The Blue Jays: 2009 Season Thread

[zukes]

Originally Posted by CaramonLS

Riccardi has made some decent moves. I'll give him credit where credit is due, he is able to manufacture a half decent bullpen from virtually nothing (downs). He has done a solid job in that respect. He also manages to pull some decent retreads/utility players away from other teams and make them pretty useful (Scutaro).

But it ends there.

Most of his "big money" signings have been disasters. Thomas, Wells, Koskie, Ryan. In 3 of those cases (well soon to be 4 if we ever decide to get rid of Wells, he has had to eat a good deal of the contract). 2 of those players were DFA'd and one was paid 7.5 million over 2 years to play for another team.

Fiscal mismanagement like that has crippled the Jays hopes to compete. Investing the the WRONG players.

Of course that is only a tiny portion of why I dislike the guy, but I don't really feel like writing my usual 10 pager on it tonight.

Agree completely. JP is good at seeing talent in what most consider marginal players, he was that way in Oakland and has been that way here. However, he has never had a mind of his own. When he came here he was "Moneyball" or bust, which in theory is fine, except he is not the guy who created that type of management so he needed to tweak it the way Boston has. They also worked on the same theory at the same time and look at where they have gone.

To think that Riccardi was actually considered in Boston....maybe we would have had someone who could evaluate top tier talent. The Jays have had some good pieces over the years and have almost always been a player or two away from contending in JP's time, yet he can never find that right guy. If he does, the Jays start filling the 'dome, the money starts rolling in and we can afford a payroll that can compete with the Sawx and Yanks.

[burn_baby_burn]

More New York media lobbying for Halladay.

http://www.nypost.com/seven/07142009...woe_179114.htm

It's the right move for Toronto and it's the right move for the Yankees. No young talent should be off limits. The word is that Toronto wants four prospects; that's too much. The Blue Jays are not going to get that. The price will drop over time.
A package that includes Joba Chamberlain or Phil Hughes mixed in with a top prospect like outfielder Austin Jackson would be an intriguing offer. Remember, the Red Sox once traded Hanley Ramirez and Anibal Sanchez for Josh Beckett and Mike Lowell.

[tigger777]

I agree, JP has gotten the Jays some decent utility players, such as the trade that got the Jays Jeremy Accardo for Shea Hillenbrand.

Originally Posted by CaramonLS

Riccardi has made some decent moves. I'll give him credit where credit is due, he is able to manufacture a half decent bullpen from virtually nothing (downs). He has done a solid job in that respect. He also manages to pull some decent retreads/utility players away from other teams and make them pretty useful (Scutaro).

But it ends there.

Most of his "big money" signings have been disasters. Thomas, Wells, Koskie, Ryan. In 3 of those cases (well soon to be 4 if we ever decide to get rid of Wells, he has had to eat a good deal of the contract). 2 of those players were DFA'd and one was paid 7.5 million over 2 years to play for another team.

Fiscal mismanagement like that has crippled the Jays hopes to compete. Investing the the WRONG players.

Of course that is only a tiny portion of why I dislike the guy, but I don't really feel like writing my usual 10 pager on it tonight.

[OILFAN #81]

http://www.tsn.ca/mlb/story/?id=284825

Cubs sign BJ Ryan to a minor league deal.

[CrusaderPi]

Originally Posted by OILFAN #81

http://www.tsn.ca/mlb/story/?id=284825

Cubs sign BJ Ryan to a minor league deal.

Makes sense. The cubs had so much fun reconstructing the 6 million dollar man, Kerry Wood.

[nik-]

The games tomorrow and saturday were the games I had tickets to before I had to cancel my trip out east

Ricky Romero vs Bucholz would have been nice to see, but Penny vs Tallent would have been a dud, I would have probably bought tickets for Sunday for the Doc vs Lester game too and just stayed another day in TO. Sigh, economic downturn.

[Clever_Iggy]

Originally Posted by nik-

Ricky Romero vs Bucholz would have been nice to see

ESPN down in the US was saying that the Bucholz start is an audition for the Blue Jays in trade negotiations for Doc. He's supposed to be one of two major pieces coming to Toronto if a trade happens. A SS prospect being the other.

