fireballW

Sadly I think I know the answer, but does anyone think we could get something decent for Belo? By something decent I mean a good relief pitcher. I would very much rather add to the offense and get solid but unspectacular pitchers to fill around them.

Interesting part of AA's Fan590 interview to me was that he said his dream job is scouting director, not GM.

Kind of wish we were the winning bid for Park. Some Koreans can really play and he seems pretty legit to me. Watched him a few years ago a couple times. It'd be ideal if he was a lefties but I think the one year with our offense will give him a year to warm up to the MLB until EE potentially leaves. As far as finding value, I think he is one of the better chances.

Can Zobrist play an adequate shortstop?

With about 30 mil to spend I'd probably want Iwakuma, Lowe and Lackey if I didn't dislike him so much.

Would you have Zobrit rotating through everyone or would he mostly play 1B?

Clearly ridiculous that this was merged into another thread. I check this site multiple times a day and didn't even see this info because I didn't wade through every page of a huge thread. Really getting out of control around here with bans and thread merging.

None. I researched it better afterwards and they are all pretty into analytics. It was about equal in the playoffs. Teams that go with a mix and teams that seem almost 100% committed.

Blue Jays use plenty of analytics. Also I don't see a few of those teams you mentioned as analytic clubs.

Interesting comments by Ricciardi in recent interview on fan590. As a guy who got his roots in the Billy Bean system, he talks about how most of the recent WS winners are not teams that put a huge emphasis on analytics. Also talks about how the teams in the world series made moves at the deadline and how prospects are expendable for good current pieces (paraphrased).

Which they wouldn't have with an 80 million dollar payroll. Hence you would all think that AA was an even better GM than you currently do if payroll never jumped and Beeston said payroll wasn't there when he went for the Marlins trade. Considering his moves and which ones would have been feasible on an 80 million budget our team could be DH - EE C - D'Arnaud 1B - Smoak / Collabello 2B - Travis 3B - Donaldson SS - Blank / goins LF - Pompey CF - Pillar RF - Bautista BN - Saunders BN - Marisnick (he'd like be in the oufield but I'm putting him here) P - Stroman P - Syndergaard P - Sanchez P - Osuna P - Hoffman Cecil, Castro and a whole host of other potential guys. Yeah yeah this is hypothetical but it is also a very realistic take on what our team could potentially look like IF we had a smaller budget. AA is not even close to the only GM who would trade off more prospects for higher priced, MLB ready players when given a higher budget. As usual though, we have the same old posters talking in absolutes. 100% this is how it would be and there is no chance it could be any other way.

It's equally as annoying for us that you guys can't understand that people might make different decisions when they have a wad to blow. It's actually really shocking that as much as some people here know about baseball stats, the are equally as clueless about how basic logic or elements of human personalities.

I guess that is your opinion. Like Shapiro is saying though, there is more chance to take risks with a larger payroll. Riskier moves lead to the more possibilities of bad looking moves. There just really seems to be a human element that a lot of posters here don't see eye to eye with me on. Honestly, I'd think it is a pretty easy concept that certain GMs would end up doing a lot dumber things with more money. With an 80 million dollar budget instead of 130 I'd say AA probably would have done most things the same but not made the Marlins or Mets trades. The Donaldson deal didn't even set us back much money. Maybe as BTS points out he'd have trouble filling out the roster, but I think most of our lineup would be set. Of course the butterfly effect could have changed a lot, but for the most part you'd have seen all the good points and none of the weaknesses. Also on the human element, again I think people are underestimating how much harder it would be to get those bench players to Toronto. Any good ones that are only going to make a few million will have their choice of a few teams and likely not choose Canada. This again seems like something that people here will just brush off, but probably has a big effect on filling up a bench. Doesn't excuse it all though admittedly.

Funny. But still AA has been saying this for a long time, not just recently. He used strong language in the past saying how he really dislikes dealing with those types of things, and his interest is in baseball. You can decide to just plain not believe that if you want I guess.

AA has pretty much said himself he has no interest in a president's job. Has said more than once he does not enjoy any of those types of tasks and really just enjoys the baseball side of things. Not something he would lie about and if he can make 10+ million as a GM, I doubt he'd have any motivation to go be a president.

How does this even make sense? According to you guys it is when he traded his prospects that were his worse moves. From what I saw he is one of the hardest working and creative GMs I've ever seen. Couple that with the clear ability he showed in building a farm system and it is very possible that AA would be MORE suited to have a low budget.

Yes a link would be very nice.

There going to be a place to watch / listen to this? Is MLB website carrying it?

We keep hearing Shapiro wanted to replenish the upper minors. Might there have been a clash on Shapiro wanting them to trade Bautista and EE.

You mean ex-rays management.

You always know someone on here knows they've been caught when they start writing insults before their arguments. I remember JP getting that same boost in payroll and what did he do with it? Of course things lagged behind the first three years, it was another what... 7 years or so of losing by that point. I don't know why "he sold the team way better" leads you to believe that means only to the fans. Payroll went up because Rogers was convinced to raise it. You can give the credit to AA or to Beeston but I'm guessing giving it to Beeston would leave an even more sour taste in your mouth.

I'd rather take my shot even on guys like Johnson and Reyes than on Burnett and BJ Ryan. I didn't mind JP though tbh and Shapiro will probably be okay too. But I'd take AA over either of them if I was the owner.

AA was pretty much a master of getting people to hype up his prospects. It's not much point arguing though. There will always be guys more concerned with our minor leagues than major leagues. If we traded EE and Bautista right now for a bunch of exciting prospects lots of guys would be pumped I'm sure. Sure it works logically, but so does having another year with three 35+ HR hitters.

It is not enough? You are looking 2 years away and they already have just shy of what could be 50% of their team locked up and it isn't enough? Almost guaranteed at least another guy pop up between now and then. They have over half their outfield as well as two very solid infielders locked up in Donaldson and Travis. They have a young pitching staff and the only real players they need to replace for years are at positions like 1B and corner outfield. If Travis is anything even close to what he showed this season then I don't see how this team isn't fine for much longer than just next year.

No kidding, maybe it had to do with them actually selling the game and at least having fun players to watch. Anthopoulos from the beginning said he believed in getting elite talent, not paying a lot for mediocre guys. JP had guys like Ship sinking Shea as our cleanup hitter. I'd listen to JP talk and he seems like an arrogant dork, I'd listen to AA talk and even though he never said anything useful the passion oozed through his veins. TV numbers started spiking before the crowds came in, but either way of course AA got more money, he sold the team way better. That's actually part of the job believe it or not. It is like you don't even realize what you are saying should be an argument for him and not against him.