2:30 PM Eastern
Hope you enjoyed Baseball Today this afternoon – we had John McDonald live and in colour, and also heard from tonight’s starter Marc Rzepczynski and Roy Halladay.
Remember to vote for Adam Lind in the Final Vote for next week’s All-Star game, and while you’re at it, vote for Pablo Sandoval, too. Evidently there’s a big group in San Francisco that wants to make a pact with Jays’ fans (his e-mail said they were making a “packed”, but so be it) that they’ll vote for Lind if you vote for Sandoval. Voting is open until Thursday, and here’s the link:
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And here, for your listening pleasure, is yesterday’s edition of The JaysTalk:
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Rational, reasonable comments are always welcome!
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Isn’t there an unwritten rule not to talk to a starting pitcher the day of his start or was it pre-recorded or lastly were you just taking advantage of the rookie?
MW: As I said on the air, the interview was done last September. I’m not in Tampa.
- Shmuel YitzchokAm I the only one who believes Doc will end up staying in town?
MW: Nope.
- Anthony LThank you for doing a program like Baseball Today! Long overdue. Well done Mike.
- mPTeam leaders in home runs per plate appearance:
- royhughes.0518 Hill
.0508 Lind
.0359 Overbay
.0333 McDonald
I have been voting for Sandoval anyway but I like the agreement. Is there a limit to the number of times you can vote?
- ShaneMike, they are shopping Doc. Ridiculous. What will they get? A good hurler? They are trading one. It’s great that we are following the Cleveland model. Toronto-Cleveland-that’s what we compare ourselves to. Rogers ownership is a joke for letting this team fall into the gutter and anyone who supports this is a loser.
MW: They are not shopping Halladay. Who said they were shopping Halladay?
- Joe S,Hi Mike. I just read the scariest, most irrational comment ever on this blog. JP is now, and has been all year, listening to offers for our Homegrown Hall of Famer. At this point in his devastation of a once proud franchise, he can have the keys to the Lamberghini, but he ain’t allowed to drive it. There is no way in the world the powers that be will let him negotiate any deal like that. You think attendance is bad now and fans are apathetic towards the plight of our Jays, wait and see what happens if Mr. I have no clue of baseball talent pulls the trigger on any deal. Get real.
MW: So what you’re saying is, Roy Halladay isn’t going anywhere.
- daveMike why are JP comments that he is open to any offer for halladay now and he needs to be blown away, Iam confused why now when struggling and why even make them?
MW: Because he was asked if he was going to trade Halladay, and he answered.
- nickqI was totally on board with your thoughts on the Halladay trade situation on the show this afternoon, in that it was the same stuff JP’s been saying for years. Sadly though as I’m reading more and more interviews JP has done today, especially the one with Onley where JP said he’s prepared Halladay for the possibility of being traded, I think there is more to it this time. I’m a big prospect junkie, but this still feels wrong. Just curious if you get the sense now that this may be more than willing to listen if someone called up JP?
MW: I think they’ve always been willing to listen. They may, as J.P. said, be willing to listen more now than they have before, but they’d still have to be blown away.
- ClintWhat up Mike.
Congrats on the new show. What’s going to happen with the blog? someone taking over?
Well I’m excited to see this Rzepczynski kid pitch tonight ( unfortunatley it’s only on TSN so I can’t watch in high def.)
Hopefully we have another good young pitcher.
So, I’m looking at the standings and thinking about the state of the team. I gotta throw this out there….J.P.’s gotta go.
I’m not going to even discuss the five year plan garbage. Under him we’ve watched the Yankees out spend us and go to the playoffs, we’ve watched Tampa Bay make the playoffs and flat out become a better team than us through superior drafting and player development. We’ve watched Boston beat us in both departments.
Our current team is decent. Under Gibbons (who was around way too long) the team wasn’t very good. He was not a good manager. If I’m not mistaken J.P. did not want to fire him. Was he not fired when the new Beeston regime came into power? I’m pretty sure Beeston went over J.P.’s head to make that move (might be wrong). Cito coming back is the best thing that happened to the team and the only major difference between this year and last. In fact when we brought him back last year it turned into an immediate turn around. He has taken a sub par team on paper and has them playing over .500 .
