4:30 PM Eastern
You know, I really thought they were going to do something this time.
Nothing huge, but I thought there was a chance we might see B.J. Ryan moved, or David Eckstein, or that someone would come calling on Matt Stairs or Gregg Zaun, but none of that was in the cards. I thought that they might even rethink holding onto A.J. Burnett given the events of the last two days, but no.
What surprised me most was that they wound up being buyers – or at least, trying to be. The Jays made a call on Jason Bay and quickly decided against meeting the Pirates’ asking price. It’s been reported that the Buccos wanted Shaun Marcum and Travis Snider in return, which would have been an immediate non-starter. My sources wouldn’t confirm that, but if the Pirates-Rays trade goes through, Pittsburgh settled for less in acquiring Jeff Niemann and Reid Brignac.
The Jays were closing in on Raul Ibanez from the Mariners, a guy who could step in and DH and play a little left field, and apparently they were willing to part with two major-leaguers for him, but the M’s backed out late, deciding to take the draft picks when Ibanez walks after the season. It makes one wonder who those two players the Jays were trying to shoot back might have been. Could the Mariners have wanted Jason Frasor to help out in the bullpen? Zaun to tutor some of their young pitchers and young catcher Jeff Clement? Could it have been Lyle Overbay going back to the Pacific Northwest? Was Scott Richmond’s major-league debut designed to give a few teams a look?
We may never know the answers to these and other questions, but we do know that the Blue Jays of August 1st, 2008, at 54-54 with fully one-third of the season remaining, will look remarkably similar to the Blue Jays of July 30, 2008.
There are over 100 comments sitting and waiting to be moderated. I’ll try to get to them tonight. More comments are welcome.
4:45 PM UPDATE
Obviously, the Rays-Pirates trade didn’t wind up going down, with Jason Bay being dealt to Boston in the three-way Manny Ramirez deal with L.A., just I thought I’d clear that up.
Also, the Blue Jays have just informed us that Dustin McGowan’s rotator cuff did NOT have to be repaired during his successful surgical procedure this afternoon. That means that McGowan will begin a throwing program around the beginning of December and could be ready for Opening Day 2009, but likely will have to start the season on the disabled list and miss up to the first month.
Click here to subscribe to Wilner's blog
HI Mike,
Not so much going on today. I was expecting David Eckstein and Gregg Zaun to no longer be Jays. I see the Jays were indeed TRYING to be buyers but at the end of the day they were neither; just like last year. When you’ve got a .500 ballclub you need to make decisions as a GM to improve your team for now or later. Now, we remain the SAME .500 ballclub we were yesterday. JP did a bad job today. I understand why he wouldn’t go after Bay because the price was way to high and I understand that the Ibanez deal failed in the last minute, but I was shocked he still couldn’t manage one trade. This team is pretty good, but they are not as good as JP thinks and he unfortunately, didn’t do his job to make them better. MAybe we’ll pick up someone in August, but for now I think it’s safe to say that the playoffs are a long way away and it’s going to be a tough road to get to the playoffs with the sam .500 ballclub. One question: When is Shannon Stewart coming back already? I thought he had a minor injury and he hasn’t played for ages. I didn’t mind him; He got off to a cold start, but he is still a .300 hitter and we could use him in our lineup. Thanks Mike, Happy Deadline day…
- WarrenHow is Jeff Niemann and Reid Brignac less than Marcum and Snider….
I read Niemaann is a solid pitching prospect and Brignac is a lesser shortstop prospect that will be a major leaguer….both in the same boat as travis snider who has proven nothing yet at the ML level and Marcum who is still a project and now has been plagued with arm problems…
I dont get the assessment that those 2 prospects are lesser,they certainly arent in the eyes of 2 ML front offices.
Alot of scouts have hyped up Niemann…So you know more than pro scouts and ML execs i assume ?
smh.
MW: Marcum has been plagued with arm problems? When did that happen?
- MikeI read that Bay rumour and just shook my head on ESPN when they were saying Marcum and Snider.
I guess we will see how the rest of the season shapes up. I think they were smart to stand pat. 6 1/2 out of the wildcard is only 1 1/2 away from what the Jays needed to be to consider contenders. August will be the telling month.
