Blue Jays prospect Travis d'Arnaud will have surgery to repair torn ligaments in his thumb after getting hurt while catching for Team USA at the World Cup in Panama, reports Bob Elliott of The Toronto Sun (on Twitter). Toronto acquired d'Arnaud from the Phillies in the Roy Halladay trade, and he's considered one of the very best prospects in all of baseball. Here are some links from the AL East…
- Gregor Chisholm of MLB.com says one of the first things the Blue Jays have to do this offseason is figure out if Kelly Johnson fits into their long-term plans. "I thought Kelly did a nice job, and he's definitely in the mix for us," said GM Alex Anthopoulos. "We have an opening, he is a free agent, and in the coming weeks, we'll certainly reach out to his agent and talk to him, but it's hard to characterize where any of that is going to go."
- The Orioles may expand their GM search beyond the names that have already been mentioned, reports ESPN's Buster Olney (on Twitter). Peter Schmuck of The Baltimore Sun says regardless of who is hired, their first priority will be fixing the team's player development system.
- In another tweet, Olney speculates about a possible fit between the Blue Jays and David Ortiz. The soon-to-be-free agent DH would be a veteran mentor for their younger hitters, and he's close to Jose Bautista.
Anything more than a 1 year deal for ortiz would be too much.
Old DH’s don’t seem to get anymore than 1 or 2 year deals anyway.
Yah, I just wouldn’t want him for 2 years.. guys like Ortiz don’t age gracefully, one day they wake up and they can’t hit. I don’t want another frank thomas incident
If AA were to sign Oritz, I`d bet my hat its a 1 + option.
if he’s offered arbitration i really cant see it happening/
yea i dont think AA has signed a deal that didnt include a club option
toronto’s draft pick is unprotected. good luck dave
*blue jays then sign wilson too*
DAMMIT AA
They have a protected pick at 22 though. I think Ortiz is a good fit, but I don’t think they sign him unless they sign a higher ranked free agent first and only give up a second rounder for David.
that’s what i was saying. they’ll sign ortiz, i’ll be happy about the 17th overall pick, then theyll sign wilson and crush my dreams into dust
Totally forgot that you were a Red Sox fan, makes perfect sense now.
not a problem. i forget sometimes too
Must be nice
is papi a lock to be offered arb?
definitely. they’d be happy to pay him big money if it meant only a one year guarantee
Yes, the Ortiz-Bautista connection is very important. Cause it’s not like he’s close with many people, he’s clearly a very quiet personality.
I thought AA was smart for trading for Johnson. For starters the Jays saved a little money and got a close up look at him. If he is offered arbitration and declines (I think he is a type A, if not definitely a type B) they will get a draft pick(s). If they want to resign him now it won’t cost a draft pick. The Jays have done such a good job of stockpiling picks that they can afford to sign a couple type A’s.
Ortiz sure was a good veteran mentor for the Red Sox last month…
for that young inexperienced impressionable roster
I think I am going to buy a KFC Franchise in downtown Toronto by next summer.
He’s real loyal, that Ortiz, would never bad mouth the sox clubhouse or say ANYTHING good about the yankees.
I remember some parable about Loyalty being earned. Might be tough to pick up that kind of loyalty when your ownership and management are so quick to throw people under the bus.
Good point. But at the same time going out and complementing the Yankees isn’t exactly the best thing to do if you’re even remotely interested in restoring the team’s clubhouse. I mean he’s got a right to be pissed, but still not the smartest thing to say or do.
It is if you’re a FA.
Not to sound racist but don’t all Dominican players have a strong bond with one another?