J.P. has not drafted well. The money ball stuff was way too heavily bought into (worked for a year or two in Oakland in a weak division). When we increased our payroll the money wasn’t spent well. We’ve kept guys around that we should have got rid of (Hinske, Towers, Zaun, Gibbons, League). We got rid of guys we should have kept (Hudson, Lily, Michael Young, Hillenbrand (was a career .300 hitter at the time), Werth).
He paid Towers 5 million over two years instead of letting McGowan develop in the 5th starter role for cheap. Every pitcher under him has either not performed or run into injury problems (except Halladay who seems high end enough to take care of himself).
Romero and Hill, and Lind are the only successes that he really has anything to do with and I would attribute Hill and Lind’s hitting success more to Cito and CO. than to J.P.’s eye for talent (notice they both started hitting when he came around).
We put our faith in J.P. and he’s made a mess of this organisation and was insultingly arrogant while doing it. Enough already. Let’s get someone in who knows what they’re doing.
MW: Wow. There’s hardly a shred of truth to anything that you’ve written there. They held on to Hinske, Zaun and League too long? They “got rid of” Lilly? They should have kept Hillenbrand and Werth? You’re blaming Gord Ash’s trading Michael Young on Ricciardi? Gibbons’ firing, by the way, came five months before Beeston took over as President. Yes, giving Towers that two-year deal turned out to be a mistake, but it was only five million bucks, and Towers earned some security with the way he pitched in 2005. Ricciardi made such a mess of the organization that the Jays had the best pitching in the American League in 2007 and 2008 and they’re fourth in the league in WHIP right now despite having five starters on the disabled list. You’re blaming the Yankees $200 million payroll on Ricciardi? The fact that the Rays drafted in the top five 10 years in a row? Yeah, he’s done a terrible job.
- RealityCheckjp used to say that they won’t accept calls for dealing halladay? why are they accepting now? and do you think halladay asked for something or indicating something about him leaving?
MW: He never said that they wouldn’t accept calls asking for Halladay. J.P.’s answer has always been that he’d be foolish not to listen to whoever called about anyone. No, I don’t think this came from Halladay.
- nikolasAre you at all surprised by the rapid fall of BJ Ryan this season?
It’s unbelievable how quickly he has diminished.
I guess therein lies the risk of long term deals.
Also, should we in any way be surprised at the Jays record so far this season, given the huge number of injuries to what was already a suspect Pitching Staff to start the season?
MW: I’m very surprised by the rapid fall of B.J. Ryan. And of course you should be surprised by the Jays’ record this season. This was a team most thought would be in tough to avoid 90 losses, and they’re over .500 beyond the halfway point of the season.
- CamMike, I want to preface this comment by stating I dont believe the jays are likely to make the playoffs. I dont feel their lineup is comparable over the long haul to the yanks or red sox, and likely the league leading hitting rays.
HOWEVER, I dont understand this massive jumping off of the SS Jays. Specifically, I dont understand this idea that this weekend signified some sort of sea change. Lets break down what happened in this “end all” series with the Yanks
….the jays got shut down on friday in a tight game where neither team really came through offensively
Saturday: a game the jays should have definitely won and would have won if doc were not still rusty. if this were the doc we know, yanks would be in a choke hold through the 7th…that and we’ll never know how much the 80 minute delay between the top and bottom of the 7th inning effected an already rusty pitcher.
Sunday: an emergency starter gets shelled, and even still the jays take an 8-4 lead..the penn, decimated by injuries AND fatigue….is depleted and thus bj ryan is brought into the game….jays lose….should have won.
