2:55 PM Eastern
FIRST THINGS FIRST – CAST YOUR VOTE FOR TOM CHEEK!!!!! The voice of the Blue Jays, of baseball and of summer in Canada is on the ballot to get onto the final ballot for the Ford C. Frick Award for Broadcasting Excellence, an honour that would get him into the broadcasters’ wing of the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY. It’s up to us to make sure he gets his due. Go to www.facebook.com/baseballhall, go to the “poll” section and please vote for Tom. Do it every day. Thank you.
Now then…………….since I took over the baseball beat on The Fan590 back in 2001, I’ve been assigned to cover most of the Baseball Winter Meetings that have gone on, which is pretty impressive considering the team I’ve been covering hasn’t even had a sniff of the playoffs over that period (almost twice that period, actually, but who’s counting?). I’ve been to Boston, Orlando and Dallas, and to Nashville twice. I missed the Corey Koskie year, when the meetings were in Anaheim, and I was heartbroken to miss last season’s meetings in the quiet burg of Las Vegas, but this year, I’m in Indianapolis.
It seems a nice enough town – my true mission is to run into Schneider at some point, or at the very least Ms. Romano – but, stunningly, it’s no Vegas. Which might actually be more conducive to having some work actually get done.
And make no mistake, there’s a ton of work to actually get done here in Indy this week. Marco Scutaro is a Red Sock and Chone Figgins is all but delivered to Seattle, but the three biggest free agents are still sitting out there waiting to sign and John Lackey, Matt Holliday and Jason Bay could all find new homes this week. Jays fans are hoping that Bay stays put, because that way the Red Sox wouldn’t feel it necessary to sign Holliday. A Holliday signing in Boston means that the Cardinals would get the Sox’ first-round pick as compensation, and the Jays’ comp pick for losing Scutaro would fall to a second.
Beyond those big three free agents, there’s the guy about whom I’m going to be hearing my entire time here – one Harry Leroy Halladay III. Make no mistake, Halladay will be in another uniform by mid-February. The big question is – will it be sooner or later? Big trades used to happen with regularity at the winter meetings (usually when Whitey Herzog or Randy Smith were involved, but I digress) and by making the right big deal with the spotlight on him, Alex Anthopoulos has the opportunity to serve notice that he’s not just a bright, young guy with a new job but that he’s a dynamic force with which to be reckoned, much like Theo Epstein and Andrew Friedman before him.
I know everyone is saying that it’ll be the Yankees or the Red Sox, because it always is, and some Blue Jays fans are now whipping themselves up into a frenzy over Jesus Montero and Casey Kelly. There’s a reasonable chance that that’s what’s going to wind up happening, yes, but don’t write off the Angels and Dodgers for sure, and perhaps a few other teams, as well. If the Rangers can convince Halladay that he’d be comfortable there, the Jays would love to make a deal with Texas. Colorado has a real chance too, if the Rockies are willing to part with the right guys (Chacin II – can you believe it?), and the Cubs, Mets and White Sox are always sitting there, lying in wait. It may be the Yankees or Red Sox, but it may very well not be. I have a feeling I’m going to be spending the next four days finding out who is more serious than whom.
Right now, though, I’m enjoying my second-ever NFL game live and in person. This Lucas Oil Stadium is really, really nice, though I’m in a press box that feels as though it’s in another time zone. The Colts (who also played in the only other NFL game I have attended, in Miami in 1990) are looking to tie an NFL record with a 22nd straight regular-season win, and they’re looking pretty good at the moment, leading 24-10 at halftime. It’s too sterile in this press box, though. The windows are closed, and we’re situated above the final row of seating in the upper deck – that would be the 600 level for those of you who are more used to Rogers Centre terms (66,321 are here today for this game).
So, in the second half, I’m going to try to go down into the bowl and do a little exploring. It’s my second foreign ballpark in just over a week, after all! I managed to tour AT&T Park in San Francisco when I was out there last weekend and took some snapshots – among those, a piece of a San Francisco Giants Wall of Fame that’s only slightly less difficult to get on than it is to get into the Hockey Hall of Fame (Greg Minton? Scott Garrelts? I mean, I liked those guys, but seriously?). I’ll put up some pictures from that trip when I get back home on Friday.
Hopefully on Friday the Blue Jays will look a whole lot different than they do right now. Don’t hold your breath for a ton of moves, though. I expect they’ll sign one of the remaining free agent catchers (though they could wait for the non-tenders, which come out NEXT Saturday – two days after the meetings break up), and I think the odds of a Lyle Overbay trade are better than those of a Halladay trade – but that’s not to say both won’t happen.
