2011/12 Toronto Blue Jays Off-Season

[The Big Chill]

Originally Posted by VERVE

Wednesday at 4pm central time is when posting for the right to negotiate for Darvish ends.

Rangers, Blue Jays and Yankees are teams being named so far to have some interest enough in Darvish to post a bid. Depends on your media source, the news from one may contradict another.

Side note: Phillies signed Dontrelle Willis today...

I'm very intrigued to see who wins the Darvish bid. Even if we don't get him it could be the start of a few more dominoes falling. I find myself hoping we get him despite the fact that I was leaning the other way during most of this process.

[VERVE]

Originally Posted by The Big Chill

I'm very intrigued to see who wins the Darvish bid. Even if we don't get him it could be the start of a few more dominoes falling. I find myself hoping we get him despite the fact that I was leaning the other way during most of this process.

If we do not land Darvish, some media sources suggest that AA will try to get Fielder. I guess Fielder is on a somewhat holding pattern until Darvish gets either signed or the posted bid is accepted.

If Blue Jays miss out on Darvish, I would rather see them try for Cain from the land of the Giants. Cain will be coming up for a big pay raise at the end of 2012. Since the Giants do not have many heavy hitters in the lineup, I wonder if the Jays may deal some of their assests for talented Cain.

[Jiggy_12]

Would love to see the Jays go for Darvish. No guarantee that he will sign with them though as I am reading he prefers a West Coast team. Probably just a rumour but who knows.

[St. Pats]

Originally Posted by Jiggy_12

Would love to see the Jays go for Darvish. No guarantee that he will sign with them though as I am reading he prefers a West Coast team. Probably just a rumour but who knows.

Jays are Canada's team so they go from coast to coast so they should be ahead then.

[KootenayFlamesFan]

At least five clubs are seriously talking with Carlos Beltran, reports Scott Miller of CBS Sports, including the Blue Jays, Cardinals, Rockies, and two others. Most are discussing multiyear deals for the right fielder, who turns 35 in April. Miller's colleague Jon Heyman first noted the Rockies' interest in Beltran yesterday.

My guess: most teams are probably reluctant to guarantee Beltran a third year. The Jays are an interesting new suitor; I assume they'd use Beltran in left field. He'd certainly represent a win-now acquisition for them.

http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2011/1...s-beltran.html

[KootenayFlamesFan]

Seems like a bit of a strange player to target, no?

Looks like the Jays are pretty much connected to a majority of FAs right now.........how many of these are actually legit is anybody's guess.

[flambers]

Originally Posted by KootenayFlamesFan

http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2011/1...s-beltran.html

I always use the phrase from AA, if you read about the rumour its probably not true....

Jays trades seem to always come out of no where.... very rarely are they reported.

Its like the Fielder rumours, his agent is flooding the industry with garabage to attempt to drive up the price.... IMO

[VERVE]

Originally Posted by KootenayFlamesFan

http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2011/1...s-beltran.html

Hard to understand why Jays are interested in Beltran at 34. The Jays have depth in the OF. You would think they are concentrating on a pitcher or Fielder...

[flambers]

Originally Posted by KootenayFlamesFan

how many of these are actually legit is anybody's guess.

Most if not all of the Jays rumours seem to be incorrect.

[VERVE]

At 4 pm central time, the bid for the right to negoiate with Darvish ends today.

My guess for the winning organization and posting amount:

Blue Jays @ $44 million

Note: I am wearing my Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters-Darvish's jersey hopefully it will help...lol

[flambers]

Originally Posted by VERVE

At 4 pm central time, the bid for the right to negoiate with Darvish ends today.

My guess for the winning organization and posting amount:

Blue Jays @ $44 million

When the bidding ends, Japan has 4 days announce the winner if I understand it correctly?

[VERVE]

Originally Posted by flambers

When the bidding ends, Japan has 4 days announce the winner if I understand it correctly?