Monday: jays win…theeeeeee Jays win..
so….from where i see it, the jays really could have easily won 3/4 from the yanks and be 2 back and the fans would be piling onto the ship to the point of sinkage. they should have EASILY split the series and the boat would still be afloat….with Marcum making a comeback…halladay hopefully having shaken off rust, and ricky romero impressing…downs coming back after the break…yes things would be OK going forward
but since the jays lost 3/4 instead of splitting….people are saying the season is over? what? one game makes that big a difference in early July? what sport is this….????
in fact, the great peter gammons said on espn last night that he talked with JP and JP believes that “its not going to work this year” so the jays are now sellers? hmm..if the jays had split they would not be sellers yet since they lost 3/4 they now ARE sellers? ONE game in July telling the tale of buyer vs seller? this sounds fictional to me..
then karl ravech adds insult to injury by asking gammons if there is any chance the jays would deal adam lind? are we in Alice in Wonderland? These people consider it their jobs to know baseball and the guys asks if the jays would be dealing Lind? for who? matt weiters? Lind????? the next GBOAT?
Mike, talk me down here but the jays are a couple runs in extra inning games the last few weeks from being tied for the wild card (two games vs the nationals….yanks game….not to mention a few other painful one run losses like that sunday killer vs the phils) and they are doing this with second and third string pitching? Can we please get people to take their hands off the shovel for a minute and realize, big picture, what is going on?
MW: No, we can’t. I’ve been trying to do that for years.
- General ZodHi Mike,
Reading between the lines here, do you think that Roy Halladay has asked to be traded?
The lack of any commentary from Beeston or Halladay himself seems telling to me.
This is really, really bad Mike.
MW: Halladay hasn’t asked to be traded. I can almost guarantee that.
- JamieMike,
Is there any reason to be concerned that the Jays have not signed any of their top eight picks from the draft so far?
At this time last year all but one of their top eight had been signed.
MW: Nope. They still have over a month to sign them.
- ScottHey Mike,
The big news of the day (though it’s questionable that it is in fact news given that JP has been saying the same for at least a couple of months already) is that Doc is on the block.
You’ve touched on this a couple of times, but you can thank Fox Sports and Ken Rosenthal for bringing it back to the fore.
Finally, my question is that does the emergence of Romero make the idea of trading the best pitcher in baseball a little bit easier to think about. You’ve said before that once you trade a guy like Roy, you immediately start looking for his replacement. Granted that we’ve only been given a small sample size with which to judge Ricky. But, the success he’s had so far suggests he just might be the real deal (that change/not really a change/what is it?/man that’s a nasty pitch is both terrifying and beautiful).
For the record, I would likely cry if Halladay put on another jersey. That being said, JP sounded a little weary when discussing the team’s ability to find enough money to keep Doc AND keep a winner around him.
Thanks!
MW: Halladay is not on the block. No one has said that he’s on the block. The biggest piece of “proof” that Rosenthal had that Halladay would be traded was that once a team starts listening to offers, it’s impossible not to go through with a trade, which is a massive stretch, at best. Romero hasn’t been around the league a second time yet – he hasn’t even made 15 starts in his entire career. It’s FAR too early to proclaim him Halladay’s successor.
- BrandenMike,
What do you think Roy Halladay is thinking when J.P Richardi said that he is in the trading block?
I don’t get it he is the best pitcher and you would be interested in trading him?
MW: Please read the actual comments before you comment on them. Ricciardi has never said that Halladay is on the trading block, nor has he said that he would be interested in trading him.
- Jays FanJust wondering about this Halladay talk??? I know J.P said he is not looking to trade him he is just willing to look at what he could get. Should we be worried Halladay is going to be traded?? Just hoping for your inside scoop. Thanks Mike.
Im off to vote for Lind and Sandoval.
MW: See above.
- TimHey Mike,
Constructive criticism for you. I love when you get calls from Scotland and North Carolina.. I just wish you’d ask these folks with other accents why they follow the Blue Jays over other teams. Thanks!
Congrats on the new show, by the way, I’ve been listening all week!
MW: I should do that, it’s true.
- Scott BIt would be a very good move if the Jays could move Halladay at or near the top in his value. They could get some serious talent in return.
MW: We shall see.
- dave_12What’s up with JP and his reclamation projects? Yes, JP you may love Kevin Mench, Brad Wilkerson and David Delucci. But they are not good players. Jays need to release Delucci and call up Coats/Ruiz already.
MW: Three games. It’s been three games.
