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

OT: The Toronto Blue Jays

If we let all our free agents go, keep all our signed guys (incl. exercising options) and don't sign anyone, this is our lineup:

1) SS Escobar
2) 3B Lawrie
3) RF Bautista
4) 1B Encarnacion
5) DH Cooper
6) C Arencibia
7) CF Rasmus
8) 2B Hechevarria
9) LF Davis

B) UT Lind --- Gomes/McDade
B) OF Sierra --- Gose
B) IF McCoy ---
B) C Mathis --- D'Arnaud


SP1) Morrow
SP2) Romero
SP3) Alvarez
SP4) Happ
SP5) Cecil
XSP) Jenkins/Carreno/Stroman/Stilson/Nolin/McGuire

CL) Janssen
SU) Oliver
SU) Santos
MR) Delabar
MR) Lincoln
MR) Loup
MR) Carpenter
XR) Jenkins/Carreno/Stroman/Dyson/Stilson/Nolin/McGuire


which would cost about $80m.


IMO, we need to:

1) Trade a bunch of prospects for one top-notch SP or hitter
2) Pony up the dough to sign one top-notch FA SP or hitter
3) Pony up some more dough to sign one 2nd-tier SP or hitter
 
Say we trade for a top notch SP, and sign someone like Swisher:

1) 3B Lawrie
2) LF Swisher
3) RF Bautista
4) 1B Encarnacion
5) DH Cooper*
6) C Arencibia
7) CF Rasmus
8) SS Escobar
9) 2B Hech*

UT) Lind
OF) Davis
IF) whoever
C) Mathis


SP1) somebody really good
SP2) Morrow
SP3) Romero
SP4) Alvarez
SP5) Happ

CL) Janssen
SU) Oliver
SU) Santos
MR) Delabar
MR) Lincoln
MR) Loup
MR) Cecil


that gives us a solid team, and if they can invest the money for solid upgrade over Cooper at DH or Hech at 2B, even better.
 
Why the **** didn't we keep Werth in the first place? Routinely made the BA top 100 list as a Jays farmhand and showed excellent natural tools. Surely we could have found space for him over Reed Johnson.
 
Why the **** didn't we keep Werth in the first place? Routinely made the BA top 100 list as a Jays farmhand and showed excellent natural tools. Surely we could have found space for him over Reed Johnson.

Classic late bloomer. Werth didn't post a full healthy and productive season until he was 29 and on his third team.

And Swisher is the kind of player this team needs badly. Would sign him for 5 yrs without a worry...I think he'll age well. 7 might be a bit much, but that is the price of doing business I suppose.
 
Classic late bloomer. Werth didn't post a full healthy and productive season until he was 29 and on his third team.

And Swisher is the kind of player this team needs badly. Would sign him for 5 yrs without a worry...I think he'll age well. 7 might be a bit much, but that is the price of doing business I suppose.

Agreed with you on Swisher.

Technically just a beautiful ball player. Excellent plate discipline and incredibly consistent. He's posted OPS+ rates of 122, 129, 120, and 124 in his last four seasons. Excluding his career-worst season with the White Sox in 2008, he posted OPS+ rates of 101, 102, 125, and 126. Consistency is what the Jays need more than anything.
 
Again.... Someone has to offer it to him. I'm sure he wants a 20 year deal but the question is what the market will be for a guy like him.

You don't get the primo FAs by underpaying and offering short terms. You are going to have to overpay at times and offer terms you aren't totally comfortable with. Look at the Tigers. They are going to HATE the Fielder deal in 3-4 years, but they needed him now, so they'll deal with the consequences later. If they win a World Series, no one will care.
 
My fear with Swisher is the fact that he has been surrounded by a plethora of talent the last few years on the Yankees. With that kind of protection, its no surprise he's seeing hittable pitches.

Not the biggest fan, and especially not for 7 years.
 
My fear with Swisher is the fact that he has been surrounded by a plethora of talent the last few years on the Yankees. With that kind of protection, its no surprise he's seeing hittable pitches.

Not the biggest fan, and especially not for 7 years.

That fear is unfounded:

2006 Oakland Athletics: 771 runs scored
Swisher OPS+: 125

2007 Oakland Athletics: 741 runs scored
Swisher OPS+: 126

2009 New York Yankees: 915 runs scored
Swisher OPS+: 122

2010 New York Yankees: 859 runs scored
Swisher OPS+: 129

2011 New York Yankees: 867 runs scored
Swisher OPS+: 119

2012 New York Yankees: 790 runs scored
Swisher OPS+: 124

The guy hits in whatever situation he's in offensively.
 
Finally the season is over. Thank god.

Now get to work The GM formally known as Ninja and fix this shit. And Rogers, either spend the money or sell the team. Put up or shut up. This is the Blue Jays most important off season ever.
 
Back
Top