Toronto Blue Jays - Offseason Thread

[mrkajz44]

I'm going to miss Dickey.

It's not really fair that everyone hates him now because of how the trade turned out. When you trade youth for veterans, you will get burned every once in a while when the prospects turn out good.

The Jays were a team hovering around .500 or so for seasons on end, and then Bautista suddenly becomes a slugger in 2011 and 2012. I'm still convinced that pulling the trigger on those big trades in the 2012 offseason started the path for the Jays to once again be part of the postseason subject.

Dickey just ate innings and provided an okay WAR while he was here (a little less than 2 each year, except this last one where the team sort of abandoned him). He was a key part of the postseason run last year. If the Jays acquire him as an FA, rather than through this trade, I'm convinced fans would remember his legacy much differently.

Good luck R.A.!

[Lil Pedro]

I will not the wild pitches, pass balls, countless walks and 3 run home runs from R.A, nor his personal catcher Josh Thole. Best of luck in ATL Dickey.

[Jason14h]

Without the Dickey trade we don't have Martin at catcher

Also , the mets changed Noah's delivery so there is a decent chance he doesn't develop

People act like he was out top pitching prospect at the time

[Parallex]

Originally Posted by Jason14h

People act like he was out top pitching prospect at the time

Because he was.

[Roof-Daddy]

Yeah, he was ranked pretty high in 2012

Top 50 prospect in all of baseball by BA

[lazypucker]

With Dickey now gone, who in the Jays rotation will take over and lose 15 games a year?

Check that - Stroman has fit in this role well already

[howard_the_duck]

Originally Posted by Parallex

Because he was.

Yes and no. Sanchez was the top dog, but it was a 3-headed monster of Sanchez/Syndergaard/Nicolino. I was most excited about Syndergaard due to his phenomenal tools that were well documented at the time.

Sure, he developed a breaking ball but there's no reason to say his developmental curve would have been THAT much different in Toronto.

Pure and simple, he got away and is the kind of talent that should have never been dealt. Lesson learned with the new regime I think.

[Jason14h]

Yes and no. Sanchez was the top dog, but it was a 3-headed monster of Sanchez/Syndergaard/Nicolino. I was most excited about Syndergaard due to his phenomenal tools that were well documented at the time.

Sure, he developed a breaking ball but there's no reason to say his developmental curve would have been THAT much different in Toronto.

Pure and simple, he got away and is the kind of talent that should have never been dealt. Lesson learned with the new regime I think

But what if it was Nicolino instead? Also you are forgetting Daniel Norris who is rated higher on lots of lists was also a prospect for them.

That's my point. He wasn't a sure fire, top MLB pitching prospect. He was 93rd on baseball prospectus list. He was behind Anthony Gose on all the list I've seen. He was the 42nd ranked pitching prospect.

The Jays decide Norris and Sanchez were the 2 studs they wanted to go forward with.

http://www.baseballprospectus.com/ar...rticleid=16020

Sure it is a terrible trade in retrospect, but the odds of any pitcher developing who's not a top 10 league pitching prospect is a coin flip

[VladtheImpaler]

Just got an alert they signed some touted Cuban prospect. Can a Tier 1 fan provide the story?

[Roof-Daddy]

Originally Posted by VladtheImpaler

Just got an alert they signed some touted Cuban prospect. Can a Tier 1 fan provide the story?

Article

"Gurriel has played all four infield positions and in left field during his brief career, mostly recently getting a chance at shortstop. Badler doubts he has the range to stick at the position in the majors, though he could be a plus defender at third base. There are some cons, however, as Longenhagen tweets that Gurriel has received some “mixed” reports from scouts — he has a long swing and may be a “bit of a project for 23.”

Concerns notwithstanding, Gurriel will certainly receive a bonus well into the eight-figure range. Many teams will check in, though the Astros stand out as an obvious candidate since they have already signed Gurriel’s older brother Yulieski. The younger Gurriel will require probably a year or two of minor league seasoning, which could give Houston give to figure out where exactly it would fit him into a lineup already stocked with established and young talent (Jose Altuve, Carlos Correa, Alex Bregman, A.J. Reed and Yulieski himself) at Gurriel’s potential positions. Yulieski has spoken in the past about playing with his brother under ideal circumstances, though he acknowledged the difficulties in such an arrangement given how the two are at such different stages of their careers."

[Roof-Daddy]

Sounds like a versatile player. Not a ton of power but could be a good contact/OBP guy.

7 year deal / $22 million total

If he works out could be a great deal for many, many years.

Sounds like he will need some seasoning in AAA to start.

[Roof-Daddy]

Also sounds like the Jays are kicking tires on UFA Josh Reddick, which is not surprising at all.

[KootenayFlamesFan]

Gurriel, a Wasserman client, was declared a free agent several months ago but waited to sign until after the completion of his 23rd birthday in order to be exempt from international spending limitations. Unlike his older brother, he’ll require some more time in the minor leagues before surfacing at the big league level. Gurriel is a career .277/.362/.426 hitter in Cuba and slashed an outstanding .344/.407/.560 in 245 plate appearances in his final season in Cuba — the 2015-16 campaign.

About 60 to 70 scouts representing more than 20 teams turned out at a showcase for Gurriel last month, during which he worked out at both shortstop and center field (though he’s also capable of playing second base and third base as well). He ran a 6.65 in the 60-yard dash and drew positive reviews on his physique and strong arm, though some scouts felt he needed more work against live pitching. Baseball America’s Ben Badler has penned scouting reports on Gurriel in the past (subscription required and recommended), giving praise to his bat speed, quality approach at the plate and strike zone management skills. Per Badler, Gurriel could eventually emerge as a high-OBP player with enough pop to hit 20-plus homers in a season.

http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2016/1...riel-cuba.html

[Cappy]

Originally Posted by Roof-Daddy

AA did some pretty great things but this sure as heck wasn't one of them. Bought high on an older player who, like you said, didn't fit at all in Rogers center or the AL.

Massive screw up by what was a pretty decent GM, and it'll likely end up costing the jays 200 or so dominant starts from Noah Syndergaard. Not to mention what at the very least would be a solid, young cost controlled back up catcher in D'Arnaud, or at the very, very least a decent trade chip for something better than a 4+ ERA sub .500 RA Dickey.

Hate to keep bringing that up, I know some are tired of it, but what a colossal #### up that trade was.

The original inquiry was the jays getting Jon Niese. Worked out better if you look at it that way

[KootenayFlamesFan]

Jeff Passan ‏@JeffPassan
Toronto's plan is to start Lourdes Gurriel Jr. at shortstop, probably at Double-A. Ultimately, thought is he may end up a corner outfielder.

[Parallex]

The Jays got Lourdes Gurriel Jr.!?

He's pretty much the top IFA IIRC. Really good get.

[jschick88]

Ken Rosenthal ‏@Ken_Rosenthal
Sources: #BlueJays making push for Kendrys Morales. Hit 30 HRs with .795 OPS for #Royals. Potential impact on Jays’ other FAs unclear.

[KootenayFlamesFan]

Usually if Rosenthal is tweeting something like that it means something is close. I'd be ok with that.

[howard_the_duck]

Originally Posted by KootenayFlamesFan

Usually if Rosenthal is tweeting something like that it means something is close. I'd be ok with that.

I'd love that. Cheaper than EE at DH too.

From a roster construction standpoint, I think that makes more sense than going over $100MM for Edwin.

[howard_the_duck]

Multiple sources citing interest in Reddick and Fowler as well.