- RenegadeMike, reading Jordan Bastian’s interview with Roy Halladay I got the sense that the issue may be the direction the team goes in. Specifically, the impression I got was that if the team enters into a rebuilding mode then Doc would want out.
Conversely then, if the Jays look to add pieces and stay competitive then he wants to stay. This is good I think, as the Jays look like they should continue to improve in the years to come, provided they add the required pieces to complement their good young players.
Do you think then that JP and Beeston approached Roy about an extension and he informed them that he would not sign unless they added some pieces to the team first? Meaning maybe Roy is not down with this whole let’s wait until 2010 crap. Maybe Roy wants the Jays to make some moves now.
Or do you think that ownership has informed the Jays that they need to move Halladay because of payroll concerns? Roy should make 25+ plus million a season over 4-5 years in his next deal. Is this maybe too much for Rogers for some reason?
This doesn’t make sense Mike. Roy’s comments are not consistent with someone who wants to be traded and the Jays will be unlikely to get any better on the field if they trade their best player.
Plus fans in T.O. would revolt big time I’m sure if the Jays ever willingly traded Roy, to enter a rebuilding mode or for any other reason than him demanding out.
MW: Halladay said he wants to win, and win soon, which would lead one to believe that if the Jays enter into a full-blown rebuild, that Halladay wouldn’t come back to the Jays. I think, though, that with players such as Marcum, Romero, Cecil, Janssen, Accardo, Downs, League, Hill, Lind, Rolen, Overbay and Wells that they’re very unlikely to rebuild – with or without Halladay. It’d be an awfully tough thing to do. I believe both Halladay and Ricciardi when they say that there haven’t been any discussions about a new contract this season.
- McLovinMW: Jed Lowrie is a Boston Red Sock, and he’s been on the DL almost all season.
I know. thats why its pathetic that hes in top 10 for shortstop voting
MW: All-star voting isn’t usually based on merit (if one considers merit to be first-half stats). You’re not just now realizing this, are you?
- Han SoloHERE ARE THE NEW JAYS REALITIES
payroll will be 80 mil at most probably be cut again
Halladay will not be resigned and will be traded for sure
Jays will become a poor mans rays
Attendance will continue to plumbett
Jays will eventually be sold to an american
MW: Plumbett. I like that.
- pabloIs it just me or was marc getting the rookie squeeze on the outside corner of the plate.
He reminds me a lot of downs with his delivery and his pitches.
Do you agree?
MW: I’ve been too busy answering comments to really watch him much.
- paoloI am thrilled that the Jays are thinking of trading Halladay. I love Doc and he’s an amazing pitcher, but pitching him every 5 days for the better part of 10 years hasn’t brought us any closer to the playoffs than one second-place finish in the AL East. Halladay will command absolute top dollar, and the Jays can throw in Wells and get whoever to pay a big chunk of his salary as well. A team with money and play-off hopes would do anything to get their hands on Halladay and taking Wells would help the Jays out a lot.
Trading Halladay would be the best and bravest thing the front office could do for this team and the kindest thing to do for Doc himself.
MW: They can’t worry about being kind to Halladay, and if they make the team that takes him take Wells as well, it takes a heck of a lot away from the package they’d get back. I don’t think it’s worth trading Halladay just to get rid of Wells’ contract.
- isabella reyesMike,
I am sure that this blog will be filled with entries about JP’s comments regarding Halladay; however, I would like to chime in about him and a couple other points.
1. I am confused about some of JP’s comments. He is quoted as saying “I’m not so sure payroll-wise where we’re going to be able to be after 2010. I’m not so sure that the player wants to stay here beyond 2010. I’m not sure of those things.” Now, I have heard/read many, many Halladay comments about how he wants to stay in Toronto – almost as many comments about how Rogers has said that, if asked, the money would be available. Am I missing something?
2. Trading Halladay is better than letting him walk if the teams does not believe they can sign him. If we trade him there is some control over where he does NOT go (i.e., AL East) and we will get more for him than the two draft picks. This could be a good move and his value is at his highest right now, and we could be set up for years because of it.
3. I would say the package needed to land Halladay would be 4-5 players, all top prospects and MLB ready or 2 everyday players and a couple of prospects. Do you think pitchers or position players would be preferred?
