leaffie

interesting read on Samaradzija. Don't know who Bateman is, but differing point of view on Sanchez. http://tipofthetower.com/2013/11/25/shark-week-blue-jays-hunt-samardzija/

Well any more hot rumours to pass on? I think TDA will be a passable catcher, who will deal with numerous injuries. Snider, IMO, was a kid, that just couldn't adjust. Lots of potential, but the mlb is littered with them. So far either our farm system does not have the top quality prospects that people think, or they just aren't being developed properly. But so far I doubt any of the core 10 could point to someone that has been traded that has been a big success in the majors that we should never have traded.

I actually didn't mind the Marlin trade. I didn't like the Dickey trade at all. But this according to Beeston and AA was a three year window. At the end of three years, they are not stuck with any long term contracts. Their farm system at the lower levels is ranked very well and should be pushing their way up. I am more than willing to wait until the end of the three year window before I state it was a big mistake. I don't think he crippled the farm system, and he built what was a top 5 system in three years, and could easily do it again.

[ Fan interest picked up because Rogers allowed their GM to increase payroll by 50%. Seeing as he does indeed have a pulse, he was able to exchange that $40 million for decent players. The fans responded. And you don't think Beeston had anything to do with that? No. Opinion of AA declined throughout the 2012 season among people on the board. The offseason trades were the final straw. Regarding free agents, they came here for JP, why not AA? I really don't buy "free agents won't come here!" as a viable excuse for making horribly inefficient acquisitions. Why not tackle the international market if indeed MLB players wouldn't come (which I don't buy)? Chapman, Puig, Darvish, Ryu, and Iwakuma were all available, but AA's army of scouts apparently didn't realize how good they were. " Strange, I read the boards all the time, and all I saw was continued praise for the ninja. Yes, they came here for JP, because he overpaid. When the Burnett and Ryan signings went down, a lot of managers were ripping the Jays for pushing the market price up. Or maybe Rogers hadn't given Beeston the go ahead to spend $50 million dollars in a posting fee for Darvish. Or just maybe the scouting department was spending so much time just trying to rebuild an entire farm system, that the international market was far down the list. To each their own. I prefer sustainable success. And what fan wouldn't want a team like the cards. But other than the Rays, which team out there has sustainable success from their farm system. The Jays were in a unique position last year, in that the year before had been a total bust with all the injuries. AA HAD to do something. They just could not let the momentum that had been building slip away. AA went looking for pitching and he got what was available. What GM was going to trade away prospects if they could get the same thing in free agency. No one. I prefer a team that has a chance to make the playoffs, and if that involves spending money, so be it. If it can be achieved through a farm system, that every year, somehow miraculously, has all their draft picks work out and all mature at the same time, then good for the fans. But in the Jays case, injuries last year wiped out any chance to see exactly what this team could be. I think a lot of people forget that.

Well they have had a change from Labatts to inter brew. How was that change. Then they had the change from Gillick to Ash,., Then we had the JPR era where he was going to build a team using the Oakland A's. All leading to useless teams, terrible attendance and getting worse. So Beeston came back, hired AA and ever since things have been on an upswing. attendance, ratings, payroll. Up until the trade last off season, AA was a god, a ninja. The prospect lovers thought they had died and gone to heaven. But there is no realism here. AA is dealing with FA's that put Toronto on their no trade list, yet you expect him to be able to just get anyone to come here. There are a zillion complaints about how cheap Rogers is. They step up, and yet still complaints. I for one, am glad they took the chance and went for it last year. But I guess I am one of those strange fans that likes to start the season, knowing their team has a CHANCE, and last year they had a chance.

Why would anyone that spends a lot if time posting on a Jays message board be happy if attendance dropped. Would you like it to join the Rays as the lowest in MLB?

TV ratings for the Jays was actually up 21% over 2012, according to numbers from rogers.

