PhillyBlueJay

Thank you for saying “f*** off Carlos”... We were all thinking this and it needed to be said even though we are all thinking this lol!

Atkins and Shapiro really f***ed up this year trying to act like Harvard analytics experts on every player and totally miss-played the free agent pitchers market! A team with 4-5 great young hitters that you could run for 5-6 year on arbitration and front load with 2-3 pitchers on 100 million dollar contracts to support the young pitchers coming up???? Did these two genius guys just become the laughing stock of other MLB GM's and baseball analysts!? Now the Jays are in a position that their core players are never going to be able to beat the Yankees or Boston and throwing away the youth and re-build movement. Do these two clowns think free agent pitchers are going to get any cheaper in the next 2 free agent classes? Like f***ing seriously.... After this free agent period your going to hear MLB analysts and other GM's state via media folks that the Jays really blew it this year on building around their core!!! Something that should be unforgivable for the nature of future projections on the Jays young core. 1 or 2 things I'm suspecting, Rogers and Board of Directors are really going to hear the negative feedback from MLB analysts and baseball people, fans, etc. The Board of Directors will be inclined to fire Shapiro and the ladder after a new president is found. It will be this outcome or Rogers really is trying to sell the Blue Jays as young marketable team for 1.5 billion dollars.

Lessons learned in 2019 will come back to haunt Rogers as they will realize going into the 2020 season that the Blue Jays will be lucky to draw 1 million fans for games and Sportsnet subscriptions will be way down in sales. It is apparent that both Atkins and Shapiro are nervous about their futures in Toronto as neither have secured a new contract beyond 2020/2021 nor have either been openly endorsed by the CEO or Board of Directors of Rogers. This all adds up to Shapiro and Atkins being constrained on any big money moves for free agents as they have no job security, and both may see writing on the wall since no money had been forthcoming for renovations of the Rogers Centre. How long have we heard the so-called renovations BS and now no spending by the organization on any free agents. If both Atkins and Shapiro had new contract extensions we probably would be talking a different tune right now, but both these guys are running the Blue Jays as a tight ship business so as to pad their resumes for future roles in other organizations. It is so obvious to mlb insiders that no one talks up the Blue Jays organization anymore. We are going to see Shapiro/ Atkins leave in 2020 and or the Blue Jays put up for sale in 2020. All actions by Rogers points to this outcome unfortunately.

You have talked the talk Atkins, time to walk the walk!!!

See time for Atkins to think outside the box... I would hire Jose Bautista as an off-season hitting instructor with potential to introduce him as a coach and potential instructor in the minor leagues. They came up with the idea of using past pitchers to throw simulated pitching prior to games to get the hitters feeling like they are on top of the ball better and get a better feel for real-time pitching. I would get Bautista instructing in Dunedin and send Billy Mckinney, Randell Grichuk, Rowdy Tellez, and newly acquired Derek Fischer to learn the launch angle swing and timing of hitting with leg kick. Josh Donaldson took a full off-season to mimic Bautista and then he broke out in Oakland the year before we traded for him... Idea would be that we get 2 of the 4 adapting and having break out years. As it stands now the 4 of these guys with their status-quo swings are not going to cut-it at the MLB level.

Very good read, just sandwich him between Bo's ability to hit and get on base and Vlad's ability to hit bombs and be a true slugging threat... Teams will be nervous with Bo getting on base and fear Vlad will hurt them so he should see a lot of fast balls early in the count... Reminds me of the same situation with Carlos Delgado and Vernon Wells hitting in front of him. Vernon Wells had a career monster year hitting in front of Carlos Delgado and the Jays brass sign him to a 7-year contract and Delgado leaves via free agency and Vernon Wells comes back down to earth the next year... Just sandwich him between Bo and Vlad and be willing to bite the bullet for a year. If he is going to breakout he will do it in 5-6 months or NOT, but that is what it is going to take, not batting him 7-8-9 hoping he slowly starts to hit MLB pitching. AND....send him to the Arizona Fall league this fall and have Jays get him hitting with a launch angle type of swing with coaching prior to the AFL starting!!! BOOM or BUST and we will know in one year.... Atkins will either lose his GM job in 2020 or look like a f***ing genius!!!

So.... guess that means that have resided to the fact Teoscar will become full-time DH next season.

Jays need to bring together a combination package of some sort with Giles, Smoak, Galvis, Sanchez, and get a top 50 prospect in last minute.

Agree, he needs them removed both for physical issues and on going problem, but also for his mental approach from not holding him back in his mind in fear of re-occurrence. Put him under the knife now sooner than better for next season, bone spurs don't fade away..

Tommy John...

Sanchez was always destined to be traded since day one, Jays organization past and present dislike his agent and will never sign that agents players period!!! Long standing hate there..

Smoak being traded?? Drury at first is a sure sign...

