Smokey

85-77 81-81 73-89 74-88 83-79 Ninja Skillz!!!

streetfights??? Pretty sure that's where he keeps his knee pads...lol

JPA, Eric Thames, David Cooper...Those are just some of the names I'd stay away from if I was you.

Yeah you're right, we need to do everything we can to accommodate to Dickey's needs. It doesn't matter if it takes 2 or even 3 roster spots to squeeze out those 2 WARs because it's all about sunk costs! lmao

ftfy

f*** off, Queen!

... to be counted on as a frontline starter.

Saying he's a decent number 3 is backtracking?? lol

Don't get me wrong, I see him as a decent number 3 and Stroman and a decent number 2 but relying on those two to carry the team is asking for too much.

Not really.

A. A proven frontline starter will also help achieve that goal. B. Stroman is the only starter with any upside and he's far from a proven commodity.

Pitching isn't automatic but it still makes the biggest difference in the playoffs and having dependable horses in front of your rotation will increase your chances SIGNIFICANTLY!!!

I love how people keep bring up KC to somehow prove that the Jays don't really need a proven frontline starter. The Royals actually did have Shields along with the best BP in the game and had basically everything go their way and still couldn't win it all simply because the other team possessed a superior pitcher in Bumgarner. If history proves anything it's the fact that pitching is key in the playoffs and you'll be hard pressed to find any championship teams over the last decade with a weaker top of the rotation than Dickey, Stroman and Hutch.

http://www.reactiongifs.com/r/wds.gif

I'm not underrating/underestimating anything. The addition of Martin has changed my whole outlook about the future success of the club. I've always believed that an elite defensive catcher is the foundation of any successful baseball team... But regardless of who's catching, going into a playoff series with Dickey, Stroman and Hutch as your top three will put the team at a pitching disadvantage against most teams. It's really that simple.

C'mon man, get serious here. Hutch is a number 3 at best and the other two haven't proven anything to even belong in the conversation for 2015. Yes, that's exactly what I'm saying. Acquire a cheap versatile MIF who can fill in for Reyes here and there and bridge the gap for Travis. Acquiring a proven shutdown starter will have a much greater impact than upgrading 2B once the playoffs roll around.

No. No one is realistically suggesting Scherzer. Lester is the only FA that I'd feel comfortable giving a $100M contract to and that's not even realistic. As I've suggested earlier, a midseason acquisition is definitely a feasible option. Why do you feel the need to put limitations on things? Travis is expected to be the long term 2B and a utility gap filler (someone a bit better than Izzy) is all that's really needed and LF is probably the easiest position to fill. Why do those simple needs have to prevent you from acquiring a starter down the line??

Stroman is the only starter with any upside and he's far from proven. Who are you going to rely on in October? A 23 year old rookie and a 40 year old fancy-boy who can't pitch in bad weather??

I wouldn't call it "scary" at all. The fact that there appears to be just as many holes on the team as there were at the beginning of the offseason is somewhat deceptive. With the top of the lineup essentially set, and with Travis and Pompey waiting in the wings, the only full-time position of need is in LF which isn't going to be too tough to fill. The strength of the lineup also allows the DH spot to essentially remain open and used to rest guys like Reyes, EE and Bautista. So I'd say the only other area of need right now a versatile MIF who can fill in for Reyes and provide a bridge for Travis, and one more dependable BP arm. I still think a front-line starter is necessary for the team to go far into the playoffs, but perhaps the trade deadline will provide a better opportunity for that once some teams exit the race.

I completely agree that acquiring a frontline starter should ultimately be the main priority. The current rotation is probably strong enough to get the team into the playoffs, but the lack of front-line starters (besides possibly Stroman) will put the team at a major disadvantage in a short series. I wouldn't be completely upset however if they went into the season with status quo and made a strong push for an elite starter once some teams are out of the race. I think acquiring a LF with some pop from the left side and a more versatile version of Izturis who can actually play a passable SS (in case of a Reyes injury) is probably a more urgent need though.

There you go diving in the deep end again... You don't know what he has to learn from??? How about constructing a proper roster for once without overvaluing SSS and ignoring the importance of defense and depth?!?! Even if we were to assume that he was "driven" by others to make the Mets and Marlins deals, which is a baseless assumption to say the least, it still doesn't dismiss the egregious mistake of rolling with JPA as your primary catcher and being forced to rely on scrubs like Chien-Ming Wang, Ramon Ortiz and Aaron Laffey. And when that blows up in his face, the following year he preaches about the importance of defense by handing the 2B job to Goins while targeting Navarro as an upgrade at C. So to say that "he's always been a good GM" is quite foolish even for you. That being said, I've been super impressed by what he's accomplished this offseason. The additions of Martin and Donaldson will have a huge impact and will make the lineup extremely tough to pitch against. He still needs to acquire a LF with some pop from the left side and a versatile middle infielder who'll provide some time for Travis to develop and fill in for Reyes when needed. Those things shouldn't be hard to accomplish but Alex has never gone into the opening day without some kind of glaring hole in his roster, so he still has plenty to prove.

Yeah, I'm sure Alex is wobbling his ass over to uncle Pauly's office right after finding out this info and asking for more money

What this thread really needs is the expert analysis of a shameless apologist: "With all of Melky's back problems, he didn't have a hard time playing on concrete this past season. The fear of turf is over-rated. Sure it's a factor, but it's probably a far smaller factor than people think. Over the years, how many times have we seen an infielder go down because of an injury in the field? The most common injury Jays players suffer seems to be when they're f***ing running to first base. Reyes hasn't had a single field related injury in his entire time here. And I haven't looked into it, so I'm not sure if I'm recalling this correctly, but I don't think Headley's got chronic back problems like Lind. He had a slipped disk in his back last year. I'm not sure how much of a risk that puts him at for future back problems, but I'd be surprised if it's high." -TwistedLogic http://www.bluejaysmessageboard.com/threads/4100-Blue-Jays-will-make-offer-to-Sandoval-in-next-24-hours-%28?p=458022&viewfull=1#post458022

And how exactly does throwing one of his few suitors under the bus help his case???

Those two things aren't mutually exclusive though... For now, filling the holes at 2B and OF should probably be a priority.. but IMO an upgrade to the rotation is necessary before this team can be considered a legit contender.