Blue Jays Official Offseason 2007-2008 Threa

[flambers]

Originally Posted by Bobblehead

On Connected they just said the Blue Jays are denying the report, and they haven't decided what to do. Weird. The TSN report seems pretty cut and dried.

Edit: and now the Sportsnet website is reporting it. It must have been the overnight show they loop that I was watching.

Sportsnet link has comments from Reed..

http://www.sportsnet.ca/baseball/200.../johnson_jays/

"I don't have any hard feelings," Johnson said. "I don't have much of a choice right now except to move on. It's really all I can say."

As for the move, in my opinion this is the correct move, Stewart is the much better hitter. Who has allot more power and has demostrated it for quite a few years.

[flambers]

Originally Posted by Jiggy_12

Garbage move. Just garbage..

Reed is exactly the type of player the Jays need. Good defense, speed, can situational hit. And plays hard every single inning.

I expect a few teams to jump at him, probably an NL team.

Thats true but the same thing can be said of Stewart on almost all of those points. Stewart has speed, Stewart is the better hitter. Johnson however is the better defensive player.

IMO Stewart has the more upside, he has been a solid hitter for a long time. The Jays need another bat who can hit the doubles and produce RBIs. I don't see Reed as that guy...

[bluejays]

Count me in "garbage move" bin. Reed was born to be a Jay and regardless if Shannon is the 4th OFer, it still doesn't make sense at all. Shannon had a lousy spring training hitting in the low .200's while Reed came close to .300. Certainly Stewart had a good career, but let sleeping dogs sleep. Enough nostalgia. Certainly not a fan of JP and this move stinks like crap.

[moon]

Originally Posted by flambers

Thats true but the same thing can be said of Stewart on almost all of those points. Stewart has speed, Stewart is the better hitter. Johnson however is the better defensive player.

IMO Stewart has the more upside, he has been a solid hitter for a long time. The Jays need another bat who can hit the doubles and produce RBIs. I don't see Reed as that guy...

That may have been the case 5 years ago but now it seems Stewart is nothing more than a mediocre option off the bench. He still can hit for decent average but he isn't exactly an RBI machine and isn't going do much with his speed.

I am not a Jays fan but if I were I would prefer to have the effort, defense and intangibles that a guy like Johnson brings.

Ultimately it isn't a decision that is going to drop the Jays out of third but is an odd choice none-the-less.

[alan21]

Reading forums everywhere discussing this topic, everyone seems to agree that this was a HUUUUGE mistake. Shannon Stewart was my favorite Jay before he was dealt. I still can't see this as a good move. But maybe there's health issues with Reed still? Then again Stewart hasn't been all that healthy in recent years. Strange move...

[JiriHrdina]

Possible that this is partly to due with the Jays not having faith that he is the same player since his back troubles?

[flambers]

Originally Posted by JiriHrdina

Possible that this is partly to due with the Jays not having faith that he is the same player since his back troubles?

Releasing a Fan favorite is always tough for any club;

In my opinion Stewart is a one year option. The Jays will go wiith Lind and or Synder in the following season.

[AaronSJ]

Scott Rolen fractured his finger today and JP provided this cryptic remark: “Early prognosis is it’s not going to be six weeks or something like that, so I don’t even want to throw a schedule out there. I can say this: he won’t be lost for the year.”

http://network.nationalpost.com/np/b...eld-drill.aspx

[ricoFlame]

Originally Posted by AaronSJ

Scott Rolen fractured his finger today and JP provided this cryptic remark: “Early prognosis is it’s not going to be six weeks or something like that, so I don’t even want to throw a schedule out there. I can say this: he won’t be lost for the year.”

http://network.nationalpost.com/np/b...eld-drill.aspx

yikes, not good. more playing time for scutaro/macdonald.

[Johnny 99]

The Blue Jays' season is over before it has even begun! When you are in a division with two big markets like Boston and New York, the only way you have a chance is if you stay totally injury-free and the other two teams both suffer major slip ups. B.J. Ryan doesn't look set to pitch at all in April, and now Rolen has a broken finger. Stick a fork in the Jays - they're done.

