jaysblue

There haven't been that many closers out there who have done an exceptional job over a long period of time. Rivera is one of the first names that come to mind as he's closed games for the last two decades almost; the other's recently I'd say Hoffman and Wagner over the past decade or so. Though that's about it. Relievers are extremely volatile. There are not many closers who have had success for 10 + seasons.

You can probably get McCarthy or Cahill for a reliever. Kevin Towers loves BP arms.

That's cool. I'm sure if the Yankees announced which day he was starting, the Astros would get a sellout haha

I say Miguel Batista was the best - he was a poet at least.

I'd rather trade Sanchez + for someone like a Chris Sale, Madison Bumgarner, David Price etc. Wouldn't the Jays just be better to sign Tim Lincecum rather than trade Sanchez + for Parker?

Plus him and Jeremy Jeffress could become best pals...

Lincecum likely will sign a one year deal, or a modest 2-3 year deal since that would give him a chance to up his value and hit free agency again around 32 which at that time he likely would be able to net a nice contract if he's pitched well. He's no longer the ace or Cy Young winner he was in 2008 and 2009, though he's still a dependable No. 3 guy I think. He's durable (can give the Jays 200 IP) and does have good K rates, despite the diminished velocity. I'd rather sign Lincecum then trade the farm for someone like Parker or Griffin. As for Doc, I'm afraid he's done. He was clocked out at 83 mph in his last start and I'm not even sure he gets a guaranteed contract this offseason unless there's a team out there willing to take a gamble. I'd sign Doc to a minor league deal, though not a guaranteed MLB deal.

Another trade option/buy low guy would be Gallardo. I'd rather trade for him instead of Jarrod Parker or Griffin and I'm sure Gallardo would come cheaper.

What would you trade for Parker if you were in the GM's chair?

Everyone thinks Parker or Griffin can potentially be a No. 2 likely. They are solid young pitchers under control, though they are not elite talent. Having Griffin or Parker pitching in the AL East, in the Rogers Centre for a majority of their starts, pitching against teams like Boston, Tampa, New York, Baltimore 4-5 times a season, their numbers wouldn't be as good. They are nothing more than mid-rotation guys, and the Jays could easily go out and sign veteran No. 3 or 4's every offseason who could provide similar value.

+1 The Jays are in no position to dump the farm, unless its for an elite ace like a Chris Sale, Bumgarner, Price etc. I have no problem with the Jays signing Garza, though depending on what the cost is. Perhaps something similar to what Burnett signed with the Yankees back in 2008 is what I'm guessing is the benchmark. Even if the Jays miss out on signing Garza, I have no problem with them going after Ubaldo Jimenez or Tim Lincecum, both whom could likely sign a modest 2-3 year deal.

I don't see Parker ever being an ace - he's more of a mid rotation guy like you said, especially in the AL East. He's young and under control which makes him valuable, though you can likely sign a veteran FA for a decent price year-to-year who could provide a similar amount of value.

On my wish list this offseason, would be looking for a top No. 1 or 2 starter.

Alfonso Soriano can be moved for a team looking to add some significant power to their lineup. Soriano has been a beast since joining the Yankees and should still be a good bet to hit 30 HR's again next season.

That would be awesome!

If Doc was pitching better, I could see that happening. Unfortunately, I'm not even sure he'll get a guaranteed contract with the way he has been pitching especially by just clocking out at 83 mph in his last start. I could see casual fans getting excited if the Jays traded for Cliff Lee (which is highly unlikely and idiotic) or sign a pitcher like Tanaka.

Ah darn. Not even on the Thursday? What about an MLS soccer game? I'm don't follow soccer, though I heard Montreal has a good team.

I'm planning to go to the Montreal games. Hopefully there is a hockey game on the Saturday night as well.

I don't think as many flex packs will be sold as last year, lets all be realistic. People went overboard with flex packs/season tickets this season, and I heard from some of my ticket guys that many won't be renewing flex packs/season tickets. Flex Packs will still be popular likely (the 10 game ones), since people will guarantee themselves tickets for the Home Opener, so I'm sure people will buy them because of those reasons. I'll likely get a 10 game flex pack next season. Though once this team is out of it, you can easily buy seats for far cheaper on Stubhub. I went to see the Angels in September and paid $18 to sit 5 rows behind home plate in section 122. Then for the Yankees game last Thursday, paid $50 to sit about 12-15 rows up in Section 124. Far cheaper than the box office.

It's sad but true. The Jays best window to contend is 2014-2015. After that, this team is going to be a disaster. They better hope that they field a healthy team next season and the big names start performing to their expectations. If the Jays miss out on the postseason in 2014-2015, then you'll likely going to have to wait another 4-5 years after that.

Quoting Jonah Hill! We love it!

When I read that from Ken Rosenthal, I was astounded. What an awful offer by the Rangers. It's a slap in the face if you ask me. Garza is a FA at the end of the season, the Braves have no use for a 40-year-old reliever in Nathan with Kimbrel, and Murphy is just a platoon player. Upton is still young and is far more valuable long term. I know he isn't having the best season and really slowed down after his hot start, though he's still a solid player who is capable of having a monster year at any given time.

Doubt the Jays would get back both Profar and Holland in the same deal.

I agree as well that this team isn't a playoff team next season with the same group. I don't think they'll be this bad, though a lot of things have to go right for this team to win 90 games. This offseason, the team needs to add an impact starting pitcher. I'm sure Garza is out of their price range and I doubt a veteran like Kuroda would come and pitch in Toronto. I'd focus on bringing in someone like a Tim Lincecum or Ubaldo Jimenez - both have had solid years and should be durable enough to give the Jays 200 quality innings. They likely won't require a 5 or 6 year deal worth $90 million like Garza might demand. However with a thin market, Ubaldo or Timmy might get more than anticipated. The Jays also need to bring in a solid catcher, which should be at the top of the list. This team is really only built for 2014-2015, so they only have a two year window to contend since they still have all their main guys like EE, Bautista, Reyes etc all under contract and they should still all provide value over the next year or two until they start to significantly decline. After that, this team is in deep trouble like you said.

The thing I don't like about this strategy is that relief pitching is extremely volatile, that from year to year you can't rely 100% on the same middle relief guys to put up exact/similar numbers. So big deal Lincoln was on a 5-year team friendly deal - how can you project his performance over 5 years? Obviously the Delabar deal was good, no complaints there. Trading a below replacement level outfielder for a high K% reliever with upside was a good buy. I didn't even have a problem with the Santos trade since he was looking like he was going to become an elite closer. The problems I have are how AA kind of goes overboard with relievers, especially when it comes down to trading valuable MLB assets like Aviles, Napoli or signing scrubs like Francisco Cordero when you really don't need to.