4. As a sidebar – is Alex Rios a player about whom we will forever be opining how good he could be rather than how good he actually is?
5. Wells was voted the AL’s LVP at the half by Jon Heyman of SI. Hard to argue, and also hard to argue that Wells’ contract is not in the way of resigning Halladay. I think if Halladay is traded there will be a lot of resentment directed at Wells – especially if he continues to underperform.
6. Finally, if Halladay is traded, how long will the doom and gloom last? The people who live and die by this team daily will be inconsolable, and the hatred towards JP will be indefatigable.
Thanks as always for your comments & insight.
MW: 1 – Halladay has said that his main goal is to win, and that he would prefer to win in Toronto. That doesn’t mean he has said that he’ll re-sign when his contract is up. 2 – If they can get back a package that’s better than two first-rounders, and they’re not in a position to make the playoffs with him next season, then yes, trading him is better than letting him walk. 3 – I think quality players would be preferred. The Jays’ obvious needs are at shortstop, third base and catcher, but you can’t limit yourself by looking for specific positions. 4 – Maybe. 5 – There’s already a lot of resentment directed at Wells but again, it’s not his fault they offered him that contract, and it’s even less his fault that he accepted it. 6 – All that it would take to life the doom and gloom would be a playoff run. Can hatred be indefatigable?
- Darenrogers still doesn’t even halve a payroll for next year. what kind of organization is this? how can you run a baseball team when you dont even know what the payroll is? there are long term contracts involved and rogers cant even make a committment beyond a year!
MW: It would be pretty bad for the Blue Jays if Rogers halved the payroll next year.
- pabloMike…I often scratch my head that the catcher can block the plate but at other bases, it’s called obstuction.
MW: Such is life in the big city.
- chris m.No cheating or peeking in the media guide or internet Mike. Who are the only 4 relief pitching Jays, including the year, that have made the All Star team?
MW: I’m kind of busy watching the game, but I’ll guess Henke, Ward, Koch and Ryan. I remember Ryan going (and getting the win) in Pittsburgh, I think.
- CoryMW: They can’t worry about being kind to Halladay, and if they make the team that takes him take Wells as well, it takes a heck of a lot away from the package they’d get back. I don’t think it’s worth trading Halladay just to get rid of Wells’ contract.
It’s not. But that’s not what I meant. Whether Wells goes or stays, trading Halladay is the right thing to do and I’ve thought this for a while. However, if it were possible to throw Wells in, I would be happy. His contract is going to cause the Jays grief for a long time unless he all of a sudden turns into a superstar.
- isabella reyesYou gotta be kidding me…
I must be misremembering a few things..How is it a few first rounders is an acceptable conclusion to the departure of a guy like Roy Halladay?..
Yea that way J.P Ridiculousli can draft another Russ Adams or maybe David Purcey has brother without ADD he can pick up..
I thought next year was J.P’s massive year of champions?..Your know, the spin this year was to blow chunks and retool for next season..
Yea were getting a couple of 12 game winners back (Marcum and Mcgowan)..Let’s break out the party hats, the Yankees are quivering in their jock straps..
If your going to trade the best player in the MLB you had better get more then a couple of players that may or may not make the club 3-5 years from now..
But I guess that doesn’t matter..Good ol’ Riccardi won’t be here..He misses his family too much…
MW: If you don’t get back more than two first-rounders in trade, then those picks, plus having Halladay here for another year and a half, are an acceptable resolution to his career. That said, there should be no way that the Jays couldn’t get back more than that for Halladay.
- ray bPS I am not saying that the team should trade Halladay to be kind to Halladay. Halladay will command top dollar right now. So now is when we should trade him.
- isabella reyesI think that 2 of your statements in the past are going to be wrong. you said before that the jays would increase payroll next year. I think the jays have no intention of increasing payroll with the poor attendance and weak economy. you also stated the jays would “back up the truck” and give him a boatload of money. I think the jays cannot afford to pay roy if the payroll doesnt go up so they will not resign him. that’s why you’re hearing the trade rumours.
MW: That’s not why you’re hearing trade rumours.
