Ehjays

True but Im not talking about the benches clearing or pitchers throwing at players, Im talking about the character of the guys involved in the game....Everyone from Umpires to managers to players...Years ago, the way guys stood out was their character. Nowadays its just ego. Players wearing gold chains, not running out ground balls, hell, there was even a guy dropped a cell phone sliding into 3rd base last year. Umps that toss people for worst reasons cause they hear chirping from the bench and their feelings are hurt and managers that tip toe around the big stars. Back in the day...The big guys all had character, the best managers, Billy Martin, Tommy Lasorda and feisty Earl Weaver , all of 5 ft 6 but HUGE character. Umpires like Ron Luciano amonst others loved confrontations and wasnt quick to throw a guy from the game. Players with characters like Mark Fidrych, Known for his quirky antics on the mound, or Bill Spaceman Lee for his outspoken personality (When asked about his views on mandatory drug testing, Lee says: "I've tried just about all of them, but I wouldn't want to make it mandatory") Johnson was one of those pitchers thats players feared when they stepped in the box. In this case, Lofton was saying hrs before the game that Johnson always threw at his head. First pitch, down goes Loften in dramatic form, Johnson says "It was a f***in slider, if I wanted to hit you I would have thrown a fastball" They finally get things settled down and Johnson throws a fastball at him. THAT is what I speak of when I say I miss that old part of the game.

Sometimes I miss the old baseball. Lol

Solid signing by Cleveland, you cant lose by a minor league deal, Toussaint is something we should have been in on........ Guardians Sign Touki Toussaint, Cam Gallagher To Minor League Deals By Steve Adams | January 4, 2023 at 9:19am CDT The Guardians announced Wednesday that they’ve signed right-hander Touki Toussaint, catcher Cam Gallagher and righty Michael Kelly to minor league contracts with invitations to Major League Spring Training. Cleveland also confirmed its previously reported signing of outfielder Roman Quinn. Toussaint, 26, is the most recognizable and most experienced name of the bunch. A former first-round draft pick (No. 16 overall, to the D-backs in 2014) and top-100 prospect in the sport, the 6’3″ righty was traded to the Braves and, for several years, was viewed as a potentially vital piece of the team’s most recent rebuilding cycle. It was easy enough to see why. Toussaint obliterated minor league lineups in 2018, pitching to a combined 2.38 ERA in 136 1/3 innings — including a 1.43 ERA in 50 innings during his Triple-A debut. It’s been mostly downhill since that time, however. Toussaint was solid but wild in a 29-inning MLB debut late in the ’18 season, and he was clobbered both in Triple-A and in the Majors in 2019 (as were many pitchers in the juiced ball season). He allowed 24 runs in 24 1/3 innings during the shortened 2020 season, and Toussaint hasn’t really found his footing in either of the two subsequent seasons, despite a move to the bullpen and a change of scenery that sent him from Atlanta to Anaheim. All in all, Toussaint has a 5.34 ERA in 170 1/3 big league innings. He’s punched out a solid 23.7% of his opponents and paired that with a solid 11.1% swinging-strike rate, but he’s also walked far too many hitters (13.6%) and been homer-prone more often than not (1.37 HR/9). His Triple-A work has been better, but not markedly so; in 160 innings he carries a 4.55 ERA with a 25.7% strikeout rate and 12.6% walk rate. Gallagher, 30, has appeared in parts of six Major League seasons — all with the Royals. He’s primarily functioned as a glove-first backup to iron man Salvador Perez, never topping more than 142 plate appearances in a single big league season. He’s tallied just 469 trips to the plate during his time in the Majors, batting .240/.302/.355 overall. Gallagher draws plus marks for his framing and has registered 11 Defensive Runs Saved in 1136 career innings behind the plate, though he’s struggled a bit with the running game (20.6% caught-stealing rate in his career).

