G-Snarls

In an interview with Peter Gammons, Scott Boras expressed his confidence that Stephen Drew and Kendrys Morales will find good contracts with teams that will put more value on their contributions than the value of (possibly second- or third-round) draft picks. With that said, Boras also believes the free agent system needs to be changed to give players more freedom and to encourage teams to spend. “We should be doing everything possible to try to get smaller market teams the necessary veteran leadership to contend,” Boras said. His suggestions include banning qualifying offers for players over 30 years old, and a monetary compensation system for teams who lose free agents under age-30 that the clubs can re-invest in signings or draft spending. http://www.gammonsdaily.com/peter-gammons-scott-boras-and-his-vision-for-the-future-of-baseball/

He cheaped out at catcher to save $. I fully expect he does in fact have the budget for a starter. No way ownership would prevent him from signing one starter via free agency when everyone knows how much such a signing is needed.

Moved

Threads merged Made sense to do so

I wish this wasn't probably true I also hope AA realizes this but fear he doesnt. Has he learned anything about what atrocious on base rates (Arencibia, Bonifacio) does to a lineup? I hope so.

And pissed off that people are saying he's injury prone

I don't want both either. Plugging one hole by overpaying one of these guys is fine. But not both. Another spot could be filled from within (Stroman) or a mid season trade (Cliff Lee) if needed. And Morrow might have a healthy season for once (not holding breath but...)

Yep. We need a 1-2 level starter, not another 4-5. (We have a surplus of those)

You that confident he is 4+ WAR again in 2014 or more worried that Gose is replacement level?

Yeah sounds like 7/140 he wants and might get. That's hard to swallow for a guy who's never pitched in the majors against guys like Chris Davis and Robinson Cano.

I'd prefer Tanaka at 18M per season over either of these guys at 14-15M But if AA knows that Tanaka won't sign here he probably really does need to sign one of them. I'd prefer that to trading Sanchez+Stroman or Edwin for a starter.

There is something to the rumour I guess but yeah OP makes it sound more definite than it should

I Edwin

Toronto’s starting pitching last year was a disaster. Blue Jays starters posted a 4.81 ERA, the second-highest in baseball. Marcus Stroman should be able to help next season and Aaron Sanchez is on the way, though given his present command he probably won’t be a factor in 2014. After missing out on Yu Darvish two years ago, the Blue Jays have been closely monitoring Tanaka, sending several top evaluators to Japan to scout him in person. There’s no question Tanaka would make Toronto a much better team next season. But even if the Blue Jays forecast Tanaka as a frontline starter, do they have enough talent to put around him to shoot for a playoff spot next season? Tanaka would help them beyond the 2014 season, of course, but after winning 74 games last year and looking at this point like the worst team in the American League East, is now the time for the Blue Jays to invest north of $100 million in one pitcher? It’s possible. The Blue Jays wouldn’t spend considerable time and energy evaluating Tanaka if they weren’t interested, but the team is in a difficult spot. Tanaka would upgrade their biggest weakness, but the price tag might prohibit them from upgrading other areas. Since the Blue Jays have two protected first-round picks, shooting for Ervin Santana or Ubaldo Jimenez, two less expensive options where they would have an edge because of the compensation picks attached, might be more feasible. Or, if they consider themselves far enough behind the rest of the AL East, they could hold off on major free agent acquisitions for at least another year until they’re ready to contend.

Baseball America on the 10 teams most likely to land Tanaka (Jays on list) http://www.baseballamerica.com/majors/masahiro-tanaka-sweepstakes-preview-ranking-the-top-10-teams-for-the-japanese-ace/

Pretty solid "black Monday so far. 5 NFL head coaches fired already today. yikes.

Yep. The Tanaka thing should have been wrapped up 3-4 weeks sooner. Teams need to make decisions.

Sounds about right

Best I can remember off hand is Dennis Eckersley 1992 Of course, *part* of the reason it is so memorable to a Jays fan is cause of:

Agree His being fired or staying on depends entirely on how the team does in 2014, not whether or not he signs any particular player

All in the same thread too!

Yasiel Puig charged with reckless driving this morning Caught going 110 MPH in his Mercedes Nice...

Do they cost ~ the same in Santo Domingo or something?