General 2020 Blue Jays Discussion Thread

[Krylian]

Best news of the offseason so far.

 

Is that because there really hasn't been any news to speak of yet?

[connorp]

I suppose. Although, the club did re-sign Ray and re-signed Cole to a minors deal. And added people to the 40 man. So there’s that news.

 

Well, that’s certainly a lot to compete against. Probably sways towards Shapiro though

[Ray]

Good article with Taijuan Walker and David Laurila: https://blogs.fangraphs.com/taijuan-walker-talks-pitching/

 

Talks about his time in Toronto and their pitching technology:

 

Laurila: You mentioned really liking Seattle because of technology and coaches like Pete Woodworth. How did Toronto compare?

 

Walker: “I feel like they had even a little bit more. Even though we were in Buffalo, they had it set up in the stadium, so after the game you could see the slo-mo video and the numbers. What kind of sucked is that they had all that stuff available, and I was only there for a month and a half. I didn’t get a chance to really dive into it with [pitching coach] Pete Walker.

 

“In Seattle, we had a six-man rotation, so I was able to throw two bullpens if I wanted to. When I got traded, I was going to a five-man rotation, plus we were in a playoff hunt. It was, ‘OK, I don’t really have time to work on stuff now.’ It was go-time, all the time.”

 

Laurila: It sounds like you’d be happy to go back to either place.

 

Walker: “For sure. Especially… I mean, I feel like the Blue Jays are pretty far ahead of the game with all the technology, all the data, and the way they set it up. They’re really prepared. Pete Walker is amazing. I wish I’d have had more time to work on stuff with him.”

 

Laurila: While you don’t want to limit your options, you’d clearly prefer that your next team is one that places a high value on technology and data…

 

Walker: “Yes. And like I said earlier, that was the case last year, as well. I wanted to dive into this stuff, and Seattle is really good with it. I know the Cubs are really good with it. The Reds are really good with it. A lot of teams are getting more and more into it. I think it’s going to be helpful for my career. Honestly, coming off the injury, and what I learned last year, I’m barely scratching the surface with my talent, and what I can bring to a team.”

[Laika]

Really nice to see the organization making a good impression on pitchers. That's two obvious ones now - Ray and Walker.

[wilko]

Really nice to see the organization making a good impression on pitchers. That's two obvious ones now - Ray and Walker.

 

Walker seems like a genuinely nice guy. I wonder if they could tap into another gear with Walker if he was with the Jays for a full season.

[Jays24]

Walker seems like a genuinely nice guy. I wonder if they could tap into another gear with Walker if he was with the Jays for a full season.

 

I thought he already pitched pretty damn well while he was with us minus the Yankees Fisher game. If he could stay healthy and repeat that, I'd be ecstatic.

[Ray]

Really nice to see the organization making a good impression on pitchers. That's two obvious ones now - Ray and Walker.

 

Haven't heard a single bad thing about Pete Walker too. We've got a nice mix with Matt Buschmann who probably acts as the new school analytics guy, with Pete Walker being more conventional and communicating information to players in a way they can understand.

 

Good coaching can definitely be a competitive advantage. Re-signing Robbie Ray is a good example. Sure he wasn't very good, but he didn't even test free agency to see what type of deal he would get and knowingly bet on himself to have a bounceback year in the AL East. Has to speak to how comfortable he is with Pete Walker and the organizational philosophy.

 

I can see Bauer being enamoured as well (hopefully)

[Ex Player]

McCown/Shulman podcast on the latest Blue Jay signings, future trades and possible lineups

 

[Jays24]

McCown/Shulman podcast on the latest Blue Jay signings, future trades and possible lineups

 

 

Is there a chance that sportsnet brings back McCown now that the prime time slot has opened up? Although he wouldn't work too well with Tim or anyone for that matter lol.

[Ex Player]

Is there a chance that sportsnet brings back McCown now that the prime time slot has opened up? Although he wouldn't work too well with Tim or anyone for that matter lol

I'm still trying to figure out why he got fired.

Didnt he sign a contract extension right before he got canned??

 

Maybe he got #MeToo'ed and Sportsnet wanted to save his reputation

[jerb]

 

Scott MacArthur

@ScottyMacThinks

 

@BlueJays GM Ross Atkins guests on Leadoff, THURSDAY at 8:10amET on @FAN590.

 

Springer, Yates official.

 

Reports of Semien.

[Jays24]

I'm still trying to figure out why he got fired.

Didnt he sign a contract extension right before he got canned??

 

Maybe he got #MeToo'ed and Sportsnet wanted to save his reputation

 

Apparently people were fed up with him. He was treating coworkers like crap. Something along those lines.

