In today's Insider-only blog post, ESPN's Buster Olney ranks the ten best outfields in the game. The Diamondbacks, Yankees, and Rangers top the list, though I thought it was surprising the Rays didn't even garner an honorable mention. Here are Buster's rumors…
- The Yankees have "quietly checked around" on possible right field alternatives to Nick Swisher as they prepare for his possible free agent departure after next season.
- Andre Ethier can also become a free agent after 2012, and Olney points out that a pre-deadline trade involving the Dodgers outfielder is possible.
- "[Angels owner Arte Moreno] made it known he wants to leave the baseball decisions to the baseball department," said one talent evaluator. Manager Mike Scioscia essentially dictated moves in the past, but that has changed since Moreno hired GM Jerry Dipoto earlier this offseason.
- Sources tell Olney that the Blue Jays are much more like to hold or even cut their payroll rather than increase it.
I cant see the yankees interested in andre when swisher is the better player.
Ethier is making 9.25 million. Swisher is making 10 million. If Swisher has a good year, he will ask for a 4-5 year deal at 15 million.I don’t see the Yankees giving him 60-75 million.
Ethier has regressed the past 2 years. He will be 30 in April. Swisher just turned 31 in Novemeber. If Ethier continues to struggle ,he won’t get mch of a deal in years or money.
Besides the Yankees need to hold aside money for Cano and Grandersen.
So your argument is that the Yankees should get a player whose numbers are trending in the wrong direction because the fact he’s declining will bring his price down?
By that flawless logic, the Yankees should go sign Vlad for right field, he’ll be cheap and all.
I’m not sure why the Swish can’t be had on a 3 or 4 year deal. I think he signs with tha Yanks if he’s offered a 4/$50 deal which is realistic. I don’t see any team giving him $15 per.
“AA is such a genius”
You’re finally coming around! It’s about time.
If the only good move AA ever made was trading Vernon Wells, I’d still classify him as a genius. Throw Marcum for Lawrie on top of that and he attains super genius status
I dunno the Escobar trade was definately one of my favs to, it’s so hard to find a good SS nowadays.
People are also forgetting that he lobbied JP Riccardi to trade for Jose Bautista.
Yeah, isn’t it cool how Bautista had a higher WAR than Holliday and Jon Jay combined? Just wait until Jay’s BABIP drops to the normal .300, and his WAR drops to replacement-level because of it. 🙂
He’s a very good general manager.
Even though a lot of Blue Jays fans think he walks on water (still hasn’t been proven that he can’t) and even though the trade worked out for the Cardinals, it was far from the reason they went to the post season and I’d trade a bunch of middle relievers and a #3 starter for a 5 tool outfielder every day of the week.
Colby Rasmus is not a 5 tool player.
He has the potential to be one. I should’ve said potential.
Still, the hate this guy gets from St. Louis baffels me. Because he wasn’t one of Tony LaRussa’s chess pieces? I understand why he didn’t like him as Tony ran a tight ship.
The Jays should hope that he can merely be an adequate placeholder for Gose before they ship him off to some other team that is tired of his excuses.
wait…that isn’t worded right, but you know what I mean.
Rasmus was hated on in STL because of his constant excuse making, under production, shoddy outfield play, refusal to listen to the coaches, and constant meddling from his father in the media. It didn’t help his cause that he twice requested a trade because he couldn’t handle LaRussa’s expectations of following instruction.
I can understand why STL fans hated on Rasmus but theres no reason why he can’t have a turnaround in Toronto and live up to his potential.
obviously he couldn’t live up to the pressure in STL and hopefully a full season in Toronto he can relax and just play ball.
AA gambles on trading for unhappy players. And has had success with Escobar,Lawrie and to a lesser degree Morrow. Buying low is what he does best.
I can understand why STL fans hated on Rasmus but theres no reason why he can’t have a turnaround in Toronto and live up to his potential.
obviously he couldn’t live up to the pressure in STL and hopefully a full season in Toronto he can relax and just play ball.
AA gambles on trading for unhappy players. And has had success with Escobar,Lawrie and to a lesser degree Morrow. Buying low is what he does best.
#thingscardsfanswouldnthavesaidbefore2011
all of these things were true prior to 2011
He had a great 2010, though.
Rasmus was hated on in STL because of his constant excuse making, under production, shoddy outfield play, refusal to listen to the coaches, and constant meddling from his father in the media. It didn’t help his cause that he twice requested a trade because he couldn’t handle LaRussa’s expectations of following instruction.
true. He won’t hit for a great average. Everything else he does fine.
But he CAN!! I once saw AA walking across lake Ontario!!
Seriously though, I agree AA made a good move trading spare parts that had no future with the Jays for a ‘potential’ 5 tool OF.
