2014-2015 Blue Jays Off-Season Thread

[KootenayFlamesFan]

Jon Heyman‏@JonHeymanCBS
josh donaldson submitted $5.75M request, jays submitted $4.3M

Seems kinda low, no?

[Caged Great]

Originally Posted by KootenayFlamesFan

Jon Heyman‏@JonHeymanCBS
josh donaldson submitted $5.75M request, jays submitted $4.3M

Seems kinda low, no?

It's because of service time. All the players under 30 get practically nothing unless signing a long term contract

[bluejays]

Just received a Score mobile app notification that the Jays are again interested in signing James Shields. I really hope this isn't just talk.

[Caged Great]

Originally Posted by fleury

Just received a Score mobile app notification that the Jays are again interested in signing James Shields. I really hope this isn't just talk.

There is talk that he is looking for 70-80 mil over 4 years. I'm not sure the Jays have the $ to do that. I hope they can figure something out as he would be perfect as a #1/#2

[Antithesis]

It'd be great to have Shields on the Jays, but I'm not going to put any stock into these rumors until they become much more substantial.

[Caged Great]

Originally Posted by Antithesis

It'd be great to have Shields on the Jays, but I'm not going to put any stock into these rumors until they become much more substantial.

Until pen hits paper, it's all BS.

[KootenayFlamesFan]

While the Jays are not actively negotiating with Shields' agent, Page Odle, they are again discussing the pitcher internally, trying to determine a price at which they would be comfortable signing him, sources said.

The team also is doing additional background on Shields, "digging" for information in the words of one rival executive.

To sign Shields, the Jays likely would need to backload his contract the way they did with free-agent catcher Russell Martin, who will earn just $7 million in the first year of his five-year, $82 million deal.

Jays president and CEO Paul Beeston told Sportsnet 590 The Fan at the end of last season that he expected the team to spend at least $135 million to $137 million on its roster in 2015.

The Jays currently are at about $130 million, based upon contract information from Cot's Baseball Contracts and numbers exchanged with their two remaining arbitration-eligible players, third basemen Josh Donaldson and Danny Valencia.

http://www.foxsports.com/mlb/story/t...nterest-011715

So basically the Jays and a lot of other teams are interested. I just wish ownership would open the wallets a bit, throw the fans a bone. They're top 10 in payroll right now, but with the richest owners in the game why not add an extra 10-20 mil and really go for it?

[bluejays]

Right now I wonder how the weak Rogers' stock price and general weak economy is having an effect behind the scenes, with respect to Rogers' perhaps holding back on really opening the wallet? Seems to be a whole lot of uncertainty. I'm not a fan of backloading these contracts as later they're hard to deal when needed. Tough decisions for the Jays.

[Matty81]

The Jays financial model is terrible. They spend just enough to be average...

Rogers won't commit the extra 10% to the budget to make them a contender, so it almost seems like they are wasting money and might be better off following KC or Tampa Bay model, amassing cheap young prospects and trying to home grow a good team and running a 60 million dollar payroll.

I mean that would be painful as a jays fan, but what is the point in half assing it? They are like a Ferrari patched up with Kia parts.

[Parallex]

Originally Posted by KootenayFlamesFan

Seems kinda low, no?

I think the Jays are actually more likely to win that then Donaldson (although yes, relative to what other players get for producing less it is quite low).

Don't pay any attention to the James Shields thing. If Shields price goes down to the point that the Jays would be up for paying it a whole lot of other teams that don't play on turf, play in a foreign country, and a few that will have a lower income tax rate will also be up for it and Shields would have zero reason to choose the Jays over them.

[ben voyonsdonc]

Originally Posted by Matty81

Rogers won't commit the extra 10% to the budget to make them a contender, so it almost seems like they are wasting money and might be better off following KC or Tampa Bay model, amassing cheap young prospects and trying to home grow a good team and running a 60 million dollar payroll.

What makes it worse is that as soon as they amass some decent prospects, they trade them away for guys like Reyes and Dickey but don't go the extra step and go all in in the free agent market. So what we are left with is perputual mediocrity.

You are totally right. If you are going to rebuild, go full rebuild. If you are going to make a move, go all in.

[troutman]

The panel on Prime Time Sports were disgusted on Friday in the classless manner Rogers is treating Beeston.

[bluejays]

Originally Posted by troutman

The panel on Prime Time Sports were disgusted on Friday in the classless manner Rogers is treating Beeston.

I didn't hear or see it but that would have been an interesting conversation to hear given that they're on a Rogers' owned station. Hard to disagree as well. Rogers is very involved at the sports level with both the Jays and the Leafs/Raps. They're very bureaucratic and high tower like which is why they got rid of a smart but hard nosed guy like Burke. For them to be throwing Beeston away because he made a hard pull for another commish, is really amateur, but really points to the way their corporate culture works. Egos all over the place.

[Parallex]

Originally Posted by troutman

The panel on Prime Time Sports were disgusted on Friday in the classless manner Rogers is treating Beeston.

How classless is it really?

I mean... are they pushing him out of the job? Yes, obviously so... but is that in and of itself classless? I would say no, Beeston isn't entitled to be president of the Blue Jays in perpetuity, if they want to replace him they can and should. That it's as public a process as it's been is certainly undesirable but I have no idea from whose camp all the info is coming so I'm not sure I can assign any lack of class to the Jays.

For them to be throwing Beeston away because he made a hard pull for another commish, is really amateur

Meh, I dunno. I imagine that one of the big selling points to having Beeston in the front office (beyond mere sentimentality) was that he was greased in with MLB head office via the Selig Administration. If he doesn't have that anymore then he's lost some value that he could deliver to the organization... enough to make replacing him a worthwhile endeavor? Maybe, maybe not? Only Rogers would know for sure.

[Blarg]

Rumors that the jays are giving up Jeff Hoffman for Orioles exec Duquette to replace Beeston. If true, I think that is quite the overpayment.

[CofR]

If I was a Jays fan and they end up trading Hoffman for an executive I would lose my mind.

[Caged Great]

No way is that going to happen. Usually in trades involving management or coaches, it's a backup infielder or some other non important piece moving the other way. Certainly not a top tier player like Hoffman. Just crazy talk.

[Blaster86]

Jesus, they must absolutely hate Beeston.

[Parallex]

Originally Posted by Caged Great

Certainly not a top tier player like Hoffman. Just crazy talk.

Dear god I hope not. That would be such a monumentally stupid move. It's Olnay that's pushing the "Jeff Hoffman" thing and Olnay has a giant boner for the Orioles so maybe that's just him pushing their agenda. Hopefully, I'll be sick to my stomach if he's right.

Originally Posted by Blaster86

Jesus, they must absolutely hate Beeston.

Even if they hate Beeston it's not like the only executive they could hire is Duquette. Hoffman was in the mix to go #1 overall so unless his TJ surgery was botched he'd likely deliver between 90 and 15 million dollars in performance value... is Duquette worth between 90 and 15 million dollars + his salary? I think not.

[KootenayFlamesFan]

Hoffman? I hope that's a joke.