Quote:
Originally Posted by cross16
I won't debate the merits of the Price contract either, but I will say that if this team's "excuse" for playing like this is that they didn't re-sign David Price then you had a terrible clubhouse to begin with. I don't beleive that to be the case.
This team has been provided with everything it needs to compete for a playoff spot. A few weeks ago they were a top 5 team in baseball. Did it suddenly take until September for them to "miss" David Price and let their results suffer or let the lack of a Daivd Price affect their game?
Sometimes the answer is as simple as the players are not getting it done. When it comes to the Jays right now, I think its that simple they jsut arn't executing well. Talent is there, execution is not.
|
How was this team provided with everything they needed to win though? How many games did they blow in the first two months because the bullpen was not adequately addressed? They basically started this season with two rookies in the starting rotation. Sure it worked out, but odds are it shouldn't have. Our starting pitching has been pretty mediocre to terrible for well over a month now.
Why are we so sure that the clubhouse isn't terrible? Last year for half a year this team played well, but this is the same core of guys that big-time underachieved for the previous 3 years.
The thing with Price was, adding him signaled to the players that everyone was all in, including management and ownership. it's a lot easier to play when you think everyone has your back. Not resigning Price or bringing in some replacements/upgrades in the summer told the players they were on their own and basically had about one year left to get it done. I'm not a professional athlete, but I think having that type of pressure would affect my performance. The game wouldn't be fun for me anymore. They've been tight all year. I think this is a big reason why.
This team didn't just start to tank in September. The offence has been struggling all year. They are all-out tanking in September because their pitching has fallen back to earth due to a heavy dose of AL East teams, and the offence never righted the ship.