2014 Blue Jays Regular Season Thread

[flambers]

Originally Posted by GirlySports

If they're going to play 4 rookie starting pitchers that's pretty much blowing it up. They need to trade Rasmus for starters.

Rasmus is a pending Free agent, who hits for a low average....

I bet he has limited value.....

[Antithesis]

Originally Posted by zukes

Not just that, but Rogers are the richest owners in MLB, not the Steinbrenners, not anyone else, Rogers.

Like I said, they get what amounts to free content for the TV stations and all of the ad revenue that comes in, which has to be a ton with the good TV numbers that the Jays do.

The city of Toronto is starved for a winner. The attendance has proved to go up when there is legitimate excitement. Any money spent to make this team into a contender will come back and then some with attendance, guaranteed.

This team is being run like the Leafs (shocking since now they are owned by the same people) and it is an absolute disgrace.

I actually do agree with the points you've made here, so I suppose that it's semantics in terms of the word 'disgrace' that is the difference here. Obviously not anything substantiative, as I certainly would categorize Rogers' commitment to the team as disappointing. I've long been interested in what the Jays' TV rights would bring in if there was actually a market for them.

There are two things that I think Jays fans should be hoping for, and I don't really know how likely either one is at the moment:

1. New ownership
2. Getting the Argos out of the stadium so grass can be put in. Seriously. Our team is being beset by injuries largely due to the needs/concerns of a secondary tenant in the building.

[Tyler]

You think the Jays are going to get new ownership? With television rights and sports commodities so valuable in the Netflix/PVR world, there's no way Rogers is ever going to part with it's cash cow

[Antithesis]

Originally Posted by Tyler

You think the Jays are going to get new ownership? With television rights and sports commodities so valuable in the Netflix/PVR world, there's no way Rogers is ever going to part with it's cash cow

I did say "I don't really know how likely either one [new ownership or turfing the Argos, so to speak] is". Sorry for my inexact wording. I agree completely with you: it is very unlikely that Rogers will part with the Jays anytime soon. I'm far from an expert in such matters, but my understanding is that the Jays have very strong broadcast ratings, in fact, some of the strongest in the entire league. My understanding is that regional broadcast packages are driving revenue growth for teams, so the Jays' strength in this area is being negated by Rogers' ownership. It's a really awkward and unfortunate situation.

[ben voyonsdonc]

At this point, I think the Jays should blow it up. Even if they made the post season this year, their rotation isn't good enough to compete. They lost so many prospects with the Reyes, Buerhle, Johnson trade and the Dickey trade that they don't have the prospects to move to get the big name trade deadline players and if they did trade someone like Aaron Sanchez, they likely would regret it in a year or two when they are completely barren in the minors.

I'd be willing to listen to offers for Bautista, Buehrle, Dickey, Reyes, Rasmus, and even Edwin (I know he's hurt but he should be back sooner than later). Try to restock the system and then maybe go into free agency to get some bigger names at the end of the year.

[flambers]

Originally Posted by ben voyonsdonc

At this point, I think the Jays should blow it up. Even if they made the post season this year, their rotation isn't good enough to compete. They lost so many prospects with the Reyes, Buerhle, Johnson trade and the Dickey trade that they don't have the prospects to move to get the big name trade deadline players and if they did trade someone like Aaron Sanchez, they likely would regret it in a year or two when they are completely barren in the minors.

I'd be willing to listen to offers for Bautista, Buehrle, Dickey, Reyes, Rasmus, and even Edwin (I know he's hurt but he should be back sooner than later). Try to restock the system and then maybe go into free agency to get some bigger names at the end of the year.

Problem with that Strategy is the Fan base.....

Will be a really hard sell to convince the market to go through another rebuild / retool

Jays need to find a way to add assets and to win...

[Antithesis]

Originally Posted by flambers

Problem with that Strategy is the Fan base.....

Will be a really hard sell to convince the market to go through another rebuild / retool

Jays need to find a way to add assets and to win...

Agreed, 21 years since a playoff berth. You simply can not tear everything apart and expect fans to be ok with that. Especially when the team currently sits 1.5 games out of a playoff spot, with a relatively easy schedule the rest of the way and a number of important pieces about to return to the lineup.

We also can not put any belief in the idea of pursuing free agents. Toronto simply is not a destination for any number of reasons, including:

- playing in Canada
- playing on the awful Rogers Centre turf
- again: 21 year playoff drought

I'm sure the list isn't even exhaustive. Tough to get pitchers because they don't want to play in the AL east if given a choice.

[ben voyonsdonc]

I completely agree. It is a hard sell for sure. They went all in last year but they were probably a year or two too early to make those moves. Now they are really stuck between a rock and a hard place. Blowing it up is not going to be popular but emptying the farm to pick up a trade deadline player and still losing could be devastating in the long term and the option of sticking with the status quo is death by a thousand cuts.

