John_Havok

Yup, Though on the roster only Clement and White are out of options. I would imagine the roster crunch isn't a pressing matter. Also worth noting the Yariel signing is not yet official and the Jays have a full 4 man roster as it stands today. someone has to get cut when that signing becomes official.

Yeah, the GM job in Calgary is pretty much nothing but doing exactly what ownership tells you to do and then getting fired for it. I truly doubt Treliving had the autonomy he should have had. I know a GM doesnt operate with impunity and certain deals need to be approved by ownership, but when the ownership sides with the coach over the GM, his hands were basically tied.

Trade bait at the deadline I guess. No real other reason to sign him unless they somehow truly think they are contenders, which... maybe they are if half their roster has career years, and somehow their starting pitching isn't an abomination behind Keller.

I think Pederson is the better sign if the team wants a Lefty DH that only plays the field sparingly. VS RHP C - Jansen/Kirk 1b - Vlad 2b - Biggio SS - Bo 3B - IKF OF - Varsho, KK, Springer DH - Pederson Pinch hit for whatever lefty you need to late in the game with the backup catcher, Schneider, Clement or Espinal and if you're not pinch hitting for one of KK or Varsho, you get slightly better D at 2b late in the game. Pinch hitting for the OF and your OF takes a hit defensively for sure unless they manage to keep around a guy like Lukes, which I doubt. VS LHP C - Jansen/Kirk 1b - Vlad 2b - Clement/Espinal SS - Bo 3B - IKF OF - Schneider, Varsho/KK, Springer DH - the catcher who isnt starting or whomever of Clement/Espinal isnt at 2b. Gives max flexibility to PH later in the game for either the DH, or Clement/Espinal with one of Biggio, Varsho/KK, Pederson and get better defensively for the late innings. Can throw Pederson in LF in Fenway or some other stadiums where the D doesnt matter so much anyway and give whatever OF that needs it a day off.

The caution with a guy like Bellinger is very real though. In order to be cool with his rumoured 200+ million price tag for however many years…you have to be damn sure his 2023 is more likely going forward than the previous 3 seasons where he was a dumpster fire offensively. Looking at the peripherals that are publicly available, I think the hesitancy is completely warranted. It’s entirely possible he has found a way to work within his limitations going forward but I think I’d be far more comfortable grabbing him in a front loaded deal with an opt out after 2 years or something rather than the lengthy 8 year 200+ thing.

And then there’s Pop, Pearson, Danner, Little, and Zulueta.

Proving collusion against a single player is extremely difficult. But even in baseball, look at Barry Bonds. When he “retired” after his 2007 age 42 season he was still absolutely lethal as a hitter. Yeah he couldn’t play the field very well and was only around 400 PA, but he could have still easily been a DH in the AL. The Giants even announced publicly before the season was even over they would not be offering him a deal for 2008. That was the most obvious case where the entire league just agreed to not offer him a contract where there would be never a way to prove it. Bonds knew what what was happening so he just retired instead.

See MLB in the 80s… Bud Selig himself was smack dab in the middle of the collusion scandal which ended up costing the MLB owners at the time 280 million dollars after losing 3 straight grievances from the players union Then there was the whole gentleman’s agreement to not let black players play all those years…same thing.

Connorp is far more mentally stable than Frenchsoup, even with his obvious sociopathology. The main difference is connorp is aware of his issues at a deeper level and has enough intelligence to work within his limits. I doubt he’s medicated. Frenchy is probably a walking pharmacy and if I had to guess, paranoid schizophrenic.

When they like certain players more, it makes them feel it more yes.