Yes, 4 days to announce the winning bid and I assume it will be due to the highest posting. Then the winning organization has 30 days (?) to negoiate a contract, if no progress, the team will get the posting money back.

Yu's father seemed to like the Red Sox for his son to go to. That could be interesting if Boston was not the winning bid...

[The Big Chill]

Originally Posted by flambers

When the bidding ends, Japan has 4 days announce the winner if I understand it correctly?

So we might not actually find out today then?

[flambers]

Originally Posted by The Big Chill

So we might not actually find out today then?

Correct could take awhile... Not sure how quickly it will take Japan to release the winning bid.

[VERVE]

Originally Posted by flambers

Correct could take awhile... Not sure how quickly it will take Japan to release the winning bid.

"... Once the bidding period concludes, Major League Baseball will notify the Japanese commissioner's office of the amount of the highest bid, but not the identity of the club that made that bid.

The Japanese commissioner's office will then have four business days, until Tuesday, to notify MLB if the bid has been accepted or rejected by the Fighters. Assuming the bid is accepted, the winning team would have 30 days to negotiate a contract with Darvish."


http://www.calgaryherald.com/sports/...734/story.html

[The Big Chill]

Originally Posted by VERVE

"... Once the bidding period concludes, Major League Baseball will notify the Japanese commissioner's office of the amount of the highest bid, but not the identity of the club that made that bid.

The Japanese commissioner's office will then have four business days, until Tuesday, to notify MLB if the bid has been accepted or rejected by the Fighters. Assuming the bid is accepted, the winning team would have 30 days to negotiate a contract with Darvish.

Thanks for finding this. The general consensus seems to be that Darvish's team will accept any bid. So it is possible that they just accept it right away and it could be made public. If they choose to think it over first then we may not know today.

[KootenayFlamesFan]

Just saw the Jays picked up reliever Jim Hoey off of waivers from the Twins yesterday. The move may not be a big deal, but I thought his tweet afterwards was pretty funny.

@JHOEY5 Jim Hoey


I enjoyed everything Minnesota had to offer but it's time to be Canadian! At least I don't have to give up those bombs to Bautista.



12 Dec via Twitter for iPhone

[ricoFlame]

Originally Posted by KootenayFlamesFan

Just saw the Jays picked up reliever Jim Hoey off of waivers from the Twins yesterday. The move may not be a big deal, but I thought his tweet afterwards was pretty funny.

That is funny. hoey throws hard.

[flames_fan_down_under]

I'm very supportive of signing Darvish as I think he's about as much as a sure thing as there is, and the Jays obvious need for front end starting pitchers.

With Fielder I am 50/50. The positives of having him in the line up are obvious: potentially having two 30 HR 100 RBI guys is pretty exciting, instant credibility to the Jays, he's just a very marketable personality and would sell tickets.

But to have him locked up for potentially ten years at what will be a very steep contract just doesn't appeal to me and doesn't seem to gel with what AA is doing and obviously contradicts everything Beeston and AA has said regarding "payroll parameters" etc.

DJF had a really good comparison on Fielder and Vernon Wells at the same age:

"Curiously, when the Jays extended Vernon Wells to his albatross seven-year $126-million deal in December of 2006 he was going into his age-28 season, as Prince Fielder is now. Wells' 162 game average over the four years prior to signing was 32 home runs, 42 doubles, with a .292/.344/.509/.853 line. Fielder's previous four years have seen him average 38 HR and 32 doubles per 162 games, with a .284/.400/.537/.936 line."

From Fielder's perspective I think he could really benefit from being in Toronto as he would become an instant superstar in a major city and be a huge asset on a talented young team.

As conflicted as I am as to whether signing Fielder is a good long term solution for the Jays I doubt I could help being really excited if he did become a Jay.

[KootenayFlamesFan]

I don't think there's much of a chance of any team signing him for 10 years. If I'm AA I'm pushing for 5, but would settle for 6. I'd steer far clear of a 10 year deal.