Look for another off-season of trying to land some big guns to make a splash, just like before 2006.
MW: See a couple of comments above – standing pat was the wrong thing, no?
- Aaron KerIt was reported on the score that the 2 major league players that were rumored to go the other way were Purcey and League! What do you think of that idea? personally, I think that would’ve been way too much. I’m glad it didn’t go through if in fact those were the 2 players. Can you somehow confirm these names or have you heard otherwise?
MW: I can’t confirm, nor can I believe that Seattle would have turned that down. I have my doubts.
- DeanHi Mike
Hurray for McGowan. I think the Bay trade might actually weaken the Sox. I might be biased, but I have to think that the pitching in the AL East is a lot better than the NL Central. Bay’s a lot better defensive than Manny, but I’m not sure if that’s enough.
What are the chances of Snider and Arencibia making it up this year ? Arencibia doesn’t walk, but 23 HR’s from the catcher spot just can’t be ignored. That basically leaves a lot of money next year for starting pitching, and/or a shortshop, if Snider/Lind DH’s.
MW: I don’t think that either Snider or Arencibia will be starters out of the gate next season.
- Alex HWell, I was hoping for some trades if for no other reason than to open up some spots on the 25-man roster for some farm hands.
(sigh)
Oh well, back to the vortex.
Best Regards
John
- John B.According to Jason Stark at ESPN, the Mariners were looking at Adam Lind for Ibanez. I was ready to go over to the Rogers Centre with an axe to cut off any phone line or cable to prevent something like that from happening.
Has JP been hanging around John Ferguson? It is like he is doing anything for an extra few wins so he will not be fired at the end of the season. It shouldn’t work that way. A GM should be looking at the team past the current season.
MW: I’m sure that Lind wasn’t part of the offer. If he was, the Mariners wouldn’t have backed out.
- Jim BThank you Mike for the update.
- CralTypical no action again, hello Mr. Rogers wake up! The people running this team are clueless, The Jays front office couldn’t organize a one car funeral. Get used to 4th and 5th place for the foreseeable future!
- tonyMMExtremly disapointed J.P. did not trade Burnett. This season is a dud, and the team has no chance to make the post-season. I don’t think there was any need to ‘pretend’ to be a buyer, I mean how many bottom of the barrel outfielders can J.P. possibly pick up in a year (Refering to Ibanez, not Bay). I personally believe he is trying to save his job, which is why he did not trade Burnett nor why he is trying to give the appearance that the Jays are sellers. I read Jon Heyman from CNNSI and he was even shocked that the Jays were making an attempt at Bay. He mentioned how they had no shot at the playoffs and were still attempting to go after Bay.
MW: Ibanez is far from a bottom-of-the-barrel bat – .280/.349/.463 would look pretty good in a Jays’ uni.
- BobbyWell they tried! I”m not entirely surprised. If anyone had wanted Eckstein he would have been dealt already. Ditto Zaun. They don’t have any position players that are producing anywhere near enough to interest a club making a run. Roll on the off-season!
- reyesHey Mike
Just wondering how much the Jays injury woes over the last few years (particularly with starting pitching) have to do with their training and medical staff. What are your thoughts on upgrading the medical and training staff?
MW: If you look at the injuries, many haven’t been conditioning-related. I don’t think the Jays have a sub-par training staff.
- TitoWell as I’d figured nothing was really done. Its almost as if JP couldn’t decide what he wanted to be. A buyer or a seller? In the end I think his idea to be a bit of a buyer may have had some merit. I mean if you part ways with the same players you would have while being a seller and get good returns for them to help in the immediate future not bad on you. Especially if you don’t think some of those players will be playing a big role in the years to come.
Mike, do you think JP will do anything in August with regards to waiver-trading?
MW: It depends if the right guys come through on waivers. I think that we may see something with Zaun or Eckstein in August.
- AlexHey Mike,
Today, Bob McCown discussed the possibility that Ricciardi was acting to save his job rather than making moves that would better the club down the road. At first, I wasn’t sold on that because I’m not sure what kind of offers he was getting for Burnett, but to hear that he allegedly tried to be a buyer instead of a seller would support this theory. Do you think that JP Ricciardi is doing what is best for himself rather than the organization?