[max silver]

This article really got my blood boiling a few weeks ago. It's a total hatchet job in which Cathal Kelly lays into Mark Shapiro, parroting the inane theory put out by the mouthbreathers that Shapiro was hired for the sole purpose of cutting Jays payroll and saving Rogers money. Shapiro has stated all along that when the time was right to push to competing the money would be there, and all of the recent signings show that the organization has fully backed that up. I'm not normally the type to write hate mail but this type of drivel almost warrants it.

 

Shapiro wasn’t hired to win titles. If that had been the case, he’d have worked harder to maintain and then refurbish the team he inherited. That was easily done. All Shapiro needed to do it was a ton of money.

 

Instead, Shapiro was hired to slowly transition the Jays away from being that sort of team. The second year he was in charge, the Jays’ opening-day payroll was north of US$160-million. Next season, it may clock in as low as US$80-million.

 

You show me an executive who can cut costs in half, and I’ll show you someone the boss loves.

 

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/baseball/article-mark-shapiro-resigning-a-good-business-move-by-the-blue-jays/

[Virgil_Hiltz]

Apparently people were fed up with him. He was treating coworkers like crap. Something along those lines.

 

He was also on cruise control the last number of years...he went from "BobCat" to "FatCat"

[Jays24]

He was also on cruise control the last number of years...he went from "BobCat" to "FatCat"

 

Still way better than the crap they're airing from 2 to 5 right now. How Blair has been able to host a show all these years amazes me. He should be doing an hour of Baseball Central with Barker and that's it.

[Deadpool]

Apparently people were fed up with him. He was treating coworkers like crap. Something along those lines.

 

When your on air personality is "kinda a dick" it's not a stretch to believe that your off air personality is "kinda a dick".

[Krylian]

I'm still trying to figure out why he got fired.

Didnt he sign a contract extension right before he got canned??

 

Maybe he got #MeToo'ed and Sportsnet wanted to save his reputation

 

They were clearing out a bunch of people around that time...I think they were just going in a different, younger, cheaper direction.

[Spanky99]

When your on air personality is "kinda a dick" it's not a stretch to believe that your off air personality is "kinda a dick".

 

I heard that's not true at all, he's apparently a top shelf, guy. He made up that persona on air and he admitted as much to survive on air and it basically took off from there. I liked the Bobcat, he was entertaining.

[Spanky99]

Apparently people were fed up with him. He was treating coworkers like crap. Something along those lines.

 

You pulled this out of your ass, lol.

[43211234]

I liked McCown because he was interested in sportswriters and sports stories. He'd often have interesting guests on in the 6pm hour.

 

The Friday roundtables where McCown and some writers would get together and just discuss a slew of topics were often something to avoid, lest they start trying to place armchair GM.

 

 

Maybe those points sound a bit contradictory but I just mean the storytelling was good, the analysis often bad.

[Jays24]

You pulled this out of your ass, lol.

 

I did not lol. Just became too difficult to deal with. Remember his treatment of Richard Deitsch being a big issue. There were also reports he just showed up and winged a lot of the stuff.

[Spanky99]

I did not lol. Just became too difficult to deal with. Remember his treatment of Richard Deitsch being a big issue. There were also reports he just showed up and winged a lot of the stuff.

 

Well, it's his show, I need links to this information concerning Bobcat, wherever you're getting it I call hogwash. I hear he's a flippin saint, give you the shirt off his back type of guy. He gave Deitsch an hour everyday on his show?

 

Dude's filthy rich, he never needed the show after investing. Yet, there he was, he didn't like any strong arm from the top, and usually insulted them quite often, still stayed on point in the SN anarchy. If anything likely a zinger toward himself, he didn't give a f***. RSN is getting worst.

[Spanky99]

Atkins is the brains, AA is the brawn. If by brawn we are talking negotiating skills and an ability/willingness to make ballsy moves and by no means anything physical. I also think AA is a harder worker. Donaldson doesn't just fall in your lap. You gotta work the phones for that s***.

 

So the two have pretty different skill sets and it's hard to say which one is better and easy to say both could be better if they had a bit of the other's strength.

 

Man, imagine if they stayed as a tandem, lol.

 

Sorry, just bumped into this.

[Spanky99]

Well, it's his show, I need links to this information concerning Bobcat, wherever you're getting it I call hogwash. I hear he's a flippin saint, give you the shirt off his back type of guy. He gave Deitsch an hour everyday on his show?

 

Dude's filthy rich, he never needed the show after investing. Yet, there he was, he didn't like any strong arm from the top, and usually insulted them quite often, still stayed on point in the SN anarchy. If anything likely a zinger toward himself, he didn't give a f***. RSN is getting worst.

 

Woooooo... lol