[burn_baby_burn]

New York Post claiming Yankees can't afford Halladay.

http://www.nypost.com/seven/07172009...ord_179777.htm

The Yankees are not actively pursuing Roy Halladay -- nor do they have plans to -- for a variety of reasons, none bigger than this: They do not believe they can afford him

Now nothing makes folks roll their eyes in baseball quite like the Yankees acting poor, and they have come up with last-second money as recently as signing Mark Teixeira when they initially said they wouldn't. So you always give this franchise wiggle room to change its mind. But the Teixeira signing is having a lingering impact on an organization that is not behaving as if Halladay is a front-burner item.
For example, Yankees general manager Brian Cashman has not talked to his Blue Jays counterpart, J.P. Ricciardi, in more than a week; since Ricciardi first told Cashman Toronto's ace was available. At that time, the Yankees were informed it was Toronto's preference to trade Halladay outside the AL East and that the Blue Jays would expect a much higher return from a club within the division.

And because they are over the luxury tax threshold, the Yankees must pay 40 cents extra on every dollar. So it would cost the Yanks about $9 million to have Halladay for the rest of this year and $22 million next year for his $15.75 million contract. Thus, the Yankees would owe $21 million or more for seven players next year, which ownership deems too much, even with Johnny Damon, Hideki Matsui and Xavier Nady due to come off the books.

[Gozer]

Wells is the worst fielder in baseball.

http://mopupduty.com/index.php/verno...worst-fielder/

[Ziggy Lidstrom]

Great, now what are we going to do with him? Eat the contract? I don't think we can.

He is such a disappointment. Is he declining because of age, motivation or injury history ruining his confidence?

VW needs a warranty like a real VW.

big series starting tonight...Buchy Vs Ricky.

So, I will pose this question to all of you: If the bluejays win the series with the sox, is a second half charge in the works?

[malcolmk14]

Originally Posted by Ziggy Lidstrom

Great, now what are we going to do with him? Eat the contract? I don't think we can.

Package him in a deal with the most prized pitching asset in baseball?

[Gozer]

Originally Posted by Ziggy Lidstrom

He is such a disappointment. Is he declining because of age, motivation or injury history ruining his confidence?

His defense and health dropped substantially once steroid testing started.

As malcolm suggested, package him with Doc and forsake the return.

Originally Posted by Ziggy Lidstrom

So, I will pose this question to all of you: If the bluejays win the series with the sox, is a second half charge in the works?

Probably not. I'd like to see them keep Doc, but trade Overbay and Tallet and other guys that won't contribute next year (Scutaro, if he isn't in the plans).

Sounds like Marcum will be back soon.

[Gozer]

Is that proper useage of forsake?

[JayP]

Pretty interesting game to watch right now.

After an early HR, Romero is absolutely dealing. 7 K's through 3 IP.

On the other side, Buchholz is pitching for the Red Sox. The announcers are speculating that it may an audition for the Roy Halladay sweepstakes. That's pretty interesting after reading this article:

http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/index...de-value-40-36

Here's the intro to the MLB Trade Value articles if anyone is interested: http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/index...e-introduction

[Machiavelli]

If Halladay goes at least I'll still have Romero to entertain me. The guy is a delight to watch.

[Flickered Flame]

Originally Posted by malcolmk14

Package him in a deal with the most prized pitching asset in baseball?

Almost every article I read that has Doc going to Yankees says that the Yanks would also have to take VW in a trade.

I thought I heard on TSN during an update during the football game last night that the Jays are attempting to talk contract extension with Doc.

[bluejays]

If the contract extension thing is actually being discussed, IMO, I wouldn't read much into it. Doc really looks like he's ready to move on, which is obviously unfortunate. It's probably just formality so that JP has no regrets once it's time to deal.

[OzSome]

I lost interest in watching the Jays. Ricciardi is not helping at all. Why would he consider the only guy who can give him 100% every game and pretty much guarantee a win. Why does he spend too much money on bust like Burnett, Bj Ryan, Vernon Wells and even Alex Rios is starting to show he is not that good. The one person that needs to go from Toronto is JP himself. He's all promise but cannot deliver. So far the only good move he's got was getting Scott Rolen.

[Sylvanfan]

After giving up 5 hits and a run in the first 2 innings, Halladay really turned it on to go the distance giving the Jays a 3-1 win over Boston. Was that the last time Halladay pitches in Toronto as a Blue Jay? If so, it was a great exit performance.

[Machiavelli]

Does he usually salute the crowd like that?

I got a chill up my spine with that last strikeout. There will never be another pitcher of his caliber in Jays silks, once he's gone.