Oh come on now. Attendance was up by 400,000 plus. You may have not liked the team or what happened during the season, but 2013 started out with great enthusiasm. TV ratings are counted in different ways compared to the U.S. and at the beginning of the season's the Jays had the largest increase. TheJays numbers were still strong near the end of the season, when they were sending out a AAA team. There are a lot of things you can say about last year, but you cannot say that this season, wasn't the most anticipated in the last ten years. At least, not with a straight face.

Where are all the people that were so angry that the Jays were the team that supposedly plundered the Marlins. Where are all the managers and writers that had the Jays, not only making the playoffs, but making it to the WS. Where are those odd makers from Vegas that had the Jays as favourites to win the WS. Plus where are all those fans that were calling for Selig to deny the trade because the Jays were taking advantage. Once the injuries happened and the team was decimated, all of a sudden all the experts knew this team was never going to amount to anything. I know there were Jays fans that didn't like giving up all those prospects. But there was certainly lots of excitement, better attendance and TV ratings through the roof. So far other than Syndergaard, not one of those prospects has stood out as the next great thing. Did the Marlins win the trade? I hardly think so, and even if they did, you won't really know for at least another year.

Sanchez and Stroman will be helping the Jays much sooner than 5-6 years. I guess we will have to see, but I get the feeling from anything I read from AA that he is more willing to trade from the MLB team or go after FA's than give up anymore of the farm.

Now I knew that was going to come up. But Sanchez is who AA kept. At the time of the trade I did read somewhere that Aa felt Sanchez was the best of the three.

AA is not going to trade what looks like it could be a #1 pitcher and possibly a #2. Have the Jays even had a #1 since Halladay.

Hold onto both of them!!!!!!!!

Bowden - ESPN Insider Suggestion for the Jays to improve this season: Toronto Blue Jays The Move: Trade Brett Cecil, Ryan Goins, Matt Dean and Anthony Gose to the Cincinnati Reds in exchange for second baseman Brandon Phillips and backup catcher Ryan Hanigan. Why: Phillips, 32, is coming off another 18-home run season (his fourth in a row) while making the All-Star team for the third time and winning his fourth Gold Glove award. The Reds have made it clear to teams that Phillips is available. They’d like to get out of the four years and $50 million remaining on his contract so they could use it to improve other areas. The Blue Jays would love to have Jose Reyes and Phillips together up the middle, which would arguably become the best defensive double-play combination in the game. I know it is Bowden, but that is what he would be doing with Goins

Exactly!

Looks good, but I have a suggestion. If a person new to sabremetrics or just trying to understand the whole new system read that article on Bautista, they would turn it off half way through. Fans that understand all the ins and outs always look down their noses at the old "stats". Well why not on each new blog a simple, easily demonstrated description of each new stat and how it is applied.

I was kidding. But he would look good, but way too much money.

I heard that Aaron Hill is available!!!!!!

Kennedy said , you start your ask "high" and maybe settle for something between the two. But the point was that they both thought trading Reyes would help the Jays more than Bautista.

Just reporting.

They both talked about it being an overpayment. But also said that they have always coveted him, and that he would fit so well with the team. They realize his injury history, but thought last year was a fluke and that if healthy, was one of the top three SS in the majors. Said SS is in such short supply this year and that the cards really need an up grade.

Interesting debate on XML today about Bautista. Kennedy and ? (Sorry). Their take was that Toronto should be looking to trade Reyes to Cards. Said Cards would give up just about anything to get him and they both felt Reyes would put the Cards into WS. Jays could expect to get. Two starters for him. Debate was really about who they should try and get. One of them thought they could get Tavares and Shellby Miller. The other would ask for Tavares, Miller and Carlos Martinez. But would not do any deal without Martinez. Reyes just might be more valuable than JB.

You can't tell me that Rogers didn't look at the increase in TV ratings, attendance etc. last year, and see what just having a hope of winning does for the bottom line. They are not stupid.

McCown said yesterday on PTS, that he has been told that the Jays payroll for this year will be $150 million. FWIW

Talked about Ruiz on Xm. Said that his agent thinks he will get a three year contract, and said that Colorado was going hard after him. Didn't really talk about $, except some guesses.