MW: It’s certainly a possibility, but then the team is only 6 1/2 games out of a playoff spot.
- Dan CHi Mike,
The Jays are such a strange time this year. It seems that they’re perfectly capable of ending up 10 games over .500 or nosediving catastrophically to 10 games under. Or they could just stay status quo.
Speaking of which, has JP Ricciardi EVER made a trade of significance (in terms of players) at the trade deadline? To me, he seems incapable of making a good deal. It always seems that teams seem to ask for the sky with us in particular. Other teams seem to acquire talent without giving up too much.
MW: It always seems that way. The only deadline deal of real significance that Ricciardi has made came when he traded Shannon Stewart to Minnesota for Bobby Kielty, who he knew he’d be able to turn into Ted Lilly in the off-season.
- Oz RobHi Mike,
Disappointed the 2 Florida teams, forever sucking on the revenue sharing teat,refused to spend a dollar even though they’re in contention-hope they both collapse.
Given what JP said earlier in the week I’m not surprised there was no market for Eckstein and Zaun-they probably make too much money for some of the teams that might have been interested in them as back ups.
I can’t see anybody going via the waivers/trade route unless an injury happens on another team.Looks like what we see now is what we’ll have until September.
Re September callups you mentioned Snider and Arencibia but I wonder given that they still don’t have to be on the 40 man roster whether that will happen.
Re Scott Campbell you weren’t enthusiastic the other night but his various offensive numbers in Double A after jumping up from low A suggest the potential for a leadoff type hitter for which you need to find a position.
MW: I’m not unenthusiastic about Campbell, I just don’t think he’s going to have a chance for a big-league job next year.
- MattHey Mike, just trying to be 100% clear on something. Players that clear waivers at this point in the season can still be traided. Correct???
MW: Yup. Even players who get claimed on waivers can be traded – but only to the team that claims them.
- Matt from BCOk Mike, I know you are a strong supporter of J.P. I have heard you many of times support him and have said that he should not be fired. I was just re-reading MoneyBall. I am quite sure you have heard about this book. This was J’P's philosophy when he came to the Jays. You don’t need to spend a lot of money to be successful. He slashed payroll, and told the Jays brass that he could do that in a 2 years, and bring in better or as good less expensive ball players. He is also quoted in the book, stating at the same time as the money issue, that he could build a better team in a few years, ” alot better”
So tell me, how has he made this team better? The team is saddled with a huge payroll, with a number of players who are not easy to trade. The team highest win total under J.P. is 87 still not as high as Ash’s. Now I am not saying that Ash is better than J’P, but the fact of the matter is that J.P. has not got the job done. He has moved away from his moneyball movement and moved into an area that most G.M’s move into, you give me more money we’ll be better. But it is quite funny isn’t it, he was so against that idea 7 years ago. Results matter, wins and losses count. Now, if you can, justify why you are such a staunch supporter of his,and why he should keep his job, please without any sarcasm or intent to make me look like I have no clue what I am talking about. Cause I do.
MW: You made sense, so why would I be sarcastic? It should be noted, though, that Ricciardi didn’t “slash payroll”, he was hired on orders to cut the payroll down to $50M, and he did. The team isn’t “saddled” with a huge payroll, nor are there a number of players who are not easy to trade (unless that number is one – Vernon Wells would be it). You’re right, Ricciardi did say that he could win with a $50M payroll – but at the time the Yankees were only spending abut $90M, I think. No one anticipated payrolls moving to the levels to which they have. He wasn’t against the idea of spending money when he got here, he just had experience working without it.
- Jason DeneaulGeeze, I’d have to think about it long and hard before even giving Snider and a guy like Purcy for Bay….let alone Marcum.
This lack of movement doesn’t mean that Zaun and Eckstein couldn’t still be traded though does it Mike? I mean i’m sure they could slip through waivers, well Zaunie for sure.
MW: I would think that once you thought long and hard, you’d come to the conclusion that it was a bad idea. I think Eckstein would be the for sure.
- R JonesI can’t believe JP Riccardi passed up the chance to get Jason Bay in a Toronto uniform. I don’t care if we give up Marcum and Snider, Jason Bay is a power bat and this is the kind of bat the blue jays need.
