2014-2015 Blue Jays Off-Season Thread

[SuperMatt18]

Yeah it is ridiculous but this is Rogers....so who knows.

[Parallex]

Originally Posted by SuperMatt18

Yeah it is ridiculous but this is Rogers....so who knows.

Yeah, that's the only thing that's not causing me to just laugh it off... Rogers would be the ones to do something so monumentally stupid.

[Harry Lime]

Not going to chime in on the whole Hoffman/Duquette thing yet. As for Beeston, I've gotten the feeling for quite a few years that Rogers feels pretty much untouchable, as if their customers don't have any other viable options, and they tend to treat everyone they come in contact with with a lot of contempt, on a pretty pervasive level.

Some interesting rumours floating around :

"@JonHeymanCBS: everth cabrera could become a 2b consideration for jays. weeks seems to be further down their list."
- Cabrera may have to agree to not drive a vehicle while in Canada, but the misdemeanor charges wouldn't effect his ability to work in here.

Jesse Crain is an invitee to camp for the White Sox. I know a lot of people were hoping for a Blue Jays tryout.

.... ok, the Duquette thing. The Hoffman rumour seems to originate from the Orioles side of things, so I'm guessing that they are trying to make something like Alford seem reasonable. I think that they will have to settle for something around Reid-Foley. Just a guess.

[Parallex]

Originally Posted by Harry Lime

.... ok, the Duquette thing. The Hoffman rumour seems to originate from the Orioles side of things, so I'm guessing that they are trying to make something like Alford seem reasonable. I think that they will have to settle for something around Reid-Foley. Just a guess.

Not Reid-Foley. I couldn't handle having a PTBNL be the reported cost until June. It'd drive me insane. Plus everyone would assume that it was Hoffman.

[bluejays]

TSN's article said that they could be demanding Hoffman as compensation in order to hold the Jays accountable for apparently tampering with Duquette. I don't know what the back story to that is, but part of me says a prospect is just a prospect and most never pan out. The other part of me says that Hoffman's numbers are amazing, and he deserves a chance to develop. Trading for an executive seems ridiculous, but if they Jays did in fact tamper, what a dumb group we have at the top.

[dustyanddaflames]

I'm no lawyer by any means, but if the reports are true that the Orioles are hangining Hoffman over they Jays' heads for tampering, is that not also blackmail? Either way it seems as though the MLB needs to step in and resolve this manner one way or another. This is becoming a real mess, both publically and for both clubs.

It is going to be such a dangerous precident if the Jays' do end up moving Hoffman for Duquette. I remember when Farrell was on his way out of TO, and there were things on the internet about Bucholz being compensation. Even as a Jays' fan, I thought that is insane to think a bench boss could fetch a player of that ilk. A lot of it was probably wishful thinking on Jays' fans, but you get the point, and the Jays ended up with Aviles.

There was a tweet just sent out from someone in Baltimore who said the Orioles would be asking for at least Hoffman in return for Duquette. Which is further than crazy, but it is Angelos and he doesn't care. If I am giving up a package for a front office person, it sure isn't Duquette. There was better available in my eyes, and if the Jays were prepared to move those types of assets, that ship has sailed and it is time to move along.

[bluejays]

^ you're probably right about Duquette not being a GM you'd part that type of asset for. It was actually pretty interesting that the new President of the Dodgers is basically a MIT guru. That's the kind of guy I'd want. Anyway, when it comes to blackmail, I'm pretty sure it has to be more black and white. They can always claim it's simply a negotiation. Tampering has specific rules and if the Orioles think the Jays did it and the Jays are now scared, the Jays have nobody to blame but themselves. If this were happening to our organization I sure like to see the Jays try and bend over the other team. I just hope at this point the Jays walk away and go with the status quo as President.

[KootenayFlamesFan]

Yep, unless they feel Duquette is a major difference maker for years, walk away. You don't give away top prospects unless you're 100% sure he's a necessity.

[SportsJunky]

Sun article on how Rogers has fouled up badly trying to replace Beeston.
http://www.calgarysun.com/2015/01/23...t-paul-beeston

Ed Rogers, deputy chairman of Rogers Communications, phones White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf to ask for permission to hire Williams
“I asked, ‘For what position?’ ” Reinsdorf said Friday from Chicago. “Edward said, ‘For Paul Beeston’s job.’ ”
It could be pointed out here that Rogers’ knowledge of the baseball landscape was so deep, he did not know Beeston and Reinsdorf were best friends.

Looking back, Reinsdorf says Rogers Communications was not always telling the truth.
“In conversations with Kenny, the Toronto people (said) Paul Beeston was aware of what was going on ... that was untrue,” Reinsdorf said. “Then they said Paul was staying for 2015 and they wanted to give him a farewell tour.”
Did Rogers Communications tamper with Williams?
“They clearly tampered with Kenny, who is like a son to me,” Reinsdorf said. “But I would never file tampering charges against the Blue Jays — Paul Beeston is my best friend in the game.”

[CofR]

Wow, Rogers really has messed this up.

[KootenayFlamesFan]

They look pretty incompetent right now. Better get their act together.

[KootenayFlamesFan]

The way Jays ownership has handled this has been a disgrace. They have tarnished the legacy of Beeston, who was only going to stay on for one more season anyways. They have disrespected all Canadian presidential possibilities like current business exec Stephen Brooks. They have made a silent statement about, and thus made it difficult and uncomfortable for, current GM Alex Anthopoulos, who has not commented on the situation, perhaps too busy looking over his shoulder.

The fact is that Duquette is in a no-lose situation. The O’s are believed to be asking for at least two top prospects, led by Hoffman. MLB is on top of the situation because the move would be a promotion for Duquette and, since Peter Ueberroth in the 1980s, upward mobility is something they have encouraged. So the only thing that can prevent him from going to the Jays is a promotion and a raise in Baltimore, and president is something that O’s owner Angelos has liked to keep in the family.

The Jays should step away from this table.

http://www.thestar.com/sports/blueja...e-griffin.html

[KelVarnsen]

How many selfies does Marcus Stroman take a day?

[Tyler]

Originally Posted by KelVarnsen

How many selfies does Marcus Stroman take a day?

Enough that I am seriously considering unfollowing him because he is spamming my feed. Also, dude's hair is ridiculous

[bluejays]

I got a score mobile alert which stated the Jays have ended negotiations for Duquette. I didn't read the article but I'm assuming they finally made the decision to do nothing out of the terrible publicity about how they went about doing this.

[KootenayFlamesFan]

Thank goodness. Look at what the Orioles were possibly looking for. Crazy.

Beyond Hoffman, the ninth overall pick in last year’s draft, the Orioles are also believed to have been seeking catcher Max Pentecost, the 11th overall pick in 2014, infielder Mitch Nay and more, demands that the Blue Jays at no point contemplated because of how steep they were.

http://www.sportsnet.ca/baseball/mlb...-jeff-hoffman/

[flames_fan_down_under]

Those demands are ludicrous. I would hope Manny Machado would be coming along with Duquette. Just to echo what others are saying this whole ordeal has been complete failure by the Blue Jays.

[Antithesis]

What an idiot Angelos is. Instead of getting SOMETHING for Duquette, some sort of B-level prospect, he instead gets no prospect and a GM who doesn't want to be there. What a maroon.

[ben voyonsdonc]

What a gong show. Who is going to want to take that job in the future?

[KootenayFlamesFan]

So Beeston stays for one more year and then will retire. Kind of an awkward situation all around.