2012-2013 Toronto Blue Jays Off Season Thread

[GirlySports]

Originally Posted by flambers

Bids were blind, quite tough to figure out who offered what for Darvish.

Jays are never going to be able to out spend the big teams.... they need to make smart moves.....

If it was a decent bid they wouldn't be so secretive about it and get killed by fans and media. They could have said "We offered 50 million but Texas beat us, what are you going to do?" But they don't want to be caught lying so it's better to be ashamed and say nothing.

It'll leak out one day.

And why can't the Jays outspend big teams? How are they different? They play in the 5th largest market in North America and are owned by a huge company with it's own tv deal.

[flambers]

Originally Posted by GirlySports

If it was a decent bid they wouldn't be so secretive about it and get killed by fans and media. They could have said "We offered 50 million but Texas beat us, what are you going to do?" But they don't want to be caught lying so it's better to be ashamed and say nothing.

It'll leak out one day.

And why can't the Jays outspend big teams? How are they different? They play in the 5th largest market in North America and are owned by a huge company with it's own tv deal.

I doubt Jays would release their bid either way.... Sure a fan & Media are curious but the team does not have to release any details.

IMO, Jays are far better off keeping the details 100% blind.

Jays are not a large market team in terms of revenue, its kinda like saying NHL Coyotes are in a massive market so they should be a huge spender...

[dustyanddaflames]

Originally Posted by TitovFTW

And he will be incredibly lucky to get it as most people in baseball have scoffed at that price. That being said, it just takes one team to offer him the moon. He comes with so much more baggage and risk then Fielder, I wouldn't feel comfortable as a team committing that many years and that much money to a player like that. A lot of teams are going to get really sobering thoughts to these big contracts as they witness the decaying corpse of the brutal A-Rod contract.

I think he ends up with the Rangers. When we look at the teams that are big market, Dodgers have no use for him, Angels none, Yankees none, Red Sox none, Cubs aren't going to go after him, Tigers neither.

Yet... the off-season is young, and moves are going to be made. You look at MLBTR and there are rumblings that the Braves will be in on Hamilton, as Bourn isn't likely to come back, and the Dodgers are kicking tires at moving Ethier, which would then create a hole that could be filled by Hamilton. Just saying...

[KootenayFlamesFan]

The Blue Jays, who allowed manager John Farrell to leave for Boston in a deal with the Red Sox, are still in the middle of their search. But Toronto senior vice president of baseball operations and general manager Alex Anthopoulos has said the process will be significantly shorter than the two-month period -- during which a dozen candidates were interviewed -- when Farrell was hired two years ago.

D-backs executive vice president and general manager Kevin Towers said on Sunday morning that only the Rockies have been given permission to talk to Williams thus far.

"The Blue Jays have kicked the tires about possibly interviewing [Williams], but have not formally asked for permission to date," Towers said in response to an email query about the subject.

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?...tnerId=rss_ari

[TitovFTW]

Originally Posted by GirlySports

I think it is a desirable place to play. But when you offer $10 for Yu Darvish you're not going to get him.

Nobody knows how much they offered, it's been reported 25-30 million or less or more. It's not that big of an issue now. The Jays were smart where they spent their money IMO, international free agents and really taking advantage of the loopholes in the draft before last year.

I would imagine AA sold Rogers on being able to spend within a budget and build up young talent, and then start to spend money elsewhere. Big market does not always equal big payroll, usually there has to be a balance between attendance and payroll. I'm still not sold on Rogers stepping up to the plate though, because I do believe this team has the foundation in it's organization to be a World Series contender, they'll just need to add pieces that might force them to take on a lot of salary. I think it's fair to judge the Jays on this offseason, both ownership and managment, especially with attendance being up this season.

[TitovFTW]

Originally Posted by dustyanddaflames

Yet... the off-season is young, and moves are going to be made. You look at MLBTR and there are rumblings that the Braves will be in on Hamilton, as Bourn isn't likely to come back, and the Dodgers are kicking tires at moving Ethier, which would then create a hole that could be filled by Hamilton. Just saying...

Winter Meetings are the most exciting times of the year.

If I have any allegiance in baseball it's to the Dodgers and with crazy Ned running the shape, nothing is impossible. The Ethier rumors seem to have got shut down pretty quickly, I think teams would be foolish to go after him as he's just a platoon. But I bet the report is righ tthat they're at least kicking the tires. Dodgers are going to outbid a lot of teams this offseason and take on a lot of money and risk.

[TitovFTW]

Originally Posted by GirlySports

If it was a decent bid they wouldn't be so secretive about it and get killed by fans and media. They could have said "We offered 50 million but Texas beat us, what are you going to do?" But they don't want to be caught lying so it's better to be ashamed and say nothing.

It'll leak out one day.

And why can't the Jays outspend big teams? How are they different? They play in the 5th largest market in North America and are owned by a huge company with it's own tv deal.

