G-Snarls

Yep

They don't name their source

The Blue Jays will not be making a qualifying offer to righty Josh Johnson, MLBTR has learned. Even after a lost season wrecked by injuries, there was a small chance that the Jays would overpay to get the 29-year-old under contract for 2014. Had the Blue Jays made the $14.1MM qualifying offer, it's likely Johnson would have accepted, as he's not expected to reach that salary on the open market. Johnson, profiled by MLBTR here, ranked 30th on our Top 50 Free Agents list. He's expected to be ready for Spring Training after elbow surgery this month, and will be seeking a one-year deal to rebuild value. A few days ago, agent Matt Sosnick told Mike Berardino of the Pioneer Press, "If Toronto doesn't make a qualifying offer, we'll probably be looking for a good pitching atmosphere, a good defense behind him and a team with a good chance to win."

Good read "The most abrupt change for Encarnacion over the last two seasons wasn’t the increased power production. He’s always possessed massive raw power. It was simply an issue of consistently tapping into that power. He made some mechanical adjustments to shorten his swing — and they’ve been well-publicized — but perhaps the most intriguing aspect of his meteoric rise the past two seasons has been his incredible improvement in his plate discipline. His walk rate jumped dramatically to 13.0% in 2012 and remained consistent at 13.2% this past season. Simultaneously, his strikeout rate decreased and he was one of only four qualified hitters to walk more than he struck out in 2013. What makes Encarnacion unique is that he’s the only one in that group who can be considered a power hitter. Norichika Aoki, Marco Scutaro and Alberto Callaspo don’t even cumulatively come close to Encarnacion’s home run total this year (20 to 36, respectively)."

He is special And he's ours

OK, I'll stop yakking about it.

Nevermind. They do plan to give Kuroda a QO: http://mweb.cbssports.com/mlb/writer/jon-heyman/24171209/yanks-to-make-qualifying-offer-to-cano-kuroda-only-leaning-on-grandy

I haven't heard anything on Yankees qualifying him or extending him. Have they announced anything?

Kuroda on a 1 year deal would be ideal while we see how the young guys develop. Then you can possibly turn him in to a draft pick.

I'd give him 18M plus an option year. You?

Well they can't ALL play in Miami. Especially if they're good and want to make more than league minimum.

I know. He's the one I wanted most too (well, after Darvish failure) So many consequences to the lack of landing a quality free agent starter...

Seems as good a time as any to moan about that fact that Anibal Sanchez declined to sign with us last off season despite being aggressively pursued.

Rays and DeJesus agree to 2 year deal

Me too. (See above post). But will they sign here?

Again it comes down to who you can get For example, I'd take Kuroda over Johnson for 14M in a heartbeat. But will Kuroda sign here? Possibly, but probably not. This team has trouble attracting free agents.

I'd rather that than him accepting a 7-8M base plus incentive deal elsewhere.

No matter... I'm sure his agent does NOT want him lingering with no deal and the draft pick compensation red flag all off season If he's given a qualifying offer he will accept

A team with a protected first round pick might not mind

By Jonah Birenbaum on Nov 2 2013, 9:10 AM Despite enduring an ugly 2013 campaign marred by injury and ineffectiveness, free agent right-hander Josh Johnson is reportedly piquing the interest of "more than half the teams in Major League Baseball," the hurler's agent told ESPN's Jerry Crasnick. The 29-year-old is resolved to take a one-year deal to rebuild his value after posting a 6.20 ERA over 16 starts this season, an idea that appeals to many teams with a need for starting pitching. 'Everyone needs pitching, and Josh has the most upside of anybody on the market,' said Sosnick, who also represents free agent Ricky Nolasco and pitcher Randy Messenger, who is currently deciding whether to accept a multiyear offer to remain with the Hanshin Tigers in Japan or return to the big leagues to pursue a starting job. Crasnick notes the general consensus is that Johnson will not receive a qualifying offer from the Blue Jays, allowing him to hit free agency without draft-pick compensation attached to him. Johnson underwent surgery earlier this month to remove "loose bodies" from his right elbow, and is expected to be ready for spring training. 'You're going to see the market for starting pitching drastically change this offseason,' Sosnick said. 'There are very few teams that don't need a middle-of-the-rotation or better starter, and there's almost no starting pitching available through free agency. I think people are going to be blown away by the market for starting pitching.'

Looking for Jays news on Twitter, can't help but notice how many hot latina women tweet at Jose Reyes all day. Wow. (O_O) Edit: On closer inspection some of them are NOT so hot. OK, I need to get to work. LOL

I was just going to suggest that SF Giants might be the best gig for him in 2014