Siakam's message to Toronto: Jan 19, 2024 The other day, my agent was asking me about the rest of my career. My next team, my next city, where I see myself. I’ve been in trade rumors for so long I think most people probably figure I’ve been having conversations like that all the time. But I would avoid those conversations. I felt like it’s something I can’t control, so let me just block out the noise and try to focus on playing at my highest level. Plus, we heard so many rumors and then they never became anything. So you almost start thinking it’s not real. But I guess at some point the Raptors pretty much made it known they were going in a different direction, and didn’t want to extend me, and a trade was definitely about to happen. All of a sudden it wasn’t rumors anymore. And I think my agent, you know, he’s doing his job, focusing me on the future, trying to remind me how there’s good things ahead. So he’s like, “P, though….. where do you see yourself?” And he’s going through a bunch of teams, places I’m always getting linked to and whatnot. I thought about it hard. I tried to picture myself playing on the different rosters, living in the different cities, even wearing the different colors. I’m going through them in my head. And I’ll be honest what I answered. I was like, “Where do I see myself? I mean…… Toronto.” Toronto is just all I’ve known — and all I’ve wanted to know. I never asked for a trade. Maybe this sounds naive, but I felt I could be one of those dudes who spends his whole career on one team. That was my mentality even with the rumors. Like: I helped the Raptors win their first NBA title. So eventually I’ll help them win their second. I always took that as a given, you know? I took a lot of pride in being that guy who’s connecting the past and the future here, and keeping it all as one era. But I also realize it’s a business … and it’s their right to decide when it’s time for an era to end. None of that changes what Toronto has meant to me, though, and what it will keep meaning. That’s the main thing I wanted to say to everyone: This is home. I put roots down for myself here — like, really, roots. I hope people reading this understand how big that was for me. Once I left Cameroon, I mostly bounced around boarding schools. Even at New Mexico State, I was only there for three years. So I never got that feeling of having a community around me during those parts of my life. And then most people know this, but my dad passed away while I was in college. We were very close, and it happened suddenly, and (because of my visa situation) I wasn’t even able to go to Cameroon for his funeral. So when I got to the league, there was a lot I was going through, and I had this feeling of wanting badly to belong somewhere. Toronto made me feel like I belonged from day one. I loved the diversity — I’d go out and I’d see Cameroonians, Ghanaians, Mexicans, Koreans, Jamaicans, Europeans, just all types of people from all types of communities. It made me feel comfortable. I remember during my rookie year, me and my brother, we’d go to all these amazing African restaurants and eat the food we loved from back home. Or even just these African stores we could go to, where they’re selling stuff that usually you only can find in Cameroon. Like this specific brand of fried plantains we’d get bags of. Or there’s this Cameroonian meat my brother loves, soya, and he could find that pretty easy in Toronto. Maybe it doesn’t sound like it should be so important, snacks and things. But discovering all of that, and just getting to live in such a diverse place, it kind of let me take my guard down and be me. It was like, OK, if so many people somewhere are foreign … maybe you’re not feeling as foreign. I think I got lucky with my basketball situation in Toronto as well. A lot of young guys, they land on a team that’s winning but it’s older and hard to fit in. Or they land on a team that’s younger and a good fit but it’s so much losing. With the Raptors, it’s like I got the best of both worlds. I got to be on a team that had these huge goals, and these great vets to look up to like Kyle and DeMar (and Pat and CJ and Jared and PJ and DeMarre, it’s a long list) — guys who did things the right way and who set the culture. But I also got to be around guys my age, who I could be hungry with and figure out the NBA with together. Jakob, Fred, Norm, Delon….. man, those were good times. That was such a tight group. Like, we were some underdogs, but we weren’t just “scratching and clawing.” We were coming for heads!! We used to play “5 on 0” at the gym before practice most days. Just the five of us, running the offense against nobody, drive kick swing, drive kick swing, getting those reps in. We really did everything together: work out, hang out, go out, whatever. I think it was our second year, Jak and I went to Cancún during All Star??? He taught me how to shotgun a beer. I didn’t even know it’s a thing!!! It doesn’t make much sense. (I wasn’t good.) The organization, they were also great about setting us up for success. They just cared about me — like, about Pascal the human. That was the standard. I mean, no joke: Raptors people took me to my driving test! I came into the league, never had a car in college, nothing, couldn’t drive. So they helped me out, then took me to the DMV. And I passed my first time. And I just look back on those things, those types of moments, and I’m so appreciative for how many people had my back. It’s a cool reminder of how far I’ve come in these eight years. How I really grew up here. As far as the fans go, I want to say a few things. One: it’s so much love. Not just the love I feel for them, but that I’ve shared with them. The way that people in Canada have fallen in love with the Raptors while I’ve been here, it’s like it happened in just the right way, at the right time. When we were really ready for it — and needed it. So when we won, it’s not just the usual cliche to be like, “this championship belongs to everyone.” With 2019, we really felt that it’s everyone. Like it was this moment that changed people’s lives. Players, fans, all of us. Maybe that’s a lot for some basketball games, I don’t know. But if you were there then you get what I’m talking about. Sign up for our newsletter email address David Dow/NBAE via Getty There have been ups and downs, for sure. The hardest time of my career by far was the bubble — that’s not unique. Mentally, physically, I just wasn’t my best. And I really struggled with how we finished that season, because I loved our team. I thought we had the pieces to defend our title. So I felt like we let everyone down. And it was tough in those moments. I would get messages from trolls filled with these hurtful things, racist things. And being so isolated in the pandemic, it really weighed heavy on me. But our fans had a big part in helping me through it. Getting to play in front of our home crowds, and being reminded of the amazing community I have in Toronto, that helped me feel like myself again. I’ll always be grateful. And I’ll always be a part of this community. That’s what I meant about putting roots down — it isn’t just, you know, “oh I have a house in Toronto.” It’s where I live. It’s where so many of the things I care about are, and where my brothers and sisters are, and where my PS43 Foundation is and will continue to be. Man…. I’m so excited to continue that work. This isn’t “thanks for the memories,” then I go someplace else. Basketball can take me all over the world. But like I said: This is home. O.K. and then the last thing I want to say, it’s a quick story. So with some rookies, they come into the league, it’s a lot of buzz. But with me, when I got drafted, my agent went to the team store to buy a Siakam jersey…. and they didn’t even have it for sale!!! I definitely wasn’t on fans’ radars, you know?? And I’ll admit something to you now. I would do this thing as a rookie, during the anthems, where I’d look around and try to spot my jersey in the crowd. Obviously you can’t be doing that during a game, you need to be chill. But during the anthems you’re looking at the crowd anyway, so it’s less bad. It’s crazy, though: I’d never see any. I swear, every night I looked. Nothing. Then finally, this random night, I’m doing my usual scan — I SPOT ONE. RAPTORS 43. I’ll never forget that feeling. I’m going, YESSSS!!! on the inside. And I tried to keep my cool on the outside … but if you ever wondered, “Why’d Pascal look like he’s about to fist pump during the anthem one night as a rookie?” there you go. Of course, I wasn’t satisfied. Had to have that feeling again. So pretty soon my brother Christian is on the lookout too. He’d go to games and keep a tally of Siakam jerseys for us. Not just during the anthem, but anywhere. Ticket line, concessions, bathroom, wherever. And I’m telling you this on one hand because it’s funny. But also because I’m so proud of my journey as a Raptor — and I feel like the support you guys gave me over those years kind of tells that story. How I went from playing “spot a 43” with Christian as a rookie and we’re celebrating if we saw even one, to my second season where we’re probably seeing one most games, to my third season where we’re seeing a handful, to my fourth season where we saw too many to keep up the count, to these last few seasons where my jersey is everywhere — where I got to be one of the faces of this city. Man, I almost can’t even believe that. Not bad for the lanky kid from Cameroon. But now I’m realizing the sad part…. that it’s about to be my journey in reverse: probably a few less RAPTORS 43’s in the crowd at the next home game, then a few less at the game after that, then a few less, a few less, a few less. And that’s OK. That’s how it goes. I’ll tell you what though: When I’m back next month as an opponent, and it’s the national anthems, and I’m standing there looking around? I do hope maybe I spot one. And I’ll still give it a YESSSS!!! on the inside. It’ll still mean a lot to me. Because it’s still a Toronto thing. And I’m Toronto forever. —P FEATURED STORIES Damon Stoudamire Damon Stoudamire, Darius Miles, Quentin Richardson Presented by Sleeper I’m Still Here John Wall The Story of a Polish Introvert Iga Świątek Caitlin Clark Caitlin Clark, Haley Jones The Players' Tribune ABOUT ATHLETE APPLICATION C

