jaysblue

That's why Ruiz makes the most sense in my opinion. Won't cost as much as McCann and Salty. Meso would be a nice buy low, though the Jays need a safer bet behind the plate for next season and Ruiz delivers that.

Fielder isn't the type of player that ages well as he enters his 30's. He won't be worth what he's making for the rest of the duration of his contract.

AJ in 2008 down the stretch was one of the best pitchers in the AL. A healthy Marcum and McGowan as your No. 3 and No. 4, can't complain. Plus the BP was amazing in 2008 as well.

I say the team bumps payroll $20-$25 million which is reasonable. They need to upgrade behind the plate, and Carlos Ruiz is likely the best fit in terms of what he'll bring to the table and cost. I like Salty, though I doubt he puts up a 3.6 WAR again and hits above .270 especially with that extremely high BABIP of .372 which is unsustainable. I could see an increase in power output however. The Jays need to bring in a second baseman and likely another starter or two to fill out the rotation. A high order that's for sure.

Instead of Ramos, how about going after Devin Mesoraco from Cincy? He has never been given a chance with Hanigan there. Though with Dusty Baker fired, I'm sure Mesoraco will be used properly.

Those people are living in a fantasy land.

In the postseason, I've said it time before that rotation would be incredible.

Well, in a 5 game or 7 game series, and if the Jays have Morrow and JJ healthy and at their best during that time, they both can pitch like a Cy Young winner. Over the course of a full season that's a lot to ask from both especially with their injury history. I do agree, the Blue Jays still need an ace and a solid No. 2 (which you cross your fingers its Dickey, or the Jays catch lightning in the bottle with Morrow staying healthy or resigning JJ).

A healthy JJ and Morrow go along way in making the rotation better. I don't believe JJ is this bad of a pitcher and I do hope the Jays resign him to a cheap contract + incentives. I'm excited to see what Reyes can do over a full season as well. I'm sure if everything panned out this season and the Jays won 90 games, and played meaningful games in September, everyone would be praising AA. Right now however there is no turning back. The Jays window to contend is 2014-2015 after AA went all in last offseason, so they better try and field the best team they could and make the playoffs or else AA's job is on the line. Where this team is lined up now, there is no point in rebuilding or signing guys with huge question marks and hope they pan out. They need to make another significant move or two this offseason to improve this club.

I just can't believe he goes around saying this. Like it's ridiculous. Zero walks? I would just outright release the idiot.

Just read this article on Fangraphs. I can't stand this loser. http://www.fangraphs.com/not/report-blue-jays-arencibia-to-stop-walking-in-2014/

There were are a lot of posters (even prominent one's) on here praising AA before the season started, and it's funny how things change after one season.

Rolen when healthy was great at third base, offensively and defensively. Ryan in 2006 had one of the best season's by a closer and still had a solid 2008 campaign. When healthy, he was dominant, though his contract was definitely ill-advisable. I think JPR had a lot of bad luck during his tenure in Toronto. He put together some solid teams like mentioned, though a lot of contracts he dished out never worked.For example, Lyle Overbay get's so much hate on here, though he was awesome in 2006 - the Jays go out and sign him to a contract extension and he suffers a broken wrist that season which zaps out all his power and he's never the same. I mean who saw that coming. Same with a guy like Rios who was looking like one of the next upcoming young stars in the game.

I don't think JPR was that bad of a GM as many people in Toronto made him out to be. He made a lot of solid under the radar moves and did put together some solid teams under a tight budget. He did go all out during the 2005/2006 offseason by trading for Glaus and Overbay and signing Burnett, Ryan and Molina, though they did not cripple the teams future/farm system as the AA trades did this offseason. However, one thing I did like about JPR was the under the radar moves he made which payed huge dividends (signing Frank Catalanotto, Scott Downs, Greg Myers, trading for Ted Lilly, trading for Scutaro, building cheap effective BP's almost every season etc. I still think the 2008 team was the best the Jays put together. The rotation with Halladay, Burnett and if Marcum, McGowan stayed healthy for the full season was one of the best in my opinion. Offensively, the team struggled heavily and I was disappointed that the Jays never went out and acquired a big bat when they needed one. As for deciding on which GM has been better, I still think we need to give AA some time. If this Jays team made the postseason, I'm sure everyone on here would choose AA hands down. Right now, in terms of baseball decisions I'd say I have liked JPR's moves better since he was able to find a lot of value out of the signings and trades he made (outside of the Ryan, Wells, and Rios contracts which would be his only faults -- though with Wells I'm sure he was pressured from Godfrey to sign him long term).

His bat would be a great fit in that ballpark. Though that lineup will strike out a ton with Dunn, Viciedo and De Aza.

Haha you bet! On a serious note though, his command this season was excellent - best K/BB ratio of any AL starter. As for not getting to 200 innings, he was on the DL for about a good month and a half of the season. He still managed to pitch 186.2 innings in 27 starts this season. Since coming back from the DL, I believe he led the league in innings pitched as well. I'm not sure what there is to worry about. Since returning back from the DL in July he has looked great. He's still one of the elite starters in my book.

How is he not an ace?

Defensively, Phillips is still one of the best at his position - no argument there. Offensively, he has declined the past three years, and as he enters his mid-30's, I still expect him to decline somewhat. Outside of the 18 HR's and 103 RBI this season (which we all know are horrible indicators), his other numbers like .OBP, .SLG and SB #'s were extremely disappointing. Infante makes more sense then Phillips since the Jays wouldn't have to give up any assets. I'm still sure the Reds have a high price on Phillips if they were to move him.

He probably is available, though I wouldn't want him here as a starter getting over 500 AB's. His offensive numbers are atrocious - the Jays would just be better running out Goins then.

For what it would cost to acquire Phillips and his contract, I'm not sure it would be worth it. He looks like he's starting to decline, as the last couple of seasons indicate. He barely had a .700 OPS this season. Sure defensively he's one of the best if not the best, though if his bat is in significant decline, the Jays would basically be paying $12 million for a glove only second baseman.

Rasmus is extremely underrated. He really is a similar player to Adam Jones, who get's so much hype in Baltimore.

What's funny? I hate seeing a young pitcher like Matt Harvey miss the entire 2014 season.

If the Jays are serious about contending next season, there is no way JPA is on the active roster and guaranteed a majority of the AB's behind the plate. Cannot have that mess again in 2014.

I have no clue why DeRosa is being brought back and guaranteed a roster spot. This is absurd.

As much as the Marlins trade gets bashed on here, it did bring excitement around baseball in this city. I never recalled the Blue Jays being talked about so much over the winter and leading into spring training. That resulted in an increase in ticket sales, flex pack sales, season ticket sales, merchandise etc. Most weekend games early on and in the summer were getting close to 40,000 and even weeknight games were getting good attendance numbers. I guess from a business standpoint, this season was a success. Not saying I agree with the trade or AA's plan, though now since the Jays went all in, especially after the Marlins deal with the Dickey trade (which I absolutely hated, even with the Marlins deal made), the Jays need to field a contending team in 2014 and 2015 in order to ensure the strong fan base returns. That's why the window to contend is over these next two years - since players like EE, Bautista, Reyes, Dickey etc are all under contract and likely won't begin a significant decline for another 2-3 more years. If the Jays don't play meaningful games at this time next season, or struggle right at the start again, this organization will be in a huge mess, both on and off the field.