MW: I’m glad you don’t care about giving up Snider and Marcum, but I’m more glad that Ricciardi did.
- matt shinMike, we are often reminded of the massive increase the blue jays have enjoyed in their payroll. What do you think is the biggest reason for deals not getting done if that can be generalized at all? I understand there are different factors for any trade, but depending on how impatient one is, there were still many opportunities to get teams more interested. Everyone would love to dump their leaving/unneeded players but fleecings just don’t happen very often.
As far as trades involving roster players for prospects, how possessive should JP be of talents like Snider, Lind, Arenciba, et all compared to the—often temporary—proven major league help?
MW: It depends on how good the proven major league help is. I think no deals got done because the Blue Jays didn’t need anyone enough to overpay, and no one wanted what the Jays have enough to overpay.
- JasonHi Mike,
Yesterday I predicted the Angels winning the world series. I still believe this will happen despite the fact that you said you weren’t sure. They’ve got unbelievable pitching and hitting that gets the job done at the right time. I think a team this good should be dissapointed to not win it all.
MW: The better team often doesn’t win a short playoff series.
- WarrenAs much flack as the sox are getting for this deal, i think they did FINE given the situation they were in.
1. they were not gonna resign manny and now they have Bay at a very reasonable cost for this year and next year. Bay’s production is not Ramirez in his prime..but its near a wash with this manny.
2. they traded moss and hansen…two guys that are completely expendable to them. masterson has become a better option in the penn and with delcarmen, okijima, papelbon..its not a huge hit to them.
3. who cares that they are picking up the rest of mannys contract for this year? how does this effect whats going on in the field? if this were a budget constrained team it MIGHT be a problem.but seriously whats 7 million to them anyway. its not the fans money.
- sammy jalalzaionce again, J.P. does a whole lot of nothing. how anyone can possibly think that this team can make the playoffs with the combination of injuries and games back in the standings that this team faces is beyond me. yet there is J.P. once again saying ‘we’re within striking distance of the wildcard.’ scoring 5 runs in 3 games at home against a team that you’re chasing does not exactly scream ‘contender’ at me. i wish J.P. would just resign as it doesn’t seem like anyone with Rogers recognizes mediocrity for what it is.
- ChrisMike,
I just have a couple of quick questions for you.
1) What does it mean when you say the Jays are going to pick up somebodys option? You are always saying that the Jays will/should pick up Barajas 2 million option. I dont understand that.
2) What does it mean when a team buys out a contract?
Thanks alot
MW: 1 – Some contracts include option years, and either the player or team (or both) has the option to extend the contract to a pre-arranged term and salary. 2 – When a team releases a player, it pays the remainder of what’s owed on the contract, or “buys it out”.
- PaulOf all the moves that weren’t made; can we PLEASE hope that somehow we see Wilkerson, who I realize makes no money, sitting on the bench. Whether it be in the dugout or in a park somewhere else? I’m sure he’s a great team guy or something, but perhaps you can enlighten me why Cito keeps marching him out there…? Can Stairs not come out to RF and Eckstein do more DHing? He provides more of a consistent and pesky bat than Wilkerson…Pplease no more Brad W. out there Cito…we’ve seen enough.
MW: He didn’t start tonight.
- McMahonAhhh…. Another trade deadline passes and the Pittsburgh Poverties decide to purge the roster of any names that are recognizable to John Q. Public and tip the balance of power to the money cities (yes that is you BOS & NYY). I guess F. Sanchez has to wait until the waiver deadline to get dealt to the Mets for a case of Gatorade. These type of trades are almost as comical as MANRAM patroling LF in Dodger Stadium…Manny being Manny playing singles into triples. As to my beloved Money City Mets, get an outfielder!! Tatis and Nick Evans and a merry band of injury bugs are not getting the NLE won anytime soon. Ciao for now.
- W S WickendenHi Mike.
So…
What do you think about the big trade? Who got the best deal?
One more:
Do you think the Jays are TRYING to get into the playoffs, or have they given up?
Thanks.
MW: I think the Dodgers got the best of it, if that’s the deal you mean. I think the Jays are trying to get into the playoffs – do you think they’re going out there not trying to win?
- Hopeful HomerIs McGowan’s labrum injury as potentially career-changing as Janssen and Chacin’s are/were?