AA is pretty big on everything stays in house, he doesn't let anything leak out or comment or anything. It's frustrating as fans sometimes, but it's the right way to run a franchise. I don't think we'll ever hear what they bid, nor will there ever be any interest to really find out by the media

[bluejays]

Originally Posted by TitovFTW

AA is pretty big on everything stays in house, he doesn't let anything leak out or comment or anything. It's frustrating as fans sometimes, but it's the right way to run a franchise. I don't think we'll ever hear what they bid, nor will there ever be any interest to really find out by the media

It apparently did come out earlier this year and AA was not happy about it. He didn't confirm or deny, but there was a story written that had them bid at about $30M. All AA said was that they determined a players total worth then allotted a portion of that to paying off his former club. I was disappointed as anyone that they lost out on Darvish, but if that was my money, to pay what works out to $20M per season for an unknown commodity, is a huge risk. Certainly risks have to be taken, but who would've thought VW would be so crap after 2 years into his contract? Pitchers have so much inherent risk which makes it worse. It's very easy for the casual fan to say Rogers is being cheap, but the truth is that many teams have seen bad contracts handycap their franchise. We can't afford another VW deal to hold the franchise hostage for 5 years - especially not on a pitcher.

[dustyanddaflames]

As per MLBTR

Former MLB manager and player Art Howe told Bob Elliott of the Toronto Sun that he'd like to manage the Blue Jays. The 65-year-old has some connections in Toronto and says the Blue Jays can compete before long. “They have some nice talent and were very competitive until they fell off with those injuries to their position players," Howe told Elliott.

Read more at http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/#HqJgKIcW2w2TyMTA.99

[Flickered Flame]

Howe was an excellent manager for the A's. He had 4 winning seasons, 3 playoff appearances, won more than 100 games twice. The A's just couldn't win in the playoffs. But he did great with a relatively young group.

[dustyanddaflames]

"Yeah, I don't want to go fifteen rounds, Billy. The lineup card is mine, and that's all." Pound sand Brad.

[dustyanddaflames]

An interesting name that keeps floating around is Asdrubal Cabrera - everyone keeps talking about Shin-Soo Choo, but I think Cabrera would add more value to the lineup than say Choo would. He wouldn't come cheap, but what value does anymore? The Jays outfield already looks pretty solid with Davis/?, Rasmus, Bautista - not sure the need for Choo would be more than a Cabrera. The acquisition of Cabrera would allow AA to move Escobar for pithcing help - so you could basically have Cabrera, trade acquired SP, and a free agent SP - filling all your holes. I just really like the thought of Asdrubal hitting infront of Bautista/EE.

[howard_the_duck]

I agree Dusty. Love his approach and he would be an immediate upgrade at the top of the lineup.

[GirlySports]

Would you pay a couple of bucks for the just released Jason Bay? He's already got 3 million in his pocket.

[The Big Chill]

Originally Posted by GirlySports

Would you pay a couple of bucks for the just released Jason Bay? He's already got 3 million in his pocket.

I would if he was cheap.

[KelVarnsen]

He would probably get hurt signing the contract.

[dustyanddaflames]

By Mike Axisa [November 7 at 4:01pm CST]
The Diamondbacks are already involved in "active discussions" about Justin Upton, and now ESPN's Jerry Crasnick reports that the team will also listen to trade offers for Trevor Bauer (Twitter links). The right-hander has fallen out of favor with some in the organization.
Bauer, 21, was the third overall pick in the 2011 draft. He made his MLB debut this season and surrendered 13 runs in 16 1/3 innings across four starts while also battling a groin problem. Bauer pitched to a 2.42 ERA in 130 1/3 innings split between Double-A and Triple-A this year as well. Between Upton and Bauer, GM Kevin Towers may be in possession of this offseason's two biggest trade chips.

Read more at http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/#Y6IVi3xVykvT0st7.99

Per MLBTR - I really think Justin Upton gets moved this offseason... I love this time of year!

[jschick88]

Whispers and innuendo abound at the general managers meetings and among them is that the Toronto Blue Jays are closing in on a free agent middle infielder with big-league experience.

Who that might be wasn't immediately known, although the free-agent field is particularly thin this off-season. Marco Scutaro is probably the best option and unlikely to be in play for the Blue Jays, leaving names like Ryan Theriot and Maicer Izturis at the high end, and Ronny Cedeno and Yuniesky Betancourt on the lower end of the spectrum.

http://www.sportsnet.ca/baseball/201...ced_infielder/

[Caged Great]

It's looking likely that Izturis is the guy that they're targeting.

[Caged Great]

If they got Izturis for roughly what Aviles would've cost, then you're getting more or less the same player. So it's basically getting another possibly good reliever for what might end up being nothing other than a few bucks more than Aviles would cost.