Bruce could very well be an upgrade over Saunders, who seemed to be injury prone even before the sprinkler incident. If the costs smooth over and the prospect capital isn't too much, then I'd totally take Bruce over Michael who-knows-what-you're-getting Saunders.

[L54]

Spring 2016 and this place is filled with crazies already. Make room on the bandwagon!

[Rusty_Savage]

But he didn't nip it in the bud, he avoided it. That's my point.

 

Jesus man. He didn't avoid it. he said he wasn't going to f***ing talk about it. That's it that all. He ISNT going to answer questions on those topics. This isn't new, Alex was the exact same way

[ValiantJaysFan]

There's probably an argument to be made that the Jays shouldn't touch Bruce, but if the Reds or Angels send some wallet over then that really mitigates the cost. It could have ended up being a negligible bump in salary.

 

There's also an argument that the Blue Jays already have top-of-the-order bats (Tulo, for instance). Spending more on someone who is better than Jose, Edwin, Josh, Troy, etc., will cost a lot. This player certainly isn't available on the market, and any trade cost would be pretty hefty.

 

And how good of a reliever do you think the Jays can still just pluck off the market? Assuming the Jays were willing to just pay Bruce outright, that means they have 10M to play with. I'm not sure I'd be comfortable splurging 10M on a reliever when there's already a pretty decent pen starring Osuna, Storen, Cecil, et al.

 

Bruce could very well be an upgrade over Saunders, who seemed to be injury prone even before the sprinkler incident. If the costs smooth over and the prospect capital isn't too much, then I'd totally take Bruce over Michael who-knows-what-you're-getting Saunders.

 

What I'm saying is, if we are giving up more than Saunders and retaining ANY salary above what Saunders was making, then why not use the prospect we are trading for Bruce for a bullpen arm, even a mid innings guy, for when injuries inevitably happen? Seems like a more pressing concern, because offense is not a problem on this team.

[ValiantJaysFan]

Jesus man. He didn't avoid it. he said he wasn't going to f***ing talk about it. That's it that all. He ISNT going to answer questions on those topics. This isn't new, Alex was the exact same way

 

So how is not talking about it nipping it in the bud?

[BTS]

So f*** it, let's just get Jay Bruce?

 

Sure, if you think he's better than Saunders. It's not like acquiring Jay Bruce is stopping them from acquiring a bat that profiles as a leadoff hitter.

[Stangstag]

Its funny, Bautista was super unprofessional and yet Atkins and Shapiro are taking blame for avoiding contract conversation.

[gbill2004]

AA gave up about the same amount of info at his pressers, but he was more engaging and jolly about it. He'd go on and on for several minutes talking about nothing. Where Atkins gives the same info, but is more to the point about not divulging anything.

[Rusty_Savage]

So how is not talking about it nipping it in the bud?

 

The daft is strong in this one.

 

Because he let the media know that he wasn't going to answer those questions and low and behold the media changed their line of questioning. That is nipping it in the bud.

[gbill2004]

Its funny, Bautista was super unprofessional and yet Atkins and Shapiro are taking blame for avoiding contract conversation.

 

After the bat flip, Jose is a legend. He can pretty much do whatever he wants and get away with it.

[The Cats Ass]

We were getting Jay Bruce.

 

None of the other crap matters, regardless of the other details there are better options.

 

ALL that other "crap" matters. What are these better options?

[Spanky99]

*facepalm*

 

 

 

I SAID GOOD DAY!

[intentional wok]

What I'm saying is, if we are giving up more than Saunders and retaining ANY salary above what Saunders was making, then why not use the prospect we are trading for Bruce for a bullpen arm, even a mid innings guy, for when injuries inevitably happen? Seems like a more pressing concern, because offense is not a problem on this team.

 

But now you're asking for 60+ innings of middle relief pitching instead of an everyday LF with power. The FO has done a pretty decent job filling the bucket with bullpen arms. Could one more make a difference? Wouldn't you prefer a guy who is probably at least as good as your current starting LF, but actually durable?

[ValiantJaysFan]

The daft is strong in this one.

 

Because he let the media know that he wasn't going to answer those questions and low and behold the media changed their line of questioning. That is nipping it in the bud.

 

He did nothing to diffuse the situation. This is going to be a huge distraction heading into the season if it isn't resolved. He could have said something along the lines of "we are confident we can put this situation behind us one way or another, we are working hard to get a deal done that makes sense for both sides, and that's all I'm going to say about it." If you think this is going away because little Rossy Atkins doesn't want to talk about it, you are very wrong.

[SAAviour]

Give Blair a pass this time. I think I may have misquoted/misunderstood him.

 

Welcome to the board.....Jeff Blair.

[gbill2004]

I wonder if Ross Atkins and Barry Davis are friends...they're both very unlikeable.