- pabloMike, you said on the postgame show that “the dice are stacked against them”
hmmmm….
MW: You can stack dice!
- pabloI was listening to the post game show and you said that if you want to win a world series there are at least 12 better places to go. A sad reality in a town that was once Big League. And I agree with you.
- Joe S,you asked “where did halladay say he wasn’t resigning here?” he just said on tsn that his decision will be based on whether he can win here and win soon. given this teams puny offense, he cant win here soon so why would he sign here?
MW: That’s not the same as saying he’s leaving. He certainly doesn’t think the offense is as bad as you do.
- pabloHi mIke, subscribed to the Baseball Today podcast in iTunes here, and the two podcasts that are showing in the feed, are failing to download. If you could get somebody to look at this, that’d be great. Seems as if the files aren’t there.
MW: I’ll tell the techies.
- Danmike, you dont have to be a rocket scientist to figure out that if rogers leaves the payroll at 80 mil then there is little chance of the jays improving and it’s a moot point because the jays will have no money for him anyways.
- pabloHi Mike
OK, since everyone is talking Halladay trade, let’s have some fun with possibilities
With Phillies
Ryan Howard, Werth and their top pitching prospect for Halladay, Overbay
or
Halladay for Ryan Howard, straight up
With Boston
Halladay & Overbay for Jason Bay, Youkilis and one of their top prospect. preferably pitching
or
Halladay & Overbay for Lester, Youkilis and one of their top pitching prospect
With the Dodgers
Halladay for Russel Martin and Billingsley
Francis
MW: None of those trades will happen, not even close. I’ll be completely stunned if the Jays manage to get two roster players in a deadline deal, even for Halladay.
- francisMW: I’m kind of busy watching the game, but I’ll guess Henke, Ward, Koch and Ryan. I remember Ryan going (and getting the win) in Pittsburgh, I think.
One off. 87 Henke, 93 Ward, 01 Quantrill and 06 Ryan.
- CoryHi Mike,
I love your show and blog.
I know this is question is about last year, but I’m wondering if you can provide me with the rationale of why the Jays traded Matt Stairs.
His left handed bat, .280 average and .426 OBP would look good for the Jays right now.
If you were Cito, would you be pulling the plug on Delluci now?
MW: Stairs has put up those numbers in 58 at-bats this season. If he were playing everyday, I think they’d be a lot closer to the .250/.342/.394 he hit for the Jays last season. They traded him because he was 40, didn’t fit in to their future plans, and the Phillies gave them a 23 year-old big-armed lefty with major-league experience.
- MarkMike last time I commented on your blog I asked you if a noon hour baseball show would be possible? You replied “not likely” which I hoped was, it is too much work for yourself, not that the station wouldn’t support it. I realize the added workload for yourself and I thank you. Finally I think the parent company is promoting it’s on property properly! A bit ahead of myself but if this continues, next season you can start at season opener and split the hour until the end of the playoffs! This is a hockey town, but really everything said during the Hockey hour has already been said 2 or 3 times already by that point! Hopefully if this thing lasts you could incorporate an ex-Jay like Paul Spoljaric or Quantrill as a co- host. Also I happen to love Jessie Barfield’s analysis!
Thanks again.
MW: We’ll have to sit down and talk at the end of the summer about the future of Baseball Today, but I can’t imagine the show being on the air while the hockey playoffs are still going.
- toseMike:
Congrats on the new show. I am one of those fans that would like to see a baseball show all year ’round, but it doesn’t have to be in the noon slot when it’s hockey season. In the off season, I’d even compromise to a weekly show.
MW: In the off-season, I need to sleep.
- Alan the stat geekHey Mike,
Great show and I love the title – reminds me of my childhood listening to Tom and Jerry. An idea I had about the show and it ties into Flashback Fridays with the Jays – Any chance we could hear some classic calls by Tom Cheek and Jerry?
I’d love to hear a highlight to tie in with the flashbacks, or one step further since Tom and Jerry did the MLB playoffs in Canada during the 80s, maybe a tie in that way with an interview with a former MLBer and not necessarily a Jay.
Anyways, keep up the great work! Love the show!
- John Bower