L54

Semantics. His contract hinders the Jays allocating that money in other ways if they so chose. I think the Jays could add 3 WAR including a SS if they had 22M more to spend. I don't have a problem with Reyes the player. The way he came about though wasn't so efficient.

Or because he's still an above average SS in the league. Reyes himself isn't the problem. His contract is.

This is quite irrelevant to me. The opening day starter is just that- the opening day starter. A better question would be who do you think starts the wildcard game if the Jays were in that situation? In that case, in a vacuum, majority of the board would choose Stroman.

Yes, yes it does. Just because there are funds available, doesn't mean you have to go spend it as soon as you can. The money saved might not all be spent this offseason, but could allow for room to take on another contract midseason, depending on where the team is at.

Bautista and Edwin could put up .380 OBP's, Donaldson could put up 6 WAR, Stroman could develop into an ace, Hutch could take a big step forward. See how there are two sides to this coin? Edit: Late to the party I see.

Because Shields was the player being discussed originally. That's why I used him. I don't know enough to say for sure whether pitchers or hitters regress more quickly, but I'd have to think it's fairly constant, if not in the advantage of hitters. A lot of miles on some arms once they hit their 30's.

What happens if 33 (in 3 days) year old James Shields regresses? What if everything doesn't go right for him and you're stuck with him til 37?

I don't think 1000 innings from five starters should ever be considered easy.

Sign all the Canadians

Jays content from Sullivan's chat today on Fangraphs: Comment From _David_ What do you make of reporters saying everyone in the industry believes the Saunders trade was even? Even if you see them as equal players, it was still 2 years for one, so Happ would have to be quite a bit better, right? 9:34 Jeff Sullivan: Apparently a lot of people in the game see Happ as possessing rising stock. They think he’s got real upside, and so, you take that for what it’s worth Comment From Cal Do the Jays need a true #1 to seriously contend next season? Or is their rotation good enough as constructed right now? 9:59 Jeff Sullivan: Could be better; is good enough. Would James Shields count as a true #1? Do you think James Shields is going to pitch markedly better next year than Marcus Stroman? Comment From Cool Lester Smooth Blue Jays have to be division favorite after their moves, correct? 10:05 Jeff Sullivan: I don’t think favorites. I don’t think they’re markedly better than the Red Sox. But I suppose you could try to go with co-favorites Comment From Eric Are you fine with a Saunders-Pompey-Bautista OF for the Jays with Pillar LF/4thOF? 10:43 Jeff Sullivan: It’s not my favorite outfield in the league, but I think it’s workable so long as you think Saunders can actually play in 130 – 140 games

I agree. Probably what Friedman has always dreamed of, being able to take a 10M flyer on a guy like Anderson.

It's probably close, but I still think it's light. Just seems like a substantial difference between Morrow and Anderson's contracts, when steamer thinks both are 1 WAR players. Yes, Anderson has probably both a higher floor and ceiling, but is that worth 4x in guaranteed dollars?

For sure. Just surprised he couldn't get more guaranteed.

Seems light, no?

Friedman not giving a f***

Dang that's the guy I really wanted. Dodgers having a great offseason. Funny what a breath of fresh air does to an organization.

88 wins sounds about right.

Even though he successfully traded with Beane, I don't want to see AA dealing with Friedman. The thought of the package for Dee Gordan after a 3 WAR year makes me cringe.

Thanks for the stream

That's what I said?

Having guys like Sanchez and Norris in AAA should injuries happen is really encouraging. Giving starts to guys who actually have upside is something I don't really ever recall in recent years. Giving starts to AAAA scrap fillers is what has really killed the staff in years prior.

Would really like to add McCarthy. Is comfortably this teams second or third best pitcher (Hutch?). Pushes everyone else down the depth chart. Although, the depth still is pretty good. Not seeing names like Ortiz on there make me happy.

Wouldn't be a bad idea for him, probably would prefer an NL team though.

I think McCarthy would become the second best starter on the staff. He's more of a number 2 than a 4. At the end of the day he's an upgrade on Estrada, and shouldn't cost a fortune.

My thoughts exactly. Pushes everyone down on the depth chart and starts Sanchez is AAA where I think he should start. What would Everth Cabrera cost? Obviously much cheaper than Lowrie or Drew. Might be able to afford McCarthy+him.