MW: You never know. Janssen had a tear, Chacin had fraying, and McGowan apparently had a debridement.
- TylerMike,
How do you rate the four prospects the Pirates traded for Jason Bay?
How do these four prospets compare to the alleged asking price of Marcum and Snyder?
I don’t blame J.P. for hanging up the phone on Pittsburgh. While Bay is an elite player, he’s also a free agent after 2009.
MW: Craig Hansen is three years removed from being the next great closer prospect, Andy LaRoche is a very highly thought-of third-base prospect, Brandon Moss is a solid bat who may be coming into his own, and I don’t know much about Bryan Morris. He’s young, and doing well in A-ball, but he didn’t pitch at all last year.
- #1 Pirate fanAfter Scott Richmond became ‘reportedly’ the 14th? Canadian to wear a Jay uniform, i was trying to think of as many others as i could. I got as far as Matt Stairs, Corey Koskie, Paul Quantrill, Paul Spoljaric and Rob Ducey. Who were the others?
Thanks
MW: Reportedly?
- ukJayHey Mike
I’m glad the Jason Bay trade didnt go through, that s way to muck to give up! They simply would of been digging a hole to fill another.
MW: Would HAVE
- HardeepHey Mike,
About the Pirates trade, what the pirates got in return for Jason Bay equal to the Shaun Marcum and Travis Snider?!? I myself don’t think so but I don’t know anything about the players that the Pirates got in return.
Thanks, your thoughts
MW: See above.
- J. LeeHi Mike,
Uh, in my previous post I meant strange “team”, not “strange time”. I hope this is not a sign of early onset.
Thought I’d throw another comment out there. I can’t remember which year it was (probably because of the early onset), but a while back I distinctly remember that Vernon Wells had gone on an off season weight traning regime and had bulked up. He then had a relatively disapointing year and then “bulked down” over the off-season. The next year he played well again.
It was never discussed in the media, but my theory is that he had a bit of chemical assistance in bulking up, but was too smart a guy in the end and either was uncomfortable with the idea or sensed the impending outcry and got off it.
I’m not judging him, I’m sure the temptation on these guys is huge. But it did seem a very fast and curious physical transition at the time.
MW: I think it was the off-season after Hinske won rookie of the year, and Wells talked about a very different diet that he went on. Your theory is quite an accusation to make based on nothing more than conjecture.
- Oz RobIf the Jays had a chance to get Jason Bay for Marcum and Snider then they blew it..Why not make that trade?..Jason Bay is an MVP with 22Hr and 64 RBI this season and is only making 6 Mil this year and just over 7 Mil next season..I would make that trade in a heartbeat..What do you expect? Nobody is going to just hand over a power hitter for a bag of balls..You have to give up something to get something..Bay is only 29 years old..Marcum’s bubble will burst sooner or later and Snider may never live up to the hype..Remember all that talk about Gabe Gross?..Jason Bay is a proven hitter with serious power..Just what the Jays need..It baffles me that Riccardi did nothing..Were gonna finish the season around .500 and in a few more years Halladay will be fed up and gone..
MW: Gabe Gross was never talked about like Travis Snider is. I wouldn’t trade six years of Snider and four of Marcum for 1 1/3 of Bay.
- gumpI can’t believe Ricciardi couldn’t trade anything. How could there be no takers for AJ Burnett, Frasor or Tallet? That’s odd, there were takers for CC Sabathia, Rich Harden, Joe Blanton and relievers like Rauch and Rhodes, but nothing for Burnett et al. Or maybe they’ll wait til Burnett opts out and have his disciples draft two college seniors instead……HMMMM. Wait a minute!!!!!! We have an update from the genius himself, JP Ricciardi… “We still have a chance to be in the playoffs” wait, he changed his mind again. What a joke! Mike, you mentioned if JP is fired, we all can be assured, he will have another one waiting for him elsewhere. Mike, I can reassure you it won’t be as GM again, anywhere. The least he could have done today was slowly chip away at this plagued team, but I guess he had second thoughts, or did he change his mind again?