What the trade comes down to is Rasmus for Zep and Zach Stewart. Both pitchers are easily replaceable for the upside they have in Rasmus.
Ahhh…we found a chink in AA’s armour….He can’t swim!
I like the Rasmus trade. But, I see it costing the Jays Zep, Stewart, 2 supplemental picks, and $10m.
You’re right. Adding Teahan (who’s taking up a roster spot) and losing the potential picks when Dotel left have to be figured in. But overall its still worth getting Rasmus.
Yep….there was a gaping hole in CF. Losing Rasmus to free agency in 2+ years probably nets you a 1st and supplemental which is greater than two supplemental picks. It is unlikely Zep or Stewart become valuable enough to net draft picks when reaching free agency.
Rasmus is a below average player, he fits in good with the Jays, average and cheap.
Wow…with Frasor back…trade is now Zep Stewart Jaye Webb & a supplemental pick (Dotel) plus taking $10mil in salaries.
Talk about having strings attached to players getting traded: Frasor Magnuson Farquhar
Agreed!!
Yep…one of the smartest GMs in baseball
How about they look now and trade Swisher and Nunez to the Braves for Jair Jurrjens, JJ Hoover and Myke Jones?
You’re nuts. One year of Swisher for all that?
I meant that with the heavy chance of resigning him, my mistake. The Braves are going to have lots of money next year so I’m sure we could handle it.
I dont think Swisher is worth a commitment like that. I dont think hes that great. An extension for Bourn would better fit the Braves needs. Hopefully Heyward comes back to provide the outfield power.
So all these geniuses in the media were wrong about the Blue Jays having buckets of cash they were dying to burn on free agents? What a surprise!
The Jays are simply ‘lurking’ ………..
hopefully “ninja rules apply” as Wilner says. Which means that if something is said or suggested by anyone in the media it must be inaccurate.
Honestly, Wilner’s “ninja rules apply” is a simpleton explanation. Wilner simply avoids commenting on rumours ever since he was called out for being loopy after writing his “AA will make the playoffs if he gets Chone Figgins” blog which was followed by his “AA will make the playoffs if he only followed my instructions” blog.
There are very few accurate rumours relating to AA because he only allows at most one extra person in any meeting with other GMs. This keeps the blabber mouths out of the loop most of the time. But, not all of the time.
They have money. I’m just curious, if they DO plan to cut payroll, who do they cut? Bautista is the only one that I can think of making anywhere near or above 10 mil. The rest of the team are younger, affordable contracts, except for Teahen.
Wait, so you’re actually treating Olney’s story as fact?
I really hope Dre starts off strong so we can get something for him.
Then you should celebrate and Crack A Bottle open of champagne for him. Otherwise it’s time for the Jays and AA to move on to The Next Epsiode and it’s time you Forgot About Dre.
nice hip hop reference.
Thank you sir.
Incidentally, the Royals were the only team with 3 outfielders in the Top 25 for OPS+ in 2011
I wonder where they ranked on his list? I don’t see how their OF, IF and bullpen couldn’t be considered in the top 10 going forward, and hopefully we’ll be saying the same thing about their young rotation after next season.
I don’t see how the payroll can be cut considering there is still abitration players set for a raise. AA stated he still needs a BP arm or two and a possible starter, although if he trades for them the payroll could stand pat or only raise slightly but there’s no possible way of cutting. I call BS on this rumor just like most Jays rumors.
I believe he has the considered the Arb raises….meaning he wont’ ADD players that will increase the payroll to much…his way of saying…..No Prince and possibly still trading away some salary….what he is doing is obvious to non Toronto fans…he is working on going the route of the Rays rather then the Yankees or Red Sawks….he wants to run a competitive team w/ young inexpensive players and have teh team atleast break even rather then spend spend spend only to lose money and still miss the playoffs….they are the 4th best team in the ALE and wont’ be sniffing the playoffs for a few years easily…..
Yep…AA is definitely using Friedman’s playbook…BUT…with more money. AA gains the advantage when he matches Friedman on the prospect funnel.
Most Jays think Yankees and Red Sox are the teams Jays are chasing. In my opinion, AA is chasing Rays.
Hello, thats because the Rays have finished on top the last couple of years, the Jays have finished 4th, look where there drafting. The Jays will never beat the Rays.
It’s true , the Rays didn’t need to be the basement dwellers for like 10 years before they became good right? Ofcourse , good drafting along with some conveniently high draft picks cant hurt when you have next to no payroll.
Hello, thats because the Rays have finished on top the last couple of years, the Jays have finished 4th, look where there drafting. The Jays will never beat the Rays.
