Shohei Otani signs with Angels

[Spanky99]

http://torontosun.com/sports/baseball/toronto-blue-jays/cant-imagine-a-better-fit-blue-jays-gm-trying-to-acquire-shohei-otani/amp

 

Atkins slobbering all over Otani in that article. As mentioned, if/when he signs elsewhere it won’t be due to lack of trying. This man fits the Jays perfectly and the front office knows it.

 

Wow... can't believe Buffery(lol) got that much out of him, the other day he just made a minor quip on him. Unless that was in a media scrum.

[Ray]

The part that stood out the most to me personally is when Atkins said:

 

Our emphasis on recovery, our emphasis on preparation, our emphasis on what it takes to realize all of your potential is at the forefront. And the fact that we’re in the American League and we have the DH spot allows for more patience and more versatility in that area.

 

“So, I can’t imagine a better fit quite frankly. He fits about as well as anybody could fit for our team right now and he’s an incredible talent.”

 

And then also:

 

He said he wants to play in an environment where he can improve both as a hitter and pitcher and also has an supportive environment in all other aspects of baseball.

 

I wonder if we can use the new High Performance Department as a selling point. That seems to be where we have an edge over everyone else in the league.

 

Everything we’ve learned about Otani is, it’s baseball and baseball first,” Atkins said outside the Waldorf Astoria Orlando, where meeting are being held this week. “He’s thinking about how he can be one of the best athletes in the world.

 

At the very least, it seems like they not only scouted Otani's talent, but also his needs. If we don't get him, it certainly won't be for lack of trying.

[Maahfaace]

Atkins said the Jays will do something special to celebrate Roy Halladay’s life and he said that the organization had offered the former Jays great a position with the organization a couple of times over the years.

 

“We embraced him 100% and wanted him to feel very much a part of the organization and there were multiple discussions to try to make that happen,” said Atkins, who will attend the Roy Halladay Celebration of Life Service on Tuesday in Clearwater, Fla., along with president Mark Shapiro and other Toronto front office types.

 

Didn't the front office turn down Halladay with regards to a position with the team as some form of minor league pitching instructor? Or did I dream that article?

[Spanky99]

Atkins said the Jays will do something special to celebrate Roy Halladay’s life and he said that the organization had offered the former Jays great a position with the organization a couple of times over the years.

 

“We embraced him 100% and wanted him to feel very much a part of the organization and there were multiple discussions to try to make that happen,” said Atkins, who will attend the Roy Halladay Celebration of Life Service on Tuesday in Clearwater, Fla., along with president Mark Shapiro and other Toronto front office types.

 

Didn't the front office turn down Halladay with regards to a position with the team as some form of minor league pitching instructor? Or did I dream that article?

 

Nah, you didn't dream it, bottom of the article.

 

https://www.canadianbaseballnetwork.com/canadian-baseball-network-articles/elliott-r-i-p-roy-halladay?platform=hootsuite

 

Halladay was supposed to work with the Blue Jays minor league pitchers (“There are enough guys to help with arms and elbows, I’m going to try and help a pitcher’s head.”) in 2016. Instead he wound up working with the Phillies.

 

This off season he wanted to work with Blue Jays minor leaguers. He applied -- yes Roy Halladay was made to apply for a job with the Blue Jays -- with the high performance committee.

 

And then the decision whether to hire him was kicked upstairs.

 

The Jays did not hire him. Instead, he was re-hired by the Phillies to work with their young pitchers.

[Bobthe4th]

I'm sure there's probably multiple teams that are trying to figure out what they'd have to do to offer him something like that. The problem becomes.... what happens if one of the sides of the ball doesn't work out and he still wants to do both...

 

Does he want absolute assurance that he will be able to pitch and hit for the entire duration of his contract? Or does he only want assurance that he will be given that chance... and if it doesn't work out then he will focus on one or the other? And if that's the case, how do they determine how long him doing both would be considered a fair chance? Spring training ? Half a season? 2 Seasons?

 

Without knowing exactly what his demands are, it's hard to speculate on what any team is prepared to offer him

 

If an NL team offers him a chance to play OF a few games a week initially on a trial basis, then if it doesn't work he has the fall back of still hitting when he pitches.

[SexyNewForum]

Nah, you didn't dream it, bottom of the article.