[flames_fan_down_under]

They're just so close this year that there is no reason they shouldn't be going all in.

[ben voyonsdonc]

Would you be willing to trade Sanchez?

[Sylvanfan]

Originally Posted by ben voyonsdonc

I'd be willing to listen to offers for Bautista, Buehrle, Dickey, Reyes, Rasmus, and even Edwin (I know he's hurt but he should be back sooner than later). Try to restock the system and then maybe go into free agency to get some bigger names at the end of the year.

But lets look at what they shipped out for those guys and what they are currently doing too. Hechevarria and Alvarez are playing for the Marlins. Alvarez has been doing quite well. Marinsik has played a bit, but really done very little in the majors. Nicolino isn't exactly lighting it up in AA ball this year so he wouldn't be helping the big club. Escobar is at best an average SS for the Rays.

D'Arnaud has yet to do a great deal at the MLB level. Syndergaard is out with TJ surgery.

So really even if they still had all those prospects, all the Jays are is a worse team with a less expensive payroll.

Look at the return for Roy Halladay....it's turned out to be a bunch of magic beans. Gose looks like a bench player, D'Arnaud could be meddling with the Jays had they not moved him, and Drabek...down in the minors yet to really do much in the majors.

[flames_fan_down_under]

Originally Posted by ben voyonsdonc

Would you be willing to trade Sanchez?

The more I think about it the more I would. I think Sanchez is a great young pitcher but his value in terms of a trade now, meaning the ability to bring back a roster player that could add some desperately needed wins, is higher than him filling out the bullpen and seeing how he plays in the show. It's been 20 years.

[flames_fan_down_under]

Double post

[GirlySports]

Originally Posted by Sylvanfan

But lets look at what they shipped out for those guys and what they are currently doing too. Hechevarria and Alvarez are playing for the Marlins. Alvarez has been doing quite well. Marinsik has played a bit, but really done very little in the majors. Nicolino isn't exactly lighting it up in AA ball this year so he wouldn't be helping the big club. Escobar is at best an average SS for the Rays.

D'Arnaud has yet to do a great deal at the MLB level. Syndergaard is out with TJ surgery.

So really even if they still had all those prospects, all the Jays are is a worse team with a less expensive payroll.

Look at the return for Roy Halladay....it's turned out to be a bunch of magic beans. Gose looks like a bench player, D'Arnaud could be meddling with the Jays had they not moved him, and Drabek...down in the minors yet to really do much in the majors.

They should have moved JP and kept D'Arnaud. They ended up losing both. They chose wrong.

[ben voyonsdonc]

I'm not against going all in per se but I don't see the difference maker available at the deadline who will push us over the top. I'm not sure that we could get such a player with our limited pool of prospects right now.

[JiriHrdina]

Originally Posted by GirlySports

They should have moved JP and kept D'Arnaud. They ended up losing both. They chose wrong.

Don't know if that was an option. Even before last year's disaster JP's flaws were probably obvious to other teams.

[GirlySports]

Originally Posted by JiriHrdina

Don't know if that was an option. Even before last year's disaster JP's flaws were probably obvious to other teams.

What's before last year? He was on Team USA for the WBC!

[SuperMatt18]

Speaking of prospects there is an interesting article here:

http://www.sportsonearth.com/article...4-2009#!bkFQOR

Feel like MLB has the weirdest draft and prospect system. There are a few blue chippers that lived up to expectations but for the most part I feel like teams hype up their top prospects and many of them end up doing nothing.

I look back at the Blue Jays top 10 prospects in 2009 according to baseball America:

1. Zach Stewart, rhp
2. J.P. Arencibia, c
3. Chad Jenkins, rhp
4. David Cooper, 1b
5. Henderson Alvarez, rhp
6. Jake Marisnick, of
7. Josh Roenicke, rhp
8. Brad Mills, lhp
9. Justin Jackson, ss
10. Carlos Perez, c

Outside of Alvarez I don't think any of those guys are potential impact players in the MLB today.

Even if you look at 2011, when the Blue Jays were touted as having a deep system, a lot of those players have yet to make any impact 3 years later.

1. Kyle Drabek, rhp
2. Deck McGuire, rhp
3. Anthony Gose, of
4. Travis D'Arnaud, c
5. Zach Stewart, rhp
6. Asher Wojciechowski, rhp
7. J.P. Arencibia, c
8. Carlos Perez, c
9. Aaron Sanchez, rhp
10. Jake Marisnick, of

[GirlySports]

It just means that the great Keith Law knows as much about prospects as you guys do.

[flames_fan_down_under]

Originally Posted by GirlySports

What's before last year? He was on Team USA for the WBC!

Not sure if being sarcastic or not? But anyways that speaks to the lack of capable catchers from the USA combined with Posey being injured. That basically left Joe Mauer and JPA.