How could the Jays fit in EE?

[AdamGreenwood]

Locking up both for 3 years will handcuff the future of the team

 

Not really, we were gonna sign Edwin 4/80- this is only 10 million more than that, and I'm sure we were gonna pay at least that for an outfielder.

[TheHurl]

We were likely the only online community that saw Oakland as a legitimate EE contender...including A's boards.

[Jonn]

Oakland splurges every once in a blue moon. The funny part is if they weren't still paying Billy Butler they might have actually been able to afford him.

[AdamGreenwood]

Oakland splurges every once in a blue moon. The funny part is if they weren't still paying Billy Butler they might have actually been able to afford him.

 

Yeah that Billy Butler signing just seemed so odd. Kind of destroyed the legend of Billy Beane.

Aside from the fact that it was just plain bad value, they were a rebuilding team and in no need of an aging, declining 1st baseman/DH for $30 million.

All I can think is that Beane was expecting a bounce back and figured he could trade him for a profit.

[Ray]

Oakland would be stupid to sign him considering they would also have to give up the 33rd overall pick. Their top 10 pick is protected.

[Spanky99]

Well Morales and Smoak are going to make 15M next year and the year after. For a little bit more we could have had Encarnacion. So yes, it's a bit of a blunder.

 

Who are you replying that, too?

[Spanky99]

Basically replying to Eddie lol. I can see why he's upset tbh. It's not like we replaced him with Rizzo or something.

 

I see, you had me baffled there.

[TheHurl]

Oakland would be stupid to sign him considering they would also have to give up the 33rd overall pick. Their top 10 pick is protected.

 

33rd pick is not that big of a deal. They have very little on the payroll and if their pitching works out the way they hope, they might compete. If it doesn't you deal EE for more pitching.

[burlingtonbandit]

If you could choose to take over as GM for any franchise right now is Oakland your last pick? Everything about them just seems so meh.

[Spanky99]

If you could choose to take over as GM for any franchise right now is Oakland your last pick? Everything about them just seems so meh.

 

Houston.

[xposbrad]

Well Morales and Smoak are going to make 15M next year and the year after. For a little bit more we could have had Encarnacion. So yes, it's a bit of a blunder.

 

Yep, that's a good point, although they would still need roster players. That's probably why the Jays won't make it far next year, they wanted to just move on before waiting it out and they ended up with Plan B.

[Brownie19]

Houston.

 

I think this joke went over my head.

[KingKat]

If you could choose to take over as GM for any franchise right now is Oakland your last pick? Everything about them just seems so meh.

 

Tampa is a really bad situation. Weak market compounded by a horrible stadium situation. It's to that franchise's credit that they are not a perpetual doormat but they have the worst setup and no obvious path to improvement.

[Boxcar]

Tampa is a really bad situation. Weak market compounded by a horrible stadium situation. It's to that franchise's credit that they are not a perpetual doormat but they have the worst setup and no obvious path to improvement.

 

They really need to move that franchise. Portland, Montreal, Las Vegas, New Orleans, Raleigh, whatever. Astros can be moved to the central and Tigers to the East if they need to accomodate a Western team.

[intentional wok]

They really need to move that franchise. Portland, Montreal, Las Vegas, New Orleans, Raleigh, whatever. Astros can be moved to the central and Tigers to the East if they need to accomodate a Western team.

 

Wasn't a big selling point for the new AL West the rivalry between the two Texas teams.

 

Man, the three division thing is such a bummer for me. Let's just go back to AL and NL Easts and Wests. I'm tired of there being ~50% chance that a game I'm free to go to is going to be against an East team. Add a few more rivals into the mix! This was only the first year in half a decade when I didn't run into the Orioles live.

[TheHurl]

If you could choose to take over as GM for any franchise right now is Oakland your last pick? Everything about them just seems so meh.

 

Philly because I hate the city....but also Atlanta as there is recent success history and the fan base has new stadium expectations. It's also one of the least saber friendly fanbases.

[Sammy225]

Philly because I hate the city....but also Atlanta as there is recent success history and the fan base has new stadium expectations. It's also one of the least saber friendly fanbases.

 

I like Philly a lot more now because Amero is no longer their. He single handily crippled the franchise.

[intrigid]

Isn't the main justification of the unbalanced schedule to reduce travel?

[burlingtonbandit]

Philly because I hate the city....but also Atlanta as there is recent success history and the fan base has new stadium expectations. It's also one of the least saber friendly fanbases.

 

A lot of Oakland fans are really f***in weird. Remember watching the game a few years ago and whenever they panned to the crowd they were doing some crazy s***.

[Bobthe4th]

Wasn't a big selling point for the new AL West the rivalry between the two Texas teams.