 

https://www.canadianbaseballnetwork.com/canadian-baseball-network-articles/elliott-r-i-p-roy-halladay?platform=hootsuite

 

that's f***ing ridiculous

[Krylian]

Nah, you didn't dream it, bottom of the article.

 

https://www.canadianbaseballnetwork.com/canadian-baseball-network-articles/elliott-r-i-p-roy-halladay?platform=hootsuite

 

Damage control. Turned a legend down and now he's dead.....Oops! 'Ya...ya.... We would've loved to have him here with us.'

[Spanky99]

Atkins said the Jays will do something special to celebrate Roy Halladay’s life and he said that the organization had offered the former Jays great a position with the organization a couple of times over the years.

 

“We embraced him 100% and wanted him to feel very much a part of the organization and there were multiple discussions to try to make that happen,” said Atkins, who will attend the Roy Halladay Celebration of Life Service on Tuesday in Clearwater, Fla., along with president Mark Shapiro and other Toronto front office types.

 

Didn't the front office turn down Halladay with regards to a position with the team as some form of minor league pitching instructor? Or did I dream that article?

 

Nah, you didn't dream it, bottom of the article.

 

https://www.canadianbaseballnetwork.com/canadian-baseball-network-articles/elliott-r-i-p-roy-halladay?platform=hootsuite

 

that's f***ing ridiculous

 

FWIW... Atkins says this information is inaccurate, so one of Shatkins or Elliott are full of s***...¯\_(ツ)_/¯

 

http://www.tsn.ca/mlb/video/atkins-on-halladay-it-s-devastating-to-think-about~1259773

[Spanky99]

GM Meetings Day 1: Jays ready to pursue Ohtani

 

Scott Mitchell

 

ORLANDO, Fla. — The Toronto Blue Jays want Shohei Ohtani.

 

Now, the only question that matters is: Does the two-way Japanese sensation want them?

 

Set aside the confusion surrounding the posting process and the ins and outs of the international bonus pool restrictions that the 23-year-old left-handed hitter and right-handed pitcher is subject to.

 

The chase for the Nippon Ham Fighters star could boil down, very simply, to where Ohtani wants to play baseball.

 

To quote Lloyd Christmas … so you’re telling me there’s a chance?

 

On the first day of the GM Meetings in Orlando, Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins admitted they’re ready to put a full-court press on Ohtani as soon as he’s officially posted.

 

“We are extremely prepared,” Atkins said. “He fits about as well as anybody could fit for our team right now. He’s an incredible talent.”

 

You’d have to be inside Ohtani’s head — or at least inside his inner circle — to know what cities he likes and what kind of quality of life aspects interest him.

 

But two things are certain: One is that he’s interested in winning. The other is that he’s eyeing a chance to continue his career as both a pitcher and hitter.

 

That’s something the Blue Jays can offer thanks to the American League DH, and it sounds like it will be part of the pitch.

 

Atkins feels like the organization’s investment in high performance analytics may help on that front too.

 

“There aren’t examples of it in the modern game, but data around recovery specific to that player, data around recovery relative to other players per position,” Atkins said. “We’re not going to have concrete research on how to have a two-way player, but to be a bit more scientific about it than subjective, I think, is a benefit to any organization that’s prepared to do that.”

 

Since Ohtani is under the age of 25, he’s subject to bonus pool restrictions, which hard caps teams between $4.75 million and $5.75 million to spend each year from July 2 until the following June.

 

Teams can also acquire up to 75 per cent of their original bonus pool allotment via trade.

 

According to reports, only six teams have enough bonus pool money to even offer Ohtani six figures.

 

The Blue Jays are not one of those six, but Atkins doesn’t feel that will be a problem if they get to that point.

 

“I don’t think we would have to do too much entirely different than most teams,” Atkins said. “This is going to be an interesting process, for sure. There’s still a lot more information to come, but I think by all means that we are in a position where we’re prepared to be just as capable as most teams to acquire him.”

 

Ohtani may not have the financial bargaining power that Japanese stars before him were afforded when they made the MLB move, but he still has the right to choose his destination, and that has every single team — some more realistically than others — at least holding out hope.

 

ANTHOPOULOS MAKES BRAVE MOVE

 

Two years after parting ways with the franchise he built back into a contender, former Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos was introduced as the Atlanta Braves’ new general manager Monday afternoon while the GM meetings were getting going.