Analyzing The Blue Jays’ Second Base Possibilities By Anthony Franco | January 2, 2023 at 8:03pm CDT The Blue Jays have made a few drastic lineup changes this offseason, sending out Teoscar Hernández and top catching prospect Gabriel Moreno while bringing back Daulton Varsho and signing Kevin Kiermaier. Toronto general manager Ross Atkins recently told reporters he considers the club’s heavy lifting mostly finished, though he left the door open for another small-scale move or two. One area of the roster that has thus far not changed is the infield. That’s not all that surprising, considering the Jays entered the offseason with a strong infield under club control for another year. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Matt Chapman will be back at the corners, with Bo Bichette manning shortstop. The one position that doesn’t seem entirely settled is second base, though that’s not for a lack of options. Toronto has a trio of players who could compete for reps at the keystone, with manager John Schneider presumably planning to divvy up playing time depending on how each performs early in 2023. At the moment, Whit Merrifield looks like the favorite for early run. Toronto acquired him from the Royals at last summer’s trade deadline, buying low at a time when the two-time All-Star was sitting on a meager .240/.290/.352 line. The Jays seemed undeterred by those numbers, betting on Merrifield’s career track record and generally solid work following an atrocious April. He rewarded the front office’s faith, hitting .281/.323/.446 in 44 games in a Jays uniform. That surely cemented Merrifield’s place somewhere in the regular lineup, with second base being the straightforward option. Merrifield is capable of covering all three outfield positions, but Varsho and Kiermaier are in line for regular playing time alongside George Springer on the grass. With Alejandro Kirk and Danny Jansen likely to split time between catcher and designated hitter, Merrifield will presumably man second base on Opening Day. Doing so pushes a pair of players who looked like quality regulars for the Jays not too long ago — Santiago Espinal and Cavan Biggio — to the bench. Biggio has been in the Opening Day lineup in each of the past three seasons, twice at the keystone, but that seems unlikely to be the case this year. The left-handed hitter is coming off a second straight pedestrian year, hitting .202/.318/.350 with six home runs through 303 plate appearances. Biggio still draws plenty of walks but he’s seen his power production dip the past couple seasons. He struggled enough he was briefly optioned to Triple-A Buffalo last season, though he was recalled within two weeks. He spent most of the year in a utility capacity, playing all four corner spots in addition to second base. After Biggio was demoted, the primary second base job fell to Espinal. The 28-year-old had worked primarily as a versatile bench piece from 2020-21. He played his way into more consistent reps with a strong first few months in 2022, hitting .271/.323/.425 through the end of June. He even secured an All-Star appearance for that excellent early work, but he couldn’t carry that production for a full season. Espinal hit .261/.321/.317 from July onwards, ceding some more playing time to Biggio and (after the deadline) Merrifield for the stretch run. With Merrifield in the fold, Espinal and Biggio each entered the offseason as at least somewhat realistic potential trade candidates. Espinal’s ability to cover shortstop if Bichette were injured and/or needed a rest day made him seem more entrenched than Biggio in Toronto, although it seemed reasonable teams could call on either player. There’s been no indication thus far that Toronto has discussed either with other clubs. Considering the scant remaining middle infield options available via free agency, it’s possible teams like the White Sox, Angels, Giants or Brewers could still be in touch with Atkins and his staff in the coming months. The Jays don’t figure to be urgent to move either player, particularly considering the health uncertainty present with Kiermaier and Springer. An injury to either could press Merrifield more frequently back into outfield duty, leaving Espinal and/or Biggio to handle the keystone on a more regular basis. Espinal and Biggio each qualified for arbitration for the first time this winter. They’re both projected by MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz for a salary in the $2-3MM range. That’s hardly onerous, although there’s a case to be made for considering trade possibilities. As MLBTR’s Darragh McDonald noted last week, the Blue Jays presently project to enter the season right around the $233MM base luxury tax line. There are enough error bars in arbitration projections they could conceivably head into the year either above or below that threshold. A team’s tax payor status isn’t finalized until season’s end, and the organization could well determine they’re comfortable exceeding that mark to maximize their chances in what should be a competitive AL East. Yet if the club is content with its infield strength — especially if they’re confident prospect Addison Barger will be ready for MLB action fairly early in the season — fielding offers on Espinal or Biggio could make sense. They’re not under pressure to do so but would presumably be open to the possibility, particularly if they could net immediate rotation depth or bullpen help.