[JiriHrdina]

Originally Posted by Johnny 99

The Blue Jays' season is over before it has even begun! When you are in a division with two big markets like Boston and New York, the only way you have a chance is if you stay totally injury-free and the other two teams both suffer major slip ups. B.J. Ryan doesn't look set to pitch at all in April, and now Rolen has a broken finger. Stick a fork in the Jays - they're done.

And don't forget Casey Janssen gone for the year.

Definitely an auspicious start.

[Jiggy_12]

Originally Posted by Johnny 99

The Blue Jays' season is over before it has even begun! When you are in a division with two big markets like Boston and New York, the only way you have a chance is if you stay totally injury-free and the other two teams both suffer major slip ups. B.J. Ryan doesn't look set to pitch at all in April, and now Rolen has a broken finger. Stick a fork in the Jays - they're done.

From what I've heard lately, Ryan might be ready for opening day.

And before you completely hit the panic button on the season, Ricciardi had this to say:

"He will see the specialist (Monday) and we will know more," Ricciardi said. "The fracture is actually not the problem. You can play with a fracture, it's just losing the nail."

Rolen might not miss much time, likely just a few weeks.

This won't be the difference on the Jays season. Its when injuries pile up like last season that hurts.

[postal]

Is anyone else still shocked that Greg Zaun wasnt replaced? You wanna compete with the Sox and Yankees....then the catching position should have been improved.
Also, is it safe to assume that Litsch has locked down the 5th spot in the rotation? Is anyone besides Chacin even in the mix?

[Jiggy_12]

Originally Posted by postal

Is anyone else still shocked that Greg Zaun wasnt replaced? You wanna compete with the Sox and Yankees....then the catching position should have been improved.
Also, is it safe to assume that Litsch has locked down the 5th spot in the rotation? Is anyone besides Chacin even in the mix?

Litsch has got it. With Janssen hurt and Chacin unable to get his fastball into the mid 80's, there's nobody else to contend.

[ricoFlame]

Originally Posted by postal

Is anyone else still shocked that Greg Zaun wasnt replaced? You wanna compete with the Sox and Yankees....then the catching position should have been improved.
Also, is it safe to assume that Litsch has locked down the 5th spot in the rotation? Is anyone besides Chacin even in the mix?

i've been an anti-zaun guy forever. you need a solid all-around catcher. zaun has a weak arm and is inconsistent at the plate.

[flambers]

Originally Posted by postal

Is anyone else still shocked that Greg Zaun wasnt replaced? You wanna compete with the Sox and Yankees....then the catching position should have been improved.
Also, is it safe to assume that Litsch has locked down the 5th spot in the rotation? Is anyone besides Chacin even in the mix?

I don't see what other options the Jays had at the Catcher position. They have a couple decent prospects but they are a year away.

As for the starter position, it has been locked down for quite awhile. If an injury happens it should be interesting to see what the Jays will do.

As the Jays commented earlier that Chacin would not be ready due to arm strength issues from his Shoulder surgery.

[flambers]

Originally Posted by ricoFlame

i've been an anti-zaun guy forever. you need a solid all-around catcher. zaun has a weak arm and is inconsistent at the plate.

I am not a huge Zaun fan either but I don't see any other options for the Jays. Personally I believe the Jays are waiting for Robinson Diaz to take over the position probably in one year timeframe.

[flambers]

Originally Posted by JiriHrdina

And don't forget Casey Janssen gone for the year.

Definitely an auspicious start.

However the Jays have Brandon League back, rumours are his speed is back to where it use to be. This is a major plus for the Jays.

[zukes]

I loved how Reed Johnson played, but have been preparing myself for this ever since Stewart was signed. I don't care what the pre-season stats say though, Stewart is a WAY better hitter than Johnson is so it is an upgrade offensively. Defensively, well the best you can hope for is that anything hit to left field is in the air and nobody is on base. Stewart can get to a lot of balls, but he throws like my wife. It's the opposite when Stairs is out there, he has a decent arm, but his range is sloth-like.

[Resolute 14]

Actually, over the last three years, Stewart and Johnson had nearly identical stats.

Stewart is cheaper, that's the difference.