What a weird ranking list.

It’s a generic kind of advice, but for Vlad it’s more like “sacrifice contact for power in X part of the zone” not everywhere.

The quick version for those not heading there: Vlad was better in 2021 than 2023 because he murdered baseballs at the top of the zone. His EV at the top of the zone last season was worse, but it was better in the lower part of the zone than 2021, though that didn’t help much. Stop trying to hit everything, take bigger cuts at the top of the zone, sacrifice some contact for power. Groundbreaking stuff really.

If that’s the case then it would also to have been only 2 years of Ramirez unless he extended. Orelvis had also just destroyed A ball and held his own at High A at 19. Hindsight is wonderful though, I mean if you knew you could extend him at what Cleveland extended him for … I would have done that deal all day every day. But for only 2 years with no extension…and giving up peanuts for Chapman instead, can’t be mad at that I could see an argument either way in hindsight. Kirk had just torn the cover off the ball in his 2021 call up, Jansen already entrenched, and a Ramirez acquisition would have taken up 3rd base where Orelvis was projected to play at that time. Trading both of them would have been defensible especially if an extension was agreed on. I wonder who the “others” were. Pearson probably. The Chappy trade was headlined by Gunnar Hoglund, Kirby Snead, Zach Logue and Kevin Smith; all complete donut holes.

BOwden is a clown. When was this supposed Ramirez deal on the table? WHy would the Jays trade for Ramirez when they had Chappy? THat pretty much shoots down that trade being on the table in the 2022/23 offseason at the same time as the Varsho trade taking place. Did he say when the deal was on the table? Context matters

40 man roster is full so a DFA is coming to make room. Could be that useless catcher they just picked up, or someone like Wes Parsons

Wilton Guerrero Jr is coming along nicely too from Vlad Srs brother Wilton Sr.

Dude has 8 or 9 kids …5 different mothers. Vlad the Impaler indeed.

No doubt. Will be interesting to follow his first full season in the minors this year depending on where he gets assigned.

Yeah. Probably gonna be the same thing this season too. LF defense just isn't as big a deal as CF. It's great to have a good one but he need to hit better no doubt.

Regardless, nearly all of IKFs value comes from defense, so keeping him playing the position he is best at defensively will be key. I'm sure they will throw him in the OF occasionally in weird situations or temporarily due to injury but the bulk of his D better be spent at 3b. That, of course, doesn't mean the most 3b time should go to him, but when he's saying he should be at the hot corner

No worries. All we are doing is our rock ‘n roll duty.

Tell me your over 50 without telling me you're over 50. Excellent reference though.

Agreed. I'm sure the people who've been running a multi-billion dollar communications empire for 30+ years need that sound nugget of business advice to finally get ahead of the curve