I think the Dodgers would have as many question marks as us, they have a solid top 5 but starts to get shakey after that, and the Yankees, they are 1 more year older and high injury risk lineup. Im not sold on them being higher than us either.

Any Japanese or high profile player coming directly from overseas we never have a chance. If we have a chance, they are no good.

Yes he would be a sweet add, I would take Reyes over Richards anyday.

But its worth a call, man I would love that deal, include a lower prospect as well. I have liked our recent trades with Miami. See what it takes.

Quick search brought up this and looks like 1 not 41

Sounds to me like you may have got caught in a scam or two, like lost all your money outright, or your order for an 18year old virgin ended up being a 42 year old toothless mother of 4 with a nicely trimmed beard. I hope it turns out for those that need that have to resort to this service.

Not sure if you noticed, But Varsho actually took an extra bag on Tapia, Does he not know Gunslinger Tapia is dangerous to run on.

Yes to most teams it would mean a multi year deal, It didn't stop the Angels last year with Thor

One thing I have noticed from the last couple of transactions the Jays have made, KK was saying that some players including Bo Bichette have reached out to him and it made him feel welcome. Today I just saw Varsho talking about being traded to the Jays, he said Bo has reached out to him and it made him feel like he's part of the family. I like Bo alot but I know sometimes I can be critical of him, but I have to admit he is taking leadership by reaching out to the new guys. Sometimes its the small things that can make a difference, like its not like its the Bradley Zimmer of the team reaching out, its one of thee main dudes and as a new player on the team, it makes you feel more comfortable, more at home, so good on Bo and whomever else is doing that.

Ok so I was just reading about the International Free agency signing period starting on Jan 15/23 and Bassitt's signing wont affect that. It will be Jan '24 that it will affect I believe. Also, I didn't realise that when a team forfeits cash because they signed a player, That allowance is then redistributed to the other clubs. So when Jays signed Bassitt every teams spending allowance goes up $17,000 + https://www.mlb.com/news/the-top-international-prospects-for-2022-23 International signing rules, spending These are the international bonus pools for the 2022-23 signing period: Clubs that received a Competitive Balance Pick in Round B of the Draft (Athletics, Brewers, Mariners, Marlins, Rays, Reds, Tigers and Twins) received a pool of $6,366,900 while clubs with a Competitive Balance Pick in Round A (D-backs, Guardians, Orioles, Padres, Pirates, Rockies and Royals) received $5,825,500. The base signing pool for the Astros, Blue Jays, Braves, Cardinals, Cubs, Giants, Mets, Nationals, White Sox and Yankees is $5,284,000. The Angels, Phillies and Red Sox each forfeited $500,000 from their pools for signing players who had rejected qualifying offers -- Noah Syndergaard, Nick Castellanos and Trevor Story, respectively -- last offseason, so each has a pool of $4,644,000 . The Dodgers and Rangers each forfeited $1,000,000 from their pools for signing players who had rejected qualifying offers to lower their pool to $4,144,000. The Dodgers surpassed the luxury tax threshold the previous season and had to forfeit $1,000,000 for Freddie Freeman. The Rangers forfeit $500,000 each for Corey Seager and Marcus Semien. The forfeited monies are redistributed to the other clubs. Teams will be allowed to trade international bonus slots during this signing period starting Jan. 15. There are guidelines for signing prospects. An international player is eligible to sign with a Major League team between Jan. 15 and Dec. 15. He must turn 16 before he signs and be 17 before Sept. 1 the following year -- in practical terms, that means players born between Sept. 1, 2005, and Aug. 31, 2006, will be eligible to sign in the upcoming signing period. Players have to be registered with Major League Baseball in advance in order to be eligible to sign.

LMFAO Yep, Thats Boston trying to rid themselves of that contract.

Varsho meets the press. Talks about running hard for everything, He says he got it from his football years, Man he would destroy Bo if that happened again. Atkins call with the press about the trade

I agree!! I was watching the highlights of him at bat and in the field and its almost like we just traded for the "Chapman of the outfield " but even younger and more controllable.