I’ll be a real presence down here in Indy for you – posting plenty of bloggage, doing a couple of live chats and being all over the radio, as well. I’ll also be far more on top of answering comments.
Speaking of which – rational, reasonable comments are always welcome! Vote for Tom!
Click here to subscribe to Wilner's blog
Mike, as always, good insight on what to expect at the winter meetings. You say that the Jays would love to make a deal with the Rangers for Halladay. Is that because of Derek Holland and Neftali Feliz? I know the shutout Holland threw the day before the July deadline probably didn’t help the Jays’ cause then, but the sense I had was that the Rangers may have come the closest to actually getting a deal done in July. Holland’s stats haven’t wowed me but maybe I’m missing something, given a guy like Nolan Ryan knows what he’s talking about? I’d prefer a Phil Hughes or a Clay Buccholz but I realize the asking price is probably a little less if it means getting Halladay out of the division.
And as for Overbay, any idea who a likely suitor would be after the Arizona deal fell through? Have a great time there.
MW: It’s those two, plus Justin Smoak, but it doesn’t really matter because Halladay doesn’t want to go to Texas. As for Overbayic destinations, I haven’t really thought about that too much. I’m ready to be surprised, but a lot could hinge on where some other guys wind up moving, like Adrian Gonzalez, Adam Dunn and Nick Johnson.
- ChrisMike..I get what you’ve said in the past about coming to Rogers Centre for the entertainment value and for 11 bucks, you can watch Adam Lind, Aaron Hill, Brett Cecil and others and hopefully get a bang for your buck..But play devil’s advocate for a moment. It is discouraging to see Boston grab our more than adequate shortstop(his injured foot notwithstanding)and we get their castoff shortstop. That sort of stuff I know is baseball reality in Toronto, but it still hurts and it is unfortunately the type of thing that may keep butts out of the seats in Toronto. Along with arguably the Jays greatest pitcher of all time possibly going to an East rival and needing binoculars to find them ahead of you in the standings. That also stings. Enjoy the winter meetings..Toronto has sent their finest!!
- chris m.Hey have a good time at the Marriott. I stayed there in October, and while I thought Indy was an incredibly dull little city, the room I had in that hotel was one of the nicest rooms I’ve ever had on the road in the US.
And while you’re there, go to St Elmo’s Steakhouse. Go out the hotel, turn left, cross at the lights and turn right. It’s a block and a half down on the left. But be careful about their shrimp appetizer. It’s fiery as hell! Be careful about their portions as well. They are yuuuuge. You’ll see a bunch of large people in Indy. I think most of them eat out. Because the time I was there, I ate in a bunch of really nice restos, and the portions were enormous everywhere.
As for the winter meetings, I hope Overbay and Halladay don’t leave with the team they arrived with. And I also hope–see my earlier post–that the Jays do something that will surprise and astonish the fans in a good way. We’ve had enough wailing and wringing our hands around here. We’re all getting sick of it.
MW: I don’t think you’ll be surprised or astonished in a positive way. Most everything the Jays do will be as expected. A bunch of guys had dinner at St. Elmo’s last night – I got Chinese food delivered to my hotel room, which is not here at the Marriott.
- isabella reyesDo you think that AA believes that he will draft 2 players in the Rule 5 Draft? Why else would he allow Joe Inglett to be claimed on waivers by Texas and have his 40 man roster stand at 38 going into the draft?
MW: He may be looking at signing a free agent. I doubt we’ll see two rule fivers, but you never know.
- KevinDid you see Harold Reynolds, because “somebody” must have told him, after five years of HOlliday, that he was pronouncing it wrong. Maybe it was you. During his MLB.com hot stove chat this week, he made a point of pronouncing it right. And with everything good he says about Roy, I was kinda hoping we could trade him to whatever team Harold is GM of.
MW: Nope, I haven’t seen him.
- Greg WMike,
In your opinion, of the teams that are “in” on the Halladay sweepstakes, which team can afford to put together the best package that would please the Jays?
Ryan McCallen
MW: The Red Sox.
- Ryan McCallenMike,
Which FA catcher do you think the Jays have their eyes on?
MW: Miguel Olivo and Yorvit Torrealba, maybe Ramon Castro. But they may also wait for the non-tenders to come out.
- Jeff G.Michael,
Given they didn’t win the WS and that they still have a bunch of good prospects, do you think Philly could be a player in the Halladay sweepstakes?
MW: Yep.