 

Anthopoulos was expected to hop a flight to Orlando late Monday to join his cohorts at the annual event and get right to work on an interesting Atlanta roster that boasts one of the best farm systems in baseball.

 

The 40-year-old Montreal product, still revered by Jays fans for bringing post-season baseball back to Toronto, got exactly what he was looking for too — full control of baseball operations.

 

“I view this as one of the premier jobs in all of sports with the young talent that we have here,” Anthopoulos said during the press conference. “There are some dynamic young players. There's no question that we certainly expect big things moving forward.”

 

ATKINS’ TARGETS

 

While Atkins had no interest in getting into specifics Monday, he did skirt around the subject of his roster priorities.

 

As you can expect with a team that finished 10 games under .500, there are a lot of needs, but position players are atop the list.

 

“Right now, I think the bulk of our focus is on position players,” Atkins said. “Part of that is where our team is, part of that is the market.”

 

While the glaring hole in right field would seem to be a top priority, Atkins pointed to the need for more versatility on the roster, especially in the middle infield.

 

“I think our priority is complementing our infield in some way with versatility,” Atkins said. “Someone who can, not just play when needed, but someone who could potentially get 600 plate appearances across our infield.”

 

“We have to be prepared if Devon (Travis) is not ready to give us 600 plate appearances. If (Troy) Tulowitzki’s not able to give us 150 games, we have to be prepared to offset that. I think the best way to do that is to find someone that has the versatility that could also go to the outfield when we do have a completely healthy infield.”

 

The well-travelled Eduardo Nunez, who’s played more than 50 games in his career at second base, third base, shortstop and in the outfield, could fit the bill in that regard.

 

Nunez has been worth a total of 4.8 fWAR over the past two seasons.

 

AROUND THE DIAMOND

 

Atkins, president/CEO Mark Shapiro, and a group of around 40 from the Blue Jays organization will attend Roy Halladay’s celebration of life Tuesday afternoon in Clearwater, Fla., about two hours away from where the GM Meetings are being held … Atkins shot down the report that Halladay had been turned away by the Jays organization when he wanted to work with their young pitchers. “What was reported wasn’t accurate,” Atkins said. “I’d rather not get into the details.” …

 

Asked whether teams have been inquiring about third baseman Josh Donaldson, who’s slated to become a free agent after the 2018 season, Atkins didn’t say no, but reiterated what the franchise has been saying since June. “Every team also understands how much we value Josh Donaldson and how important he is to us,” Atkins said.

 

http://www.tsn.ca/talent/gm-meetings-day-1-jays-ready-to-pursue-ohtani-1.914558

[glory]

I am also pretty surprised that Atkins was so honest. Usually he speaks in corporate speak, but he is not even trying to downplay his interest here.

[Spanky99]

I am also pretty surprised that Atkins was so honest. Usually he speaks in corporate speak, but he is not even trying to downplay his interest here.

 

I too liked the candid responses, refreshing.

[KevinGregg]

I too liked the candid responses, refreshing.

 

 

“We have to be prepared if Devon (Travis) is not ready to give us 600 plate appearances. If (Troy) Tulowitzki’s not able to give us 150 games, we have to be prepared to offset that. I think the best way to do that is to find someone that has the versatility that could also go to the outfield when we do have a completely healthy infield.”

 

Could this mean the end of the Ryan Goins era? At the very least I hope it means we wont see him get 450 plate appearances again next year

[glory]

“We have to be prepared if Devon (Travis) is not ready to give us 600 plate appearances. If (Troy) Tulowitzki’s not able to give us 150 games, we have to be prepared to offset that. I think the best way to do that is to find someone that has the versatility that could also go to the outfield when we do have a completely healthy infield.”

 

Could this mean the end of the Ryan Goins era? At the very least I hope it means we wont see him get 450 plate appearances again next year

 

Goins will find his way onto the roster somehow because we don't deserve nice things, but sounds like they want a super utility player who can be a starting calibre player in a bench role. That either means someone like Nunez, or a trade for someone like Profar. Or could be a subtle way of introducing Gurriel as a 2018 option (though not sure if he's ready for that).

[burlingtonbandit]

Ohtani's situation reminds me of NBA Free Agent Superstars. Basically everyone knows he's going to be a surplus value so its all going to come down to a presentation on why he should sign with that team. I guess its like NCAA recruiting as well.