MW: Being open to alternatives is such a terrible quality in a general manager. Imagine if J.P. didn’t change his mind on occasion – Russ Adams would be the shortstop, Kevin Cash would be catching, Carlos Tosca managing. And did you really compare Frasor and Tallet (who is on the DL) with Rauch and Rhodes?
- Danny from MapleHey Mike,
Why would the Jays not make the Jason Bay trade. Marcum has been great this season, but probably has overachieved, and how good is Synder. I just do not understand why the would not make this trade. Throw in Marcum’s arm troubles and it makes less sense.
Thanks
MW: See above.
- aaronAn admittedly crazy idea – the Nationals just kicked Felipe Lopez to the curb. How much would we have to lose to bring him back here and let our coaches work with him a couple of months and see if they can figure out his issues?
I know 2005 probably isn’t coming back but he CANT be this bad at 28….can he?
Letter Butter work on his fielding and surely one of the three or four hitting coaches can do something with his bat – and even at his worst he’s at least as good as Scutero.
Crazy?
Maybe….maybe not. It can’t hurt, and if we do solve the puzzle then we have a cheap option for 2009.
MW: I’ll give you the “at worst he’s at least as good as Scutaro” – but the worst team in baseball had no use for him, imagine the outcry!
- WillRainHi Mike, you’d said to one of the callers that you’d like to see Manny Ramirez in a Blue Jays Uni, he is a free agent at the end of this season isn’t he? I would definitely like to see him with the Blue Jays as well, would definitely solve their DH problem, and get somebody productive in there at DH.
MW: Yup
- DanMike..On Richard Griffin’s blog he states “Of course there is a legend that Mike Wilner, the third man in the Jays’ booth can actually close his eyes and identify the pitch by sound. We kid you not.” Why would he say this..is this a true statement? I sense a little
sarcasm in this comment. Don’t let these comments bug you. I believe you are the
new face of Toronto Blue Jays
media, with a plethera of great things to come. Keep
up the good work.
MW: I like how Griff is always mentioning me in his mailbag.
- lukespeaksI’d say, JP made the correct move, by hanging on to Marcum and not panicking to get a bat here during the final hours of the trade deadline.
I also think, his actions speaks voulumes as to him being around next season! He, could have went ahead at any cost to try and save his own job or dismantle the Jays – but he didn’t!
Yikes, you have over a 100 comments to get to Mike – not counting many from this latest blog no doubt.
By the way your not doing yourself any favours by still commenting on those who take a shot at you – or those who dream up things you never said. I think, your best just to leave those negative comments with no response! If you ignore the loud mouths and the negative people, eventually they come around or go away.
Hard to soar like an eagle Mike, when your dealing with a few turkeys!
Things are looking up again for the Jays, even though they did not make a trade. How? Well, the Jays have one less big bat in Manny they have to face now during this stretch run. Gotta like that – Bay won’t be as big a threat as Manny was for the Jays. Get ready, the Jays are about to make a huge move up the standings! Oh yea!
Thanks.
MW: A cockeyed optimist, you are. But I fear you’re just setting yourself up for a major disappointment. As for the “turkeys”, I feel that if I don’t respond at all, they’d see it as a tacit agreement with what they’re spouting.
- Bob -Hi Mike,
Obviously disappointing.
Interesting choice in Ibanez,
but that would have been good
for this year, as discussed.
Ironic that it’s Jays vs Texas
this weekend in that (each at opposite ends of the spectrum -one with hitting depth, the other with pitching depth)
they didn’t accomplish anything and meet today.
Even more interesting that, apparently, Boston is paying the rest of Manny’s salary for the year. Would he have been more appealing to me, on that basis? Only for about a week.
A perfect fit for him to be in LALA Land (off the field) but have they seen him in the outfield? There’s no way I would have guessed he’d end
up on a NL club.
MW: He won two World Series the last four years playing left field every day.
- BRick in OakvilleWho do you thimk came out on top of the Manny trade, BOS, LAD or PIT?
- DMillsHey Mike….another year of excitement and possibilities gone right down the drain.
Would the mighty J.P. be capable of such deceit??
(See below)
“Baker then goes on to speculate that the acquisition of Ibanez was a marketing tool to convince the fans in Toronto that the team was still gunning for the playoffs to keep TV ratings up.”