- Uncle Bencannot waite for the festivities to begin. I seriously doubt the dodgers are gonna be in on the doc sweepstakes simply due to the divorce proceedings the owner is going through.
it really looks like there is going to be some form of “collusion” with teams getting together to low ball the jays for docs services. i know it isnt something explicit, but im pretty sure its implicit. im hearing names like melkey cabrera, brett gardner, and ian kennedy being thrown around from the yanks. wouldnt it be better to accept nothing than to accept some crap like that?
MW: Yes, it would. I don’t think teams will collude with each other in an effort to lower the price for Halladay. A smart GM would try to get his competition to come in with a lowball and then go make a reasonable offer which would get him, but things don’t work that way.
- General ZodBob Elliot claims we have 16 mill to spend on the draft..that number seems eerily similar to a current pitchers salary…we’ll miss u doc
MW: So THAT note is what made you sure that they’ll trade Halladay?
- jpHey Mike have a good time while you’re there.
Trade Halladay to ANYONE but the hated Yankees or Red Sox, REGARDLESS of the return…
I glad you clarified that you were at the Colts game. I thought maybe you were (actually) sick and that someone else had (actually) had to write iot for you. It makes some sense of the following:
Which might actually be more conducive to having some work actually get done.
And make no mistake, there’s a ton of work to actually get done here in Indy this week.
MW: I thought that was a lovely turn of phrase. Your second line, by the way, is ridiculous.
- GaryMike,
As much as I’d hate to see Halladay go (and its a reality that he will), I’m ridiculously curious as to the package that the Jays may get for him. I’m really not liking the rumours of players coming back for him at all. I just don’t think it’s enough or even enough compared to what other Aces traded previously fetched.
And I would like you or other media people to inundate the Jays about spending the money they “saved” on getting rid of Rios this year and the coming years as they kind of promised (granted it was a different GM).
On a separate note, I completely disagree with the direction of the Jays. With the fan base already dwindling, I think its more important to spend money and jack up the payroll than retool and be non-competitive. If all works out and the Jays are competitive in say 5 years, they would have lost a good chunk of loyal fans in those 5 years who are sick and tired of the mediocrity and pleads to be patient. It’s been the same old song and dance of being patient for about 15 years now (maybe 20 when if the plan works) and its gotten the Jays no where. I personally think it might take longer than 5 years for AA because the drafts of 07, 08, and 09 seemed to have produced nothing. So next year’s draft is like starting from scratch. If they are competitive in 5 years, I think what the Jays have will be more bandwagon fans than loyal/hardcore fans. The risk then would be that the Jays will be flavour of the month and even if they are winning 10 years from now, they might still only draw 25,000 fans a game because the bandwagon fans will dwindle off and the hardcore fans now were so alienated that they just won’t come back.
- JoachimI look forward to both the Overbay and Halladay moves; both point to organizational renewal. However, much of the Jays near future depends on Snider taking off as projected and I hope this isn’t slowed by having Cito at the helm.
MW: If it is, it’ll only be for one more year. And Snider will only be 22 when Cito moves upstairs.
- Will, Oshawamichael,
just love the day to day rumblings of the winter trade meetings & and the potential trades out there. please keep us posted as best you can even if it’s just possible speculation.
i guess the eventual trade of doc, the possible trade of lyle o. & a free agent signing of a catcher and/or another outfielder are the most seemingly likely things on the front burners for alex & tony.
i’m thinking anything else would at least be a bit of a surprise at this point no ?
would love to see something else come out of a left field this week just for the sheer surprise of it all. a new young pitcher mlb ready to plug into the rotation perhaps?
MW: That’d be swell, but I don’t see it happening.
- darrell bishopI think we want (we, as in Blue Jays fans) the Rangers, but would settle for the Angels. Come on, if Weaver, Wood and a kid are in play, I’d take that over Bucholz, and Kelly (he’s in exceedingly LOW A BALL Red Sox Nation!) or Joba and Montero (I still like Arencibia ….)
Gotta say, I’ve traditionally liked Boston a lot more than New York (as far as sports teams anyways.) In baseball, I still kind of do. But after the Leafs 7-2 loss on the weekend, with them holding our fist rounder (BURKE!), the Celtics perpetually pasting the Raptors and the Patriots being the friggin’ Patriots, I’m definitely liking New England a lot less these days. I mean, we’re a far bigger town than Boston. We are a bigger market. Why can’t we get just a little bit of competence in this town? Not a lot, just a little bit. What gives Mike?
AA seems ok. But Cito? Really? After everything that happened and a horrifying record? Lame, lame, lame, lame, lame.
MW: The problem with Jered Weaver is that he’s only under control through the end of the 2012 season.
- peteSure, but then we swap him or get two more picks…
MW: Who?
- pete