State Of The Franchise

Last week season ticket holders had a chance to sit down with Anthopoulos, Gibbons, Beeston, and Buck Martinez to ask questions and talk about the season ahead for the Jays. Here are a few of the talking points that came up during this year’s State Of The Franchise. For starters Beeston, as we already new, confirmed this will be his last season with the Jays. He went on to give the token, I want to go out with a bang routine and fortunately with the moves they’ve made this off season and the state of the AL east right now there is a chance that could happen. Gibbons even said outright “it’s a better team than it was last year” which I can’t disagree with. The one big problem that needs to be addressed is the bullpen. Alex did mention it at the meeting saying he would like more depth but the closer is already on the roster. Personally that’s not what I wanted to hear. I’m assuming that statement is saying that Sanchez or maybe Cecil will be getting the job and I don’t really like either one of them for two different reasons. One, I really want to see Sanchez start this year, and two, in the case of Cecil I’m just not fully convinced he is the man for the job. He has his flashes of greatness here and there but as an every day closer I’m not yet sold. When Gibby was asked about Sanchez he did say "I want to see Sanchez as a starter". "He could be a great starter." "We'll have to see how things turn out in spring training." which sounds somewhat promising. Alex also said that Norris will be in the rotation at some point this summer, which is something I am looking forward to seeing after what I saw from him last fall.

Pitching was a big focus at the SOTF but by no means the only one. One of the other issues that I thought needed to be addressed was second base. When asked, Gibby said that Izturis, Goins, Tolleson, Travis and Kawasaki are all in the fight for second base this spring. When they put up a graphic with a 'projected batting order', Ryan Goins’ name was listed at second base, batting 9th. He went on to say that Izturis is in the best shape of his life after missing most of last season due to a knee injury resulting in surgery. Given the 1 through 6 in the lineup as it stands, personally I like Goins for the job. I’ve always said that 2^nd is the one spot where you can give up offense for defense, and with that in mind it’s hard not to go with Goins even with his .220 at the plate. That being said I am looking forward to the competition for the spot coming in the next few weeks.

Other notable mentions were discussions about Martin getting the chance to catch Dickey, the “strong desire” to keep Bautista and Encarnacion "for life" and the contract with the University of Guelph to grass the field. Another fun thing coming up is their proposal to get the All-Star game back at the dome. I’m not really a big fan of the whole All-Star game thing but it is fun when it’s in your own yard.

That’s most of what was discussed last week in regards to the team at the SOTF in case you missed it. At the end of the meeting Beeston said in his closing comments “We are going to dedicate 2015 to winning.” which as a Toronto sports fan I can’t help but take with a grain of salt. They are making the right moves but as far as winning goes, I’ll believe it when I see it, and when I see it I’ll love it. I’m a Jays fan to the end but 21 years is a long time.

As always feel free to comment, bitch, and complain below, and before we all know it we’ll be back at the park!!!

Cheers

President / CEO Talks

There is a lot of talk lately in regards to Paul Beeston’s successor. Most notably the talks between the Jays and the Orioles’ Dan Duquette have been stirring controversy and now MLB’s top dogs are getting involved. MLB is pushing both sides not to drag the matter out and either shit or get off the can. The Orioles, among other things, are looking to get promising right-hander Jeff Hoffman, the ninth overall pick in last summer’s draft. I personally don’t know too much about the kid but the Jays seem to have a lot invested in him and that is enough for me to think that this is a bad deal.

Maybe I’m underestimating the effect that a President / CEO has on the performance of a team on the field but I don’t see how it compares to good young pitcher coming up through the system. That is a tangible thing that anyone can see the results of. A great president doesn’t put up Ks, and the top CEOs in the game still don’t drive in runs.

All that being said, this is just what the Orioles are asking for and so far I have no reason to believe the Jays are entertaining the idea. I just pray that they aren’t. President / CEO of a big league team is a pretty sweet job and I’m sure there is long list of people who would love the job, and be good at it, without it costing what they believe to be great young arm.

As of the latest report that I’ve read Beeston will remain in charge for the 2015 season and beyond that it’s just “we’ll see”. Something resulting from this that actually affects the field is that it looks like Anthopoulos’ job is safe for another season. That’s not to say I ever thought it was really in question at least in the short term but people love to talk. Personally I don’t see Beeston canning him while he himself is on the way out but you never know.

Does AA deserve to be fired? In my humble opinion I’m not ready to pull the trigger yet but that’s a topic for another day.

Shi Davidi wrote an article earlier this week about the talks with Baltimore you can check out here:

http://www.sportsnet.ca/baseball/mlb/baltimore-orioles-price-for-dan-duquette-may-too-high-for-toronto-blue-jays/

As always feel free to rant down in the comments below and until next time…

Relievers

The Jays have made a few good moves in the past weeks leading up to the new year but there is still a couple of big holes. There is a bit of an issue up the middle and a gaping hole in the bullpen. For now I’d like to look at the relief pitching situation and the 2 new relievers that the Jays picked up just before Christmas. First, Scott Barnes, who the Rangers picked up off of the Orioles waiver wire and immediately designated for assignment, is a 27 year old lefty with a career ERA of 5.20 in 27.2 innings in the bigs. Second is Preston Guilmet who played in 10 games with Baltimore in 2014 with a career ERA of 6.89 in 15.2 innings pitched at the show. After moving to Pittsburgh the Jays grabbed this 27 year old RHP off waivers.