Anyone with a baseball brain in their head knows that unless the bubonic plague runs through the locker rooms of not only the Rays, but the BoSox AND Yankees, then all we are doing is playing out the year because I’m sure it says somewhere that we have to.
MW: Then again, look up a couple of comments.
- Andrew NMike, I need your opinion.
1)Will JP be back next year?
2)If so, do you see him making a “splash” in the free agent market?
3)If not, do you see a new GM coming in and cleaning house and/or making a splash?
4)Do you think the presence of JP has any effect on the possibility of AJ returning, or would AJ consider staying if JP went bye bye?
MW: 1 – I don’t know. 2 – It depends on your definition of “splash” – but probably. 3 – One or the other, probably. 4 – There’s no correlation.
- Andrew NJP is done after this season and pretty much done as a GM in this league, as he becomes the next Gord Ash.
He has nothing to show for the years here, he’s changed direction so many times and made some insanely bad moves and salary awards. So knowing he’s done and seeing the kind of personalty he is on the radio when confronted or challenged or questioned even, I would not put it past him to be a total S**T and not make deals just to spite everyone.
Go off on how he’s not such a bad GM but the record speaks for itself, not ONE meaningful game in September the entire time he’s been here.
MW: Just like every other team in the AL East but for Boston and New York.
- Stephen SmithjI guess JP is ok with mediocrity. DO SOMETHING. If we are good enough to make the playoffs buy if we are not sell. This has been 2 straight years of “we are a better ball club than we are playing” but eventually we are what we are, mediocre.
- KDHonestly Mike, I really believe that if JP was allowed to do something that he would have. I am thinking more and more that the lack of activity other than call ups since Cito has shown up indicates to me that JP has little if any power left. I think that it is truly unfortunate, because even if Gaston is in evaluation mode of the players on this team, and even if JP has lost his power to make change, the management owes the fans a chance to bring in some hitters to help out. This whole season, just like a few of them started with so much promise. If senior management won’t allow JP to improve the team, the least they could do then is terminate him and allow him to get his bearings for a position with another team. That would be the classy thing to do. Those are my thoughts
MW: I don’t understand why a team would emasculate its GM at such an important time of the season, which is why I can’t believe the Jays would have.
- JimHi Mike,
here’s my plan to make the rest of the season more interesting, for me at least.
Replace Zaun with a younger catcher (Diaz, Thigpen, whatever. I would imagine they will be back-ups in the future, why not start now?). Release Mench, give the starting job to Snider, while keeping Wilkerson on the bench. Have Johnny Mac or Eckstein as the starting shortstop (I prefer Johnny Mac). Bring in a minor leaguer (not sure who is doing well in Syracuse) to split time with Stairs and see who does better.
Too bad there are no real prospects for any infield positions (minus catcher) ready to come up. The Jays are really hurting there now.
Well, they may not play much better, but it would make me happy. Not that they should care.
Thanks!
- RoryIf it’s true Pittsburgh wanted Marcum and Snider for Bay then I’m very happy JP did not make that move. The Jays this year would not even be interesting to watch without the pitching. We need to keep our pitching core intact as much as possible for the final third.
Mike do you think the Jays should have had some interest in Pudge ? Could he not provide a boost to the hitting ?
MW: If they could have gotten him for Jason Frasor, sure, but I don’t think that was a possibility. Also, he’d have cost them almost $4 million for the rest of the season.
- Ian CMike buddy,
Not sure if you’ve heard this story, but being that these players defected in Canada perhaps the Jays had something to do with it? Any idea if the Jays are in on these guys?
“Two Cuban players participating in the World Junior Triple A Baseball Championship in Edmonton appear to have defected, the team confirmed Tuesday.
Two of the team’s star players – pitcher Noel Arguelles and infielder Jose Iglesias – have been missing since Sunday.
The common theory is that there are major league teams wanting these players, said Hayter, who is also a city councillor.”
MW: No clue if the Jays are in, but if they establish asylum here, I think they’d be draft-eligible in 2009, as opposed to international FAs.
- Andrew (Guelph)Theo Epstein amazes me…. he gets rid of a fading, disgruntled defensive liability, and turns it into a player who admittedly has a little less pop, but will play hurt, give them better defense, and won’t clog the bases.
