jaysblue

If the Jays ended up trading Alex Rios to the Giants after the 2007 season, what could have been haha.

Turned out to be a fantastic signing by AA. Martin played a big role on both the 2015 and 2016 teams. Hope Martin can make his way into the HoF at some point.

Jays just need to make a decision regarding Vladdy rather than staying in limbo. 1) Trade him for young MLB ready pieces and still remain competitive (like L54 said, you free up $30M in arb money that you could use on a bat like Alonso and also acquire likely 2 or 3 pieces that help you in other areas for 2025 and beyond). 2) Sign him to an extension which makes him the face of the franchise for the next decade and you build around him. 3) Stand pat though go all-in for 2025 with Vladdy under control for one more year. Most unlikely scenario to happen since it's been a quiet offseason thus far and the amount of options in free agency is dwindling. 4) Stand pat, keeping the status quo and not improving the club significantly for a run in 2025. The worst IMO would be Option 4 and that could definitely be a possibility. Keeping Vladdy and not doing much else at improving the club for 2025 would be awful.

I remember when he was with the White Sox and squared off against Roy Halladay I think in 2006 or 2007. One of the shortest MLB games haha. Loved how Buehrle was a quick worker and one of the most durable starters in the game. Sucks he retired early - probably could have pitched into his early 40's. What a memorable career!

I was at that game. So much buzz and excitement for that Opening Day! Watching Doc battle Santana was awesome on Opening Day. Two of the best pitchers in baseball at the time. Went to the Game 2 the following day, and Josh Towers got rocked, which was the start of his 2-10 season with an 8.42 ERA haha.

Blue Jays signed Juan Acevedo in 2003 after he was released by the Yankees and pitched for the Jays for about 1.5 months. When I was a kid, got an autographed ball from him which was cool.

Given their odds and position in the standing, it's a good value bet right now. Especially if they add some pieces at the trade deadline.

Merry Christmas everyone! Going to watch Die Hard tonight with a nice glass of scotch which is always a Christmas Eve tradition!

Playoffs are different hockey man. They always choke in the Playoffs. Haven't got over that hump.

I'll bring the camera equipment to take the shots. I have a tripod.

Ross Atkins is the guy who goes to a steakhouse and likely just orders a salad. AA goes big and orders the Porterhouse and Shapiro plays its conservative with a filet mignon.

Western Conference is just super tough though. They have to get through teams like Vegas, Edmonton, LA, Dallas, Colorado and Manny.

Will check their futures. They're 14 to 1 to win the Cup outright.

His rant about Adam Dunn was hilarious as well. “Do you know the guy (Adam Dunn) doesn't even like baseball all that much?” haha

BJMB favourite Dirk Hayhurst also wore #58. Some members had a lovefest with him haha.

It would have been a Festivus Miracle!

You get away with a lot on this board in comparison to other members is what I was saying. That's the truth.

Can Clement steal 40 bases? Just asking.

One thing I loved about JPR, was that he sat in every Wednesday with Wilner to take questions from fans and have a discussion. He wasn't afraid to do so. Didn't have to, but he did. Atkins seems like a beta and would never even have the courage to do that!

Atkins waiting for Boxing Day deals.

I'm meeting up with Brownie for beers after Christmas! He's buying!

Braves just need to get everyone back healthy and they should be alright. They have needs but not glaring needs. Shortstop really the only position that needs a significant upgrade. Are there any decent free agent SS's available? Maybe Kim is the only one I suppose. They weren't ever going to sign Adames. They probably are going to roll with an outfield of Harris in CF, Acuna in RF once he gets back and likely Kelenic/De La Cruz platoon in LF. Acuna might miss time at the beginning of the season, so that's a concern. Not sure they hand out a $100M contract to Teo or Santander for LF. Rotation is fine, especially once Strider comes back. They could use another mid-rotation starter or back-end starter. Don't see them spending $75M over 3 years on an arm like Pivetta. They likely could bring back Morton on a one-year deal or maybe they sign a vet like Scherzer or Verlander. Bullpen could use another high leverage arm, but they have a solid group still with Iglesias, Jimenez, Johnson, Bummer and Lee. Yeah they need to upgrade their bench but I'm sure they'll fill in those pieces closer to ST. Otherwise, not much really needs to be done. They're already a team that can contend for the NL East with the core they have. Just need to add some missing pieces.

Spanky likes investing in White Sox bats. Pretty much all his fantasy teams have Eloy and Roberts Jr haha.

Unbelievable how far he's fallen off. This guy was supposed to be the next Stanton offensively.

Vladdy definitely going to bet on himself for next offseason. If he goes out and posts a 7 to 8 WAR season, he will cash in similar to Ohtani/Soto territory though for 10 years. Don't see a team giving him 15 years like the Mets did with Soto. Jays have to make a decision with Vlad. Either trade him before the season starts and get pieces with control that could help you over the next couple of years, or hang onto him heading into 2025 in hopes of contending, though that requires spending money this offseason to improve the team around him. They can't keep the status quo.