Grant77

Astros sign Brantley 2/32

https://blogs.fangraphs.com/the-jays-put-a-springer-in-their-step/

Grichuk, Gurriel, or Hernandez. One or more are certainly on the move. It's going to be interesting to see where.

That's what should reasonably be expected of Grichuk in my opinion.

No moves have to be made as things stand right now. Grichuk is a useful player and good teammate that will find plenty of at-bats. If we add a guy like Brantley then surely one of Teo or Lourdes is on the move and we're still in the same situation.

I would think that is close, but I don't think you need to deal two of them. I think that 6 players (Vlad, Tellez, Lourdes/Teo, Brantley, Springer, Grichuk) could find enough at-bats at 5 positions, especially if Vlad plays some 3B. It's not like we have prospects that need a shot in the outfield.

The Ray signing for the exact same dollars looks great in hindsight. He projects for 2.7 WAR, while Quintana projects for less than half of that. Nice read of the market on our part

I'd rather deal Lourdes or Teo in a deal for a good starter than pay someone to take Grichuk. It's not like we should be desperate to get rid of a guy that projects to top 30 HR in the bottom third of our lineup.

Lourdes and prospects for a front line pitcher like Castillo would make some sense. Then you add a 3B and call it an offseason.

I don't really get that (Brantley signing), but none of us have any reason to doubt the front office right now.

Time to celebrate. I'm fully convinced now.

What would you guys think of an offseason where we get Springer, Charlwood, Yates, and one short term fix like Tanaka or Turner, but not both. I would probably be pretty happy.

This would be an excellent signing. Our bullpen shopping will be done and at a very nice price.

I forget where I saw it, but I read a good article on why superstar trades are so much more appealing in other sports. In a nutshell, James Harden makes a so-so team an instant championship contender. A trade for a guy like that has a massive impact. If Mike Trout gets traded to the Pirates tomorrow, it doesn't even change their playoff odds. Individual players in MLB don't have nearly the same impact. The winner of the offseason is often a huge flop. That is somewhat unique to baseball.

I don't mind this signing if he is used as a versatile reliever. It's frustrating that we haven't made our big moves yet, but this kind of signing was always necessary.

I'd be looking to get Matt Chapman if Martin is going to be in any deal with Oakland.

Two years sounds ok to me if we also get a big name 3B, but certainly no more than that.

That's what they are missing. We would have been dominant for several years in that division during our last run. Who knows if the Cubs even make the playoffs in the AL East.

The Cubs are a bit of a cautionary tale when it comes to ruining a good young team with bad contracts. Epstein drained the farm system, added a bunch of bad long term money and then quit. If they didn't have one nice playoff run, it would be perceived more like the Anthopoulos era in Toronto and vise versa had we won a Championship.

Deadpool is right.

Orelvis Martinez, a more touted prospect, started out at 13 in a similarly rated farm system. I'd guess that 15-20 is reasonable for Beltre.

We have $5,348,100 as far as I know.

I couldn't agree more.

https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2021/01/blue-jays-president-mark-shapiro-five-year-extension.html Blue Jays president and chief executive officer Mark Shapiro has agreed to a five-year extension, per an announcement from Rogers Communications. Shapiro indicated back in October that he hoped to remain in his post and that Jays ownership at Rogers had reciprocated that interest. Sportsnet’s Ben Nicholson-Smith tweets that Shapiro will now be under contract through 2025. “Mark’s leadership and commitment to excellence over the last five years have been critical to the team’s growth and development,” said Rogers Communications/Blue Jays chairman Edward Rogers in a statement announcing the new contract. “We’re extremely pleased that Mark will continue to lead the Toronto Blue Jays and build on the team’s progress as we work towards our goal of bringing as World Series championship back to Canada.” Shapiro, 53, came to the Jays in 2015 on the heels of a 25-year run with the Indians. He served as Cleveland’s general manager from 2001-10 before being promoted to president, at which point current Cleveland president of baseball ops Chris Antonetti was elevated to GM status. Shapiro hired Cleveland’s director of player personnel, Ross Atkins, to serve as the Blue Jays’ general manager upon taking his initial post in Toronto, and the two have overseen the club’s operations since. Atkins signed a contract extension himself back in June 2019, although unlike Shapiro, the length of his contract was never formally announced by Rogers.

We know by now that Walker is a reasonably valuable starter when healthy. His ratios and velocity have remained pretty consistent throughout his career. You're going to get an ERA/FIP around 4 when he is on the mound. By signing him, a front office is taking a gamble that he will be healthy for 2 or 3 years. I'm not sure that I would take that gamble but it depends on the term and price.