2011 Toronto Blue Jays Offseason Thread

[Trojan97]

I hate this deal. I've never been a big Bautista fan, I jumped on the bandwagon last year like everyone else but this is a huge gamble by AA.

3 years and team options after that would have been ok in my books. 5 yrs guaranteed is going to be a big mistake IMO.

[CaramonLS]

I was hoping for 3/40 myself... but Jose wanted security.

[Parallex]

It's not a bad deal. It's a bit longer then I think the Jays would have preferred but ultimately they don't end up paying him as much as if he will be what he was last year and at the same time they don't pay him as little as if he'll be what he was before. He's basically being paid as if he were a consistent 30HR guy (similar to Dan Uggla). If he continues to hit like he did last year then this is an outright steal of a deal and if he's only a 20 - 25 HR 350OBP guy then he's not egregiously overpaid. I'd call it fair.

Aside: Since this is a Flames forum here's a neat video I just saw (It's a few weeks old but just saw it now)...

http://toronto.bluejays.mlb.com/vide...nt_id=13093257

[GirlySports]

It's a good deal.. it seems reasonable and not crazy.
$13 million doesn't really hamper a team whose payroll will be over 100.

[secol]

the positions they play are pretty different....more bats in OF or 3B then 2B

[Trojan97]

Predictions on the Opening 25 Man Roster?

1. Aaron Cibia
2. Jose Molina
3. Adam Lind
4. Edwin Encarnacion
5. Aaron Hill
6. Mike McCoy
7. Yunel Escobar
8. John McDonald
9. Travis Snider
10. Rajai Davis
11. Scott Podsednik
12. Jose Bautista
13. Juan Rivera

14. Ricky Romero
15. Brandon Morrow
16. Brett Cecil
17. Kyle Drabek
18. Marc Rzepczynski

19. Frank Francisco
20. Jon Rauch
21. Octavio Dotel
22. Jason Frasor
23. Jesse Carlson
24. David Purcey
25. Carlos Villanueva

I'd like to see Janssen make the team but I think they will go with a designated long reliever (Villanueva)

Also, a really good video from Spring Training about John Farrellhttp://www.nesn.com/2011/02/john-far...-training.html

[Gozer]

[Gozer]

.284 low & away and 13% out of the zone is pretty impressive.

Thumbs up on the Joey Bats contract.

[Glorious #1]

Never heard of an Aron Cibia.

However I know of this really good up and coming catcher the Blue Jays have named J.P Arencibia.

[flambers]

Originally Posted by Trojan97

Predictions on the Opening 25 Man Roster?

14. Ricky Romero
15. Brandon Morrow
16. Brett Cecil
17. Kyle Drabek
18. Marc Rzepczynski

19. Frank Francisco
20. Jon Rauch
21. Octavio Dotel
22. Jason Frasor
23. Jesse Carlson
24. David Purcey
25. Carlos Villanueva

l

Interesting prediction, how about "Camp" and "Litsch".

[ricoFlame]

These sportsnet commercials advertising that all 162 Jays games are going to be televised are giving me a raging boner. awesome news.

[Gozer]

http://blog.rogersbroadcasting.com/m...es-with-drama/

Wilner's blog, including audio from Farrell who singled out Lawrie for his (good) work against Price.
Talked about passing on quality 2-strike pitches and his composure at the plate.

Hardly proof he's in the mix for opening day, but I'm still hopeful.

[Jason14h]

Good Article on Pitching Mechanics

Young guys who get to the loaded position late who bear watching include Aaron Crow of Kansas City, Kyle Drabek of Toronto and Mark Rogers of Milwaukee, who already has had shoulder problems this spring.)

Read more: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/201...#ixzz1G2cSN4UP

[KootenayFlamesFan]

Nothing shocking:

Ricky Romero will get the call as the Toronto Blue Jays Opening Day starter, manager John Farrell announced on Friday.

http://www.tsn.ca/mlb/story/?id=357562

[Gozer]

Woulda been my guess. I remember Cito saying something along of the lines of '***s the size of bowling balls on the mound.'

[Sylvanfan]

Was flipping over to the Jays game today and caught Bautista's blast. When that dude squares up on a fastball there aren't many who hit em further.

[Tyler]

Does anyone know where I can buy a friggin Jay's t-shirt in this city?

I've gone to jersey city (only have 1 jays jersey) and sportchek (nothing), and both have been a total let down.

[Trojan97]

Originally Posted by Glorious #1

Never heard of an Aron Cibia.

However I know of this really good up and coming catcher the Blue Jays have named J.P Arencibia.

Google it.

Originally Posted by flambers

Interesting prediction, how about "Camp" and "Litsch".

I'll admit, I completely forgot about Camp. Litsch was someone I thought (hoped) would get beat out for the final spot. I'm just not a big fan of his stuff, he doesn't strike enough guys out to ever move past the level of solid 4/5 guy. I don't have anything against him being in the rotation in a year like this but I had hoped one of our young guys would have stepped up and grabbed a spot. Now that it's come down to Litsch/Jojo Reyes, I have no problem letting Jesse run with it.

[Jason14h]

From rotoworld

Brandon Morrow will start the season on the disabled list due to right forearm inflammation.

That doesn't sound good. Morrow, of course, has been a popular sleeper in fantasy drafts this spring after striking out 178 batters over just 146 1/3 innings last season. The good news is that the Blue Jays plan to backdate his DL-stint so that he'll only miss one start. We have our fingers crossed that he can actually meet such an optimistic timeline.

[d_phaneuf]

hes only gonna miss 1 start

and Buster Olney said if it was a playoff game he would pitch

so it's just precaution