• Moderators, please send me a PM if you are unable to access mod permissions. Thanks, Habsy.

OT: The Toronto Blue Jays

Still was a plus bat last season (104 OPS+). If you can get him on the cheap and no other bats are available he might be a good Plan R, but other than that he's too useless on the defensive side of things to really add anything of value beyond getting on base.
 
Then just ride with a spring training battle between Snider & Thames, and hope Snider finally breaks out. Failing that, hope that Gose does a Kenny Lofton impression at AAA and pushes Rasmus into left field by August.
 
I actually like the offense as it is now. Yes it's young and inexperienced but it has a lot of promise and potential to do a lot of damage.

The rotation and bullpen are what need to be focused on. Lots of good arms in the minors, but few that are ready to make the jump to the MLB.
 
The offence is good, but a lot of that is because the best offensive player in the MLB over the last 2 years is in it. We badly need a stick that forces pitchers to actually throw to Bautisita...it's just way too easy to walk him right now. If Lawrie is for real, as much as I'd like him hitting ahead of Bautista, we'd probably be best slotting him in behind Bautista...with men on, you see more fastballs and Lawrie rakes fastballs
 
guessing a comparable package from the Jays would have looked like N.Molina / T.D'Arnaud / J.Carreno / A.Sanchez

heckuva haul for the A's.
Click to expand...

So unbelievably far from worth it. But then again if we could have convinced the White Sox to throw in Molina to help us get him then I'd be cool with that.

And why is anyone interested in Garza? The pitcher(s) we'd have to part with to get him will be better than him in two years.

You never buy high on anyone. You sell high. Which is why the Cubs are shopping him.
 
Dayn Perry, ESPN



Barring a blockbuster trade to be named, Prince Fielder's destination is the next -- and last -- big thing this offseason.

Fielder, the outgoing Milwaukee Brewers first baseman, is one of the best pure hitters in baseball. He's coming off a season in which he ranked third in slugging and total bases and second in on-base percentage. At 27, Fielder is also entering what should be the prime of his career. So it's reasonable to expect that he'll average 5-7 WAR per season in the next few years (WAR = wins above replacement).

Dan Szymborski of FanGraphs has already argued that the Texas Rangers could benefit greatly from signing Fielder, as could the San Francisco Giants, Cleveland Indians, Miami Marlins and a handful of other hopefuls. This raises a related question: Who doesn't need Fielder?

Obviously, we could compile a lengthy list of teams with certainty at first base -- the big-spending Los Angeles Angels, New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox, for instance -- or without the necessary resources to sign Fielder. But what about those teams that, despite a superficial need for a slugger like Fielder, shouldn't be among his suitors?

Fielder is an elite free agent, and elite free agents almost always command contracts that overpay them -- both in years and money -- on the back end. The ideal organization for Fielder, then, is one squarely in "win now" mode, and one with the revenue base to withstand his long-term deal once it takes a turn for the burdensome.

The Chicago Cubs, for instance, have been heavily linked to Fielder in recent days. The North Siders certainly have the revenue base to cut a few Faustian bargains on the market -- given the perilous straits of the New York Mets and Los Angeles Dodgers, the Cubs should be regarded as the most well-heeled team in the National League -- and they have a pronounced need at first base. However, the Cubs won't contend in the near future. The St. Louis Cardinals, Brewers and Cincinnati Reds are all better positioned for the next few seasons, whereas the Cubs, saddled with subpar talent at the major and minor league levels, are in need of a bottom-up rebuilding effort. Fielder won't make them a serious contender now or, most likely, in the seasons to come.

With his body type and defensive shortcomings, Fielder isn't a great fit for any NL team. After all, he's within four or five years of needing to be a full-time DH. The Cubs, obviously, can't offer that.

Another rumored Fielder suitor is the Seattle Mariners. The M's badly need an upgrade at first base, but like the Cubs, Fielder doesn't turn them into contenders. In the AL West, the Rangers have claimed the last two pennants, and the Angels, who are coming off 86 wins, have added Albert Pujols and C.J. Wilson this winter. There's really no plausible scenario in which Seattle, which has lost a total of 196 games the past two seasons, will earn a playoff berth in the foreseeable future. Fielder would make them a better team, but he wouldn't make them a postseason team.

Last, we have the Baltimore Orioles, who are so often drawn to a high-profile free agent at the neglect of, well, everything else. And so it goes with Fielder. Yes, Baltimore could use him in the sense that "Twilight" could use better actors, but really to what end? A slightly less disastrous disaster?

Yes, Orioles first basemen in 2011 combined to hit just .247 AVG/.314 OBP/.440 SLG, so Fielder would constitute an upgrade. Here, however, is the problem that a Fielder signing would in no way address: The Orioles ranked 29th in rotation WAR last season. The reality is that the Orioles could add Fielder to the fold and still be likely to finish in last place by 10 games or so. The addition of Fielder would help sell some tickets, perhaps, and give the illusion of seriousness in Baltimore. But until the Orioles develop or acquire better starting pitching, they are not going to contend in baseball's toughest division. Fielder helps, but ultimately his signing would be a misallocation of resources and a half-measure.

To be sure, Fielder as an MVP-caliber performer in the here and now can help teams like the Rangers, Giants, Marlins, Washington Nationals and Toronto Blue Jays achieve real and meaningful goals. He can't, however, do much for the Cubs, Mariners and Orioles. That's why those three teams should bow out of the bidding.
Click to expand...
 
http://insider.espn.go.com/mlb/stor...permanent-spot-philadelphia-be-trade-bait-mlb
Kyle Drabek, RHP, Toronto Blue Jays

Drabek entered the 2011 season as the Blue Jays' best prospect and a Rookie of the Year candidate but struggled with command and went backward following a demotion to Triple-A.

Still, his stuff -- including a plus fastball and plus-plus curveball -- is still there.

"I still like him a lot," said one scouting executive, adding that a move to the bullpen might better suit his pitch inefficiency and fiery makeup.
Click to expand...
http://insider.espn.go.com/blog/the-gms-office/post?id=3067&addata=2009_insdr_mod_mlb_xxx_xxx
7. Toronto Blue Jays: Ricky Romero, LHP, five years: 2011-15, $30.1 million, AAV: $6.02 million

Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos is one of the bright young GMs in the game, and his signing of Romero is part of the several shrewd moves he's made since taking over the Blue Jays. Romero has become one of the best and most consistent left-handed starters in the league, and the Jays have him at a reasonable salary through 2015, years during which the Jays fully expect to be in contention for the AL East crown.
Click to expand...
 
Buster_ESPN

So the 3-for-2 is: Bailey and Sweeney for Josh Reddick, Miles Head and Raul Alcantera.
 
Last edited:
JimBowdenESPNxm

The Cubs and Blue Jays continue to discuss a Matt Garza deal

JonHeymanCBS

#cubs seem to be prioritizing young starting pitching in garza talks. rival exec: #yankees & #bluejays have what itd take
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top