 

Going to be an interesting process and teams are going to have to be creative to impress Ohtani,

[Brownie19]

“We have to be prepared if Devon (Travis) is not ready to give us 600 plate appearances. If (Troy) Tulowitzki’s not able to give us 150 games, we have to be prepared to offset that. I think the best way to do that is to find someone that has the versatility that could also go to the outfield when we do have a completely healthy infield.”

 

Could this mean the end of the Ryan Goins era? At the very least I hope it means we wont see him get 450 plate appearances again next year

 

Probably not. Shatkin's says he has trade value and they hate giving up on value. Expect him on the team.

[Dick_Pole]

Wow, Otani is a cutie pie

 

 

We got this. He looks like Trudeau's Asian twin. I can imagine them being kindred spirits.

[Dr. Dinger]

I still have nightmares about the Darvish debacle and will be assuming the Jays have absolutely 0% chance of signing Ohtani.

[Brownie19]

I still have nightmares about the Darvish debacle and will be assuming the Jays have absolutely 0% chance of signing Ohtani.

 

Jesus - I hope all Blue Jays fans are doing this.

[TheHurl]

I still have nightmares about the Darvish debacle and will be assuming the Jays have absolutely 0% chance of signing Ohtani.

 

My Twitter account exploded because I posted that my ticket broker posted that he was asked to come into work early the next day. Who knew that it was to take complaints about not getting Yu.

[Sammy225]

I still have nightmares about the Darvish debacle and will be assuming the Jays have absolutely 0% chance of signing Ohtani.

 

That poor reporter that already had a press conference set up for the Blue Jays about signing Darvish lol.

[glory]

What I never understood about Darvish was, wasn’t it a blind bid? How did it leak that the Jays won? I remember being excited about getting Darvish but don’t remember who started the nonsense.

[tazsub3]

What I never understood about Darvish was, wasn’t it a blind bid? How did it leak that the Jays won? I remember being excited about getting Darvish but don’t remember who started the nonsense.

 

One advantage we have now vs then is USA of the donald....

[Sammy225]

What I never understood about Darvish was, wasn’t it a blind bid? How did it leak that the Jays won? I remember being excited about getting Darvish but don’t remember who started the nonsense.

 

A man by the name of Kevin Gray was the man that was 100% sure in himself that the Jays had won the bid..... He needed new sources.

[Spanky99]

Otani posting hits a snag...

 

https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2017/11/new-mlb-npb-posting-agreement-still-weeks-away.html

[Spanky99]

MLBPA Sets Monday Deadline For Posting System Negotiations

 

By Jeff Todd | November 16, 2017 at 9:30am CDT

 

Nov. 16: The MLBPA has set a Monday deadline to come to an agreement on a new posting system, Heyman now tweets. If the union sticks to that deadline, MLB clubs will have clarity on Ohtani’s availability as much as two weeks earlier than Halem initially suggested.

[Brownie19]

Interesting story on whether he'd have more value in the AL, or the NL

 

https://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/is-ohtani-really-more-valuable-in-the-al/

[Farm]

I'm personally all for trading Donaldson but does anyone else feel like if we trade Josh away, Otani is less likely to sign here?

[BTS]

I'm personally all for trading Donaldson but does anyone else feel like if we trade Josh away, Otani is less likely to sign here?

 

I don't. He'll be looking for the team and city that makes him the most comfortable as a potential long-term home. If he otherwise gets along well with Shatkins and sees Toronto as a viable city, I doubt he'll care too much about the team's 2018 outlook.

[Farm]

I don't. He'll be looking for the team and city that makes him the most comfortable as a potential long-term home. If he otherwise gets along well with Shatkins and sees Toronto as a viable city, I doubt he'll care too much about the team's 2018 outlook.

 

That does make sense. I suppose if winning and other similar criteria were extemely important to him, then he wouldn't be choosing the Jays in the first place.

[Daniel Labude]

I don't. He'll be looking for the team and city that makes him the most comfortable as a potential long-term home. If he otherwise gets along well with Shatkins and sees Toronto as a viable city, I doubt he'll care too much about the team's 2018 outlook.

 

I agree, but if we got him..... 2018s outlook gets a lot better imo