2010 Blue Jays Season Thread

[habernac]

I am loving watching this team this year. Great efforts from most of the team. You'll have your moments (like last night) but hopefully, they'll pull through.

[KootenayFlamesFan]

fundmark.............I think you meant to say "Thank goodness Kevin Gregg self-imploded last night."

The Jays continue to impress me, I keep waiting for the wheels to fall off, I just hope last night's game wasn't the beginning of something bad. If they can come back strong tonight it would be huge for the team, and I believe Marcum is pitching tonight so that won't hurt.

The most interesting time for the team this season may be close to the trade deadline if they are still within striking distance of the WC. But that's still a long ways away........

Just hope the pitchers throw more good games than bad ones and the bats continue to show power. It's been a fun season so far, pity more ball fans in Toronto don't feel the same. Winning games, lots of home runs, and cheap tickets. I'd be going if I lived in that city.

[GirlySports]

Originally Posted by KootenayFlamesFan

The most interesting time for the team this season may be close to the trade deadline if they are still within striking distance of the WC. But that's still a long ways away........

I'm not sure even if they are in striking distance that it would be wise to rent parts. The goal of this season is to develop players moreso than to make the playoffs. I wouldn't want to trade away prospects for a rent-a-player, crash out in the first round best-of-5 and then suffer 3-4 more years for it.

The goal is to build a team that can compete for a championship for a string of 4-5 years in a row. For example from 2012-2016.

[flames_1987]

Well the sun did come up today so the Jays season isn't over yet!

Hell of a pitching match up tonight Marcum Vs Price. A win tonight would go a long way especially before starting a series against the Yanks

[malcolmk14]

A win tonight would be huge after what happened last night. It's about as big as a game can get in June. I'll be watching.

Edit: Nevermind, I forgot it's Game 3 of the SCF tonight. Maybe I'll PVR the Jays game.

[fundmark19]

Dp will end all of your hopes and dreams this evening

[KootenayFlamesFan]

Originally Posted by GirlySports

I'm not sure even if they are in striking distance that it would be wise to rent parts. The goal of this season is to develop players moreso than to make the playoffs. I wouldn't want to trade away prospects for a rent-a-player, crash out in the first round best-of-5 and then suffer 3-4 more years for it.

The goal is to build a team that can compete for a championship for a string of 4-5 years in a row. For example from 2012-2016.

Oh absolutely. I wasn't thinking about a rental for a good prospect or anything, more along the lines if they would trade one of their own players or pending UFAs for prospects if they were still in the hunt. I guess it all depends on who and what kind of return they would get.

Be interesting to see what AA will do at his first trade deadline if the team is close to the WC..........the carrot at the end of that stick may be tempting, although he seems like a pretty smart guy that has a clear vision of his plan.

[Sylvanfan]

The thing is that the Jays have a lot of guys on one year deals that they could trade at the deadline.

Overbay, Buck, Gonzalez, Downs, Frasor will all be free agents after the season, and there are a few others who are 4th year abitration players. Another guy like Gregg has a pretty cheap club option for next year. So the Jays could probably flip a few guys at the deadline for decent returns if they want to go that direction too.

BlueJays_Contract_list

[Machiavelli]

I'm hoping Overbay keeps improving; maybe they can dangle him to the Angels, which was brought up on a broadcast earlier last week.

[flames_1987]

Originally Posted by Sylvanfan

The thing is that the Jays have a lot of guys on one year deals that they could trade at the deadline.

Overbay, Buck, Gonzalez, Downs, Frasor will all be free agents after the season, and there are a few others who are 4th year abitration players. Another guy like Gregg has a pretty cheap club option for next year. So the Jays could probably flip a few guys at the deadline for decent returns if they want to go that direction too.

BlueJays_Contract_list

Tough to look at that list and see how much money the Jays could have if it wasn't for a ton of awful JP contracts.

[Sylvanfan]

Yeah, the Vernon Wells contract really sticks out. I think that was the offseason where Ricciardi claimed he needed a higher budget to compete in the AL East.

A few teams can get caught trying to get too many veteran guys who make big salaries that they frankly aren't worth. With the way the MLB pay structure works, better off investing a few extra bucks on prospects. In the Pat Gillick days he did a pretty good job of keeping his better guys in house and went after free agents to try and find a couple players to put the team over the top. Hopefully with Hill and Lind a couple other guys like Snider and Wallace push through, and the pitching staff comes together. Than you can look to add a FA or two to try and make a real push.

[KootenayFlamesFan]

The one guy I specifically had in mind was Fred Lewis. I didn't see his name on Syl's link, but I thought I heard before he was a FA after this season. His trade value has really gone up since coming being traded to the Jays, I'm not sure if AA was looking to get him under contract or to perhaps send him somewhere else to really make the most of his assets.

I can't believe Wells is in line to make 26 million next year. That's kind of stunning, and sad.

[JayP]

Originally Posted by Sylvanfan

Gregg has shown this year that he will struggle with his control the second day if he's used in back to back games. They should either stop using him to close out the games that second day, or make sure they have Frasor ready to go in case Gregg doesn't have his control that second day.

Too bad for Gregg if it hurts his feelings to be pulled from the game with only 1 out left after he walks the bases loaded.

It was almost a carbon copy of the blown save in Seattle a week or two ago. A tired Gregg and Cito using up all his best set-up guys (Frasor, Camp, and Downs) to get 6 or 7 outs.

I just don't understand the logic in bringing in Downs in the 8th with 2 outs, none on and the #9 hitter at the plate. Gregg isn't good enough that you can just expect him to be on every night.

[malcolmk14]

Are those numbers for Vernon Wells in 2011-14 for real?

[Gozer]

Originally Posted by malcolmk14

Are those numbers for Vernon Wells in 2011-14 for real?

Yes, but it should be noted that the first few years of this extension he was underpaid and then it jumped by an insane amount.
Still a horrible contract, but the whole contract averaged out to about 17 per year (and as an aside, JP didn't want that contract but ownership thought fans would be furious if they let him walk - to Texas).

[Gozer]

Originally Posted by JayP

I just don't understand the logic in bringing in Downs in the 8th with 2 outs, none on and the #9 hitter at the plate. Gregg isn't good enough that you can just expect him to be on every night.

Logically; these are multi-million dollar athletes in peak health and the prime of their careers and they'll do whatever the manager thinks they need to win the game.
He's only asking relief pitchers to pitch.
Gibbons would use to use three pitchers for a 3-up 3-down inning.

Gregg is the closer, and closers either win games or lose games. If he's not doing that, then he's not a closer.
Why does that matter?
It hurt the Jays to lower his "role" from legit closer because it lowers his trade value and (moreover) reduces his Type A/B status in the offseason.

It hurts Gregg to pull him during a save because it's micro-managing and deflating for any athlete to be embarassed like that.

I'm pissed off that the umpires let Maddon suck Gregg's momentum out of the game by dancing around and making a big time-wasting show of objecting a good call. It doesn't excuse Gregg from blowing the save, but it didn't help.

[Machiavelli]

Can't wait for the Rays to go away.

[flames_1987]

The Jays have put way to many lead off hits go to waste tonight. Rays with 1st and 2nd nobody out in the 9th. If the Jays can't win this, it could get really ugly for the rest of the season.

[Machiavelli]

The Rays have been making excellent defensive plays as well.

[flames_1987]

1st and 3rd one out.