Trending to be a top 100 prospect is still no guarantee and NOT even to grab prospects in other organization in the top 50-100. Just crazy. I'm sure we will hear some chatter from baseball people that Atkins accepted way less then what other organizations were willing to offer. Atkins needed to push teams right till noon on the 31st. That is what Pat Gillick always did and ended up with good trades. Atkins is blink first guy and should not be our GM going forward! I mean Jesus Christ, you could not say to Atlanta, Padres, Yanks, Twins, give me your best pitching prospect for Stroman in a 1-1 swap and they would not take him it in a playoff run....

Now it is time to really throw up, all those other teams needing pitching and Atkins f***s this up completely. I would have been happy with just a one for one swap of a top 50 pitching prospect from another organization. But this.... this is lottery tickets for a top 5 pitcher with one year left of control. Atkins you are incompetent and just as well you held on to Stroman for another year. What an utter disaster of a trade..... these two guys might crack a top 100 list in two years and that is a big "MIGHT". One guy is 24 and might not reach the majors until 26.

Holy f***... the munchies kicked in instantly...... Had to get a bowl of popcorn, pop, and chocolate bar before I started reading the thread. Now I am ready to throw up with no news, and fear we got fleeced by a glorified player agent turned wannabe GM with a hard-on ego for attention!!!

Suspect single A or AA pitcher coming back....

Just mentioned Braves Scouts and Boston scouts in attendance watching Giles. I put any money on the Braves swinging an AA Blockbuster for Stroman, Giles, and Sogard for prospects!!!

Buck mentioned scouts all sitting together from the following teams: Yankees, BoSox, Braves, Cubs, Reds, Dodgers, Rays, and Padres Scouts names mentioned in attendance Rick Williams (Braves), Bruce Mano (Braves), Jim Henry (Yankees), Ken Kravick (Rays), Frank Wren (Red Sox).

Buck mentioned scouts all sitting together from the following teams: Yankees, BoSox, Braves, Cubs, Reds, Dodgers, Rays, and Padres Scouts names mentioned in attendance Rick Williams (Braves), Bruce Mano (Braves), Jim Henry (Yankees), Ken Kravick (Rays), Frank Wren (Red Sox).

I think Atkins needs to think about moving Stroman and Giles in a package deal if it makes sense for the Jays to maximize top prospect return. Trying to flip these two individually at the deadline usually means getting 10 different trade proposals from a contending team unwilling to part with any of their top 3-4 prospects at all costs. What they end up getting is offered packages of two B or B+ player types, and 1 C+ player type, with possibly a throw in lottery pick with a top drafted player in the previous year that is to hard to tell if they will be good enough yet in double AA. The Jays do not need C+ or B+ prospects as they have them already but rather true valued A and A+ pitchers in the top 40 range. The smart play is to shop both of these guys to Braves, Padres, Brewers, and Twins with 1.5 years of control for two top players. This should net a combination of two players rated as A or A+ prospects, 1 B+ prospect, and a last year drafted player with high upside. This becomes an easier sell for those teams to their fans as they can say they are all in this year and next year at the cost of their top prospects and positions them now for a strong play-off run. Keep in mind prospects are more highly valued in the last 3 years then they have ever been, so wanting 2 top elite prospects from an organization that is deep in highly rated prospects requires giving up "true" current value now and next year with 1.5 years of control. My bet is on the Braves, we all know AA is about aggressive opportunity and going for it!

Are the rules different for international free agents when they are signed unlike the amateur draft? Can the Yankees as an example trade the 16 year old kid they signed as part of a package to get Stroman? Are there restrictions for trading international signed players in their first year?

Remember when Lawrie got traded to Oakland that he blamed the Astro turf on his overall success regarding wear and tear on his body and he fully expected to blossom to an elite level baseball player now that he is away from Rigers centre. How did that make out for you douche bag! Making statements like that is why he was traded to begin with just all about himself first and not a team player. Remember no love loss when he got traded from the club hous.

Well me for one not too torn up by loss of EE. EE has struggled the last couple of years with many finger injuries and always with a suspect back so at age 34 those hands and back are only going to get worst and take more of a pounding. That is not to say Morales will have injuries also but much easier to swallow 11 million versus 20 million player on the DL. I for one do not think EE will put up the numbers he had in TO while in Cleveland. As of today that is what Cleveland is paying for at this moment in time (40 hrs, 120 RBI's) whereas the Morales signing was an expectation of 25 hr's 80 RBI's but he could do better. Jays need to trade for VMart exchanging Smoak, Biagini, and Pompey.

I think the time is right for Bautista! Offer 2 year contract at 35 million or equal to 2 years at current qualifying offer amount. Provide Bautista option to become free agent after first year so he can opt out but if he does not the Jays get an option 3rd year equal to qualifying offer or 1 million buyout clause. To guaranteed value to Bautista is 36 million equal to 18 million a year for 2 years.

I wonder.... Jays sign Cuban prospect! Jays sign Kendrys Morales's who is Cuban! Jays would love to get younger and replace either Bautista or EE's power? Guess what other free agent outfielder is on the market and Cuban! Jays sign Cespedes for 5 years 125 million. Kendrys' acts as interpreter and mentor! Boom!!!