- FoxyFew clubs could have pulled off a deal like that.
Mike i saw that Felipe Lopez was released i know hes struggling but hes only 3 years removed from a all star season. Jason Arnold never worked out when we traded lopez for him originally why not take a mulligan and try to find a SS for the next couple years. What the worst that could happen have a team without a MLB caliber SS not like we havent seen that before.
MW: He’s not a major-league calibre SS.
- JeffYou shouldn’t feel obligated to moderate all the comments. Why not just post them like a lot of sites do, and respond to ones that you want to? Then comments would focus less on you and more on the team.
MW: I feel as though the major reason there are so many comments is because I respond.
- JohnHey Mike,
Thanks for the update
Would I be crazy to think that Inglett and Lind should be batting after one another in the lineup, or maybe atleast so they’re not separated by three outs
I know Cito wants to keep the pressure off Lind by letting him bat at the bottom, but maybe they’d knock eachother in, especially in those intense zero out innings where we sometimes see no production
MW: I wouldn’t be opposed to seeing Lind hitting second.
- Davefrom post #129 a few days ago…
“Trade Burnett and Barajas to the Yankees for Jaba Chamberlain.”
you serious?
if you value him enough to trade for him, imagine how much the man that drafted him, and the only organization he’s known, values him…
It’s moot now that the non-waiver deadline has passed, but come on people, you have to be able to evaluate it from other team’s perspectives…
if the roles were reversed, would you trade a perfectly healthy, younger, and surging dustin mcgowan (to put it in terms we can relate to), for 2 months of a very good (albeit enigmatic) pitcher, and an average to below average catcher?
Mike, or whoever moderates this blog, is it possible (for next season i suppose) to cut out the trade proposal posts? it clutters the boards with stuff that doesn’t educate us, and takes us out of reality, and into a fantasy realm…is it really that fun to talk about for ppl?
MW: The trade proposals are what clutter the boards?
- Jay BMike do you know of any good pieces of literate that would explain to me how the waiver trade deadline works? or do have time to explain it?
I no that a player has to clear waivers now to be traded, but whats to stop say the Red Sox from claiming every single player put on waivers just to prevent the Yankees or Rays from obtaining that player? or if a team does claim that player are the on the hook for the remainer of his contract if the team that put him on waivers allows him to leave?
Once a team puts a player on waivers and is claimed can the team that put him on waivers take him off waivers if a deal is not worked out??
Where could I go to learn this? it is of great interest to me!
MW: The Yankees would claim ahead of the Red Sox, since they’re lower in the standings. A team could claim every single player in order to block other teams, but they’d have to keep the player if they got stuck with him, and would have to make room on their 40-man roster for him. A team that makes a waiver claim is responsible for the player’s entire contract if the player isn’t recalled off waivers by his original team. These are recallable waivers, so the team can pull the player back, but if the player goes back on waivers, they’re no longer recallable.
- Dan MHey Mike
Rumour has it that the Jays offered Purcey and League for Ibanez. What do you think is better, Purcey/League or two picks? BTW, I say the picks.
MW: I say Purcey and League, pretty easily. But I don’t believe that was the offer.
- JeffMike…watched the Prime Time sports show on Tv this afternoon and it was nice to see you in person..listen all time and will tonite after the ball game…was
very disappointed the Jays
did not trade anybody..So, now we just put up with what we got…a 500 ball club…
and it is quite obvious J.P
and a few players have to go after the season..Keep up the good program and hope to see you on Prime Time Sports
again “sooner than later”..
Robert Goodwin
- Robert GoodwinLondon..
Uh, Mike!,
Re: my post #42 and your reply.
If you’re implying that playing left field in Boston requires some kind of talent than I’m a little surprised.
You just stand there and play
the ball off the monster. No
where else requires less quickness, speed or arm strength. With balls flying over him for triples, or by
him for doubles, it’ll be back to the AL for next season.
You’re not trying to pass Manny off as even an average left fielder,right?
Either way, if his defensive liabilities don’t wreck everything in LaLa land,
I’ll be surprised.
MW: Oh, no, Manny is a horrible left fielder, one of the worst in the game, there’s no question about that. But the Red Sox won two World Series with him out there, playing half his games away from Fenway.
- BRick in Oakville