 

Man, the three division thing is such a bummer for me. Let's just go back to AL and NL Easts and Wests. I'm tired of there being ~50% chance that a game I'm free to go to is going to be against an East team. Add a few more rivals into the mix! This was only the first year in half a decade when I didn't run into the Orioles live.

 

This is a great idea, it's boring that nearly 50% of the 162 games are against the same 4 teams. More variety would surely help with selling tickets for most teams too.

 

Travel in this day and age shouldn't be a major issue anymore, you could always have the schedule worked so that a team played a few series in a row against similar region based teams, North Eastern, California etc.

[burlingtonbandit]

Tampa is a really bad situation. Weak market compounded by a horrible stadium situation. It's to that franchise's credit that they are not a perpetual doormat but they have the worst setup and no obvious path to improvement.

 

I actually wouldn't mind Tampa too much. The Stadium is s*** but they'll get it resolved eventually. In terms of places to live in the US I would rank the St Pete/Clearwater area pretty high up there.

 

Also meant not just the city/franchise but the team as well. Oakland's collection of position players are junk. You have a few average players but there really isn't any growth potential there.

[Bobthe4th]

I actually wouldn't mind Tampa too much. The Stadium is s*** but they'll get it resolved eventually. In terms of places to live in the US I would rank the St Pete/Clearwater area pretty high up there.

 

Also meant not just the city/franchise but the team as well. Oakland's collection of position players are junk. You have a few average players but there really isn't any growth potential there.

 

Tampa have at least 4 starters they could trade for a haul as well.

[intentional wok]

This is a great idea, it's boring that nearly 50% of the 162 games are against the same 4 teams. More variety would surely help with selling tickets for most teams too.

 

Travel in this day and age shouldn't be a major issue anymore, you could always have the schedule worked so that a team played a few series in a row against similar region based teams, North Eastern, California etc.

 

Exactly. I don't think the unbalanced schedule really reduces travel at all from a larger division set-up. You're traveling just as much except to varying places. eg., Instead of flying to Baltimore for the third time in a season, you fly a second time to Cleveland or Chicago instead.

 

But I will say that I totally get wanting to keep cross-country trips down. I don't think a single division AL would be very good for travel fatigue, if Toronto is doubling its number of trips to the west coast and vice versa (and it's probably even worse on West teams since most other franchises are located considerably east of them). I just think a division of Toronto, Tampa, Boston, Baltimore, New York, Detroit, Cleveland is reasonable, for example. Of course to condense the divisions you'd also need to expand two franchises to keep it all equal. Six divisions are just a necessary evil at the moment.

[burlingtonbandit]

Tampa have at least 4 starters they could trade for a haul as well.

 

Yeah they really seem like they should take a step back and do what the White Sox did. They have gone in as a low to mid 80s team the last few years and it hasn't worked.

 

Blow it up and trade Archer, Longo etc... Although 3rd base and SP isn't a great market to be trading from right now. Red Sox are really the only contending team needing a 3rd baseman

[burlingtonbandit]

Exactly. I don't think the unbalanced schedule really reduces travel at all from a larger division set-up. You're traveling just as much except to varying places. eg., Instead of flying to Baltimore for the third time in a season, you fly a second time to Cleveland or Chicago instead.

 

But I will say that I totally get wanting to keep cross-country trips down. I don't think a single division AL would be very good for travel fatigue, if Toronto is doubling its number of trips to the west coast and vice versa (and it's probably even worse on West teams since most other franchises are located considerably east of them). I just think a division of Toronto, Tampa, Boston, Baltimore, New York, Detroit, Cleveland is reasonable, for example. Of course to condense the divisions you'd also need to expand two franchises to keep it all equal. Six divisions are just a necessary evil at the moment.

 

I think they keep it all the same until expansion. If they expand by 2 teams you could just have 4 Divisions of 4 like the NFL. You could do: TOR/DET/CLE/CHI.

 

Except if Montreal gets a team they will want to be in a division with the Red Sox and Yankees I would think.

[Maahfaace]

I actually wouldn't mind Tampa too much. The Stadium is s*** but they'll get it resolved eventually. In terms of places to live in the US I would rank the St Pete/Clearwater area pretty high up there.

 

Also meant not just the city/franchise but the team as well. Oakland's collection of position players are junk. You have a few average players but there really isn't any growth potential there.

 

Just until Florida becomes inundated by rising sea levels in the next 20 years, then it will be a cesspool of s***. Mass northern migration from Louisiana and Florida is coming folks!

[Jonn]

Just until Florida becomes inundated by rising sea levels in the next 20 years, then it will be a cesspool of s***. Mass northern migration from Louisiana and Florida is coming folks!

 

America will be great again by that time.