Now that we know the facts here’s the question. WHY? The Jays have a hole that needs to be filled in their bullpen. AA himself has said it publicly, and we all know this but how do these 2 guys help in any way? The Jays just picked up 2 27 year old minor league relievers for what looks like no good reason. The point of your bullpen is to shut down 3 to 6 batters and get to your closer. The Royals did an amazing job in the 2014 season creating 6 inning games. If the opposition couldn’t get to their starter the game was over by the start of the 7^th. They had three guys who could come out with 3 up 3 down ball and walk off the field winners. The 6 inning game is the way to the playoffs. Signing two relievers with ERA’s over 5 and 6 respectively is not the way there. Unless this is some part of a bigger plan that we don’t know about to package them up and get a star closer (which seems unlikely) why do we have these guys? I don’t want to go off on a rant about what Alex is doing because I do like some of the other moves made in this off season but these two are beyond me. All I can say is we’ll see.

If anyone has some insight into this that I don’t know about please fill me in down in the comment section.

Cheers.

The first pitchers and catchers report in 40 days!!!

The Turf

Before I get into what I think about the moves that were made recently, I want to talk about the carpet that the Jays have to play on, and the possibility that it’s having an impact their ability to acquire and / or keep some players. It seems players are reluctant to speak candidly about the turf, be it the guys currently on the team, recently signed, or the ones no longer with them. I understand why players may not want to discuss the issue, but we all know it is real thing so I’m going to talk about it.

Is possible that the Jays have to pay more for players because of the turf? I’m not sure. It does seem that they have paid more for less in the past. That may not be a direct result of the field but it’s not hard to believe that it could have been a factor. Melky Cabrera for example at this moment is unsigned. The White Sox and the Orioles are reported to be looking at him. If we were to take all things as equal as far as winning goes, do the Jays have a chance of keeping Cabrera without offering way more than what the other two can pay him? Melky has come out denying that the turf has anything to do with the decision in a tweet on Nov 28 saying “I want everyone to know that I am a baseball player and it doesn't matter to me what surface I play on. I will be the best player I can be” but how can it not matter to him when it is obviously an issue for the players here?

A recently traded Bret Lawrie did have something to say about getting off the turf in a recent interview saying “(It) treats my body kind of silly and throws it off,” and then referring to Oakland saying “It’s grass and dirt. I’m excited.” For a guy who has had the injury problems that Lawrie has had in his still young career to say even that much says a lot when reading between the lines. Anthopoulos on the other hand claims the turf is not to blame for the Jays injuries. At a metting with reporters in August he said, “I don’t know that the injuries we’ve had have been linked to this.” He also brought up the question, “Is there a wear and tear component to it? Sure. I’m not denying that. I just think it’s too easy to say everything relates back to the turf.” I’ll agree with AA in that last statement that it is too easy to blame it all on the turf, but just because it’s not the whole problem doesn’t mean it’s not part of the problem. And even if it’s just a small part of the problem, that will be enough sitting in the back of a free agents mind to tip a scale hanging in balance. If any other team (other than the Rays) with the same winning potential, (which seems to mean nothing before the season starts) were to offer roughly the same contract to any UFA, I can’t help but think they are not coming to Toronto, and I can’t help but feel that the turf has something to do with it.

The best thing the Jays can do to combat this issue is to some way some how put together a contending team. The best way to get players to want to come here, without having to pay above the prime market price, is to win. So for now, in order to build that team that players want to join, the Jays just have to build up through the farm, make smart trades, and spend their money wisely until they can, hopefully soon, figure out how to grass the field.

In the next few posts I’m going to look into the moves the Jays have made lately. I’ll start with the most recent and move backwards focusing on the more “blockbuster” deals and then come back to some of the smaller ones. I’ll also look at some of the players who seem questionable to be on the roster come spring, and what might happen to them in the coming weeks.

So stay tuned and I look forward to the discussions to come!

Welcome

This is a blog about baseball. More specifically it is a blog about, but not limited to the Blue Jays. This is just one guy’s opinion of what is happening with my favorite ball club. The inspiration for my writing comes from my time working in, and spending (probably too much) time in bars. I always love the banter and constant “what they should’ve done…” back and forth of a bunch of strangers going on about their teams. The “Barstool Managers” as I like to call them (myself being one) are full of “better” ideas than the real life managers and, after a few suds, love to argue their points to the bitter end. This is the type of interaction I hope to build with this blog. I fully encourage debate, smack talk, and the occasional rant with no actual facts involved down in the comment section. That being said, let’s keep it above the belt. I wish this could be a given, but I do want to stress, nothing personal, outright hurtful, and obviously nothing racist or discriminatory. That being said, as long as you keep it on the field, let’er rip.

I was going to wait until at least the start of next year’s training camp to start this but with the recent moves I decided to pull the trigger a little early.

A little about myself, I was born and raised in Toronto and my dad being a ball fan, I pretty much came into the world with a Jays cap on. As a kid playing little league ball my idol was Jimmy Key. That is mostly because I wanted to be a starting pitcher and I’m left handed. Before you get on me about all the other guys I could’ve / should’ve idolized remember, I was 9. I have been watching baseball since before I can remember and truly love the game. I have never been one to remember dates and stats but thanks to the internet I don’t need to, I can just look them up on the next tab as I write, so there will be some “facts” even if I am shooting from the hip. As I said I’m a Jays fan, but I’ll talk about other teams as I feel. My thoughts will more than likely be focused on the AL East but who knows, maybe a reader will get my focus shifted as far as the NL West.

I’ll take another look at the moves made recently and get the discussion started. I look forward to opening this can of worms and watching the discussions unfold.

Cheers to hopefully a short winter!