Every non ignorant fan of the Jays knows Prince was never coming here. The point i was making is that there is no chance of payroll being cut , him counting the arb raises is still irrelevant because AA specifically said what he’d like to add , and even if he only ends up getting the BP arms and misses out on the bat and starter he said he would like , the payroll still goes up. No matter what. Your opinion of when they’ll make the playoffs means nothing , your guess is as good as anyones, but they are clearly headed in the right direction.
Neither of ours opinions mean squat but I definitely am not looking at their playoff chances w/ blinders….they are the 4th in their own division and look to stay there for a while and even w/ the added WC they still have too many teams that are built for the now in NYY/RS/TB/Det/Tex/LAA…3 of those will win the respective division leaving 2ALE and 1 ALW team at minimum to jump over to reach the 1 game playoff…but I do agree that they are headed in the right direction…they could be a surprise outta the blue team like when the Rays burst onto the scene…I just don’t see it soon…
The Jays have the 6th largest media market in the majors, a billion $$$ ownership group and a national fan base. Buying totally into the Rays philosophy is a total joke. The Jays should be a hybrid of the Rays/Yanks. Willing to commit to long-term players for significant money, but also focussing on developing an all-star their farm system (which they have). AA has done a great job with what he inherited, but the Jays should not have an annual payroll in the $60-80m range. They should have the resources to compete and not be forced to go into constant rebuilding mode when players leave their arb years.
Being more aggressive and acquiring a FEW significant free agents this year would have made them contenders. By few I mean they could have gone and added one of Fielder/Darvish…..Erik Bedard (as a #4 starter, who only signed a 1 yr $4.5m deal with the Pirates) and two relievers (Broxton) and a quality lefty (Mike Gonzalez), they would have been very good this year and they would have had room to grow through trades or w/ their prospects.
That 2012 cash outlay would have been somewhere in the $30m range and wouldn’t have required long commitments to anyone outside of Darvish/Fielder. That would bring their payroll for 2012 to $90m (with Kelly Johnson included).
It is moves like these that Jays fans want to see…which I don’t think is unrealistic.
I already see Jays payroll at $79.3m when you include estimated arbitration results. I only see them adding a starter who is likely to decline a $12.5m qualifying offer when he is eligible for free agency. This way, Jays get a 1st and supplemental pick at the end of his contract. Bedard doesn’t fit that criteria.
I expect Jays to get relievers similar to your suggestion. However, how they do it will depend on what they do for a starter. If they acquire a SP, I can see them trading McGowan to a team that was in the “Slowey market” for a relief pitcher and then signing another relief pitcher.
Cot’s has Jays committed payroll at $48m for 17 players….with Arbitration they’re not likely to go too far beyond $60m w/ Janssen, Morrow and Johnson taking bulk of money.
So someone tell me again why going into this offseason it was is unrealistic for Jays fans to expect a $90-100m payroll for this year, with it growing to $120-$140m by 2014 and the Jays acquiring a few key longer term players via free agency???
I am going by baseball-reference.com which includes most salary arb projections except for Kelly Johnson. Based on mlbtraderumor posts, arb projections total $17m when you include Kelly Johnson.
You should also be mindful of the future commitments from 2013 to 2016 which can also be found on baseball-reference.com. I doubt AA will want to lose payroll flexibility just to appease a few fans.
I think he is on the right track and isn’t that far off from your thinking.
I can’t say your thinking is without merit. But, I just don’t agree.
It’s not unrealistic for the Jays fans to expect it…but they should have an understanding that their team doesn’t want to run the team w/ a payroll that high…they have never been over the $100m mark nor does anyone outside of being a Tor fan think they want to….
I agree…FanGraphs had organizational ratings last year. This included Financial Capabilities. They pegged Jays with Atlanta, White Sox, and Twins.
This puts them at $87m (Braves) to $115m (White Sox) payroll range. Most likely $87m if you want to maintain a prospect funnel that keeps up with Yanks Rays and Red Sox.
Jays have payroll commitments range from $71m to $77m for the next five years. They can’t sign big FA contracts without impacting amateur signings. Going cheap on the draft has already been done by JP and we know the end result.
The Jays are afraid of making another mistake!
Blue Jays salaries (including projected arb salaries) and last year’s fWAR
Jose Bautista $14.00m 8.3
Kelly Johnson $7.00m 2.2
Mark Teahan $5.50m -0.4
Ricky Romero $5.00m 2.9
Adam Lind $5.00m 0.5
Yunel Escobar $5.00m 4.3
Brandon Morrow $4.20m 3.4
Edwin Encarnarcion $3.50m 1.5
Rajai Davis $2.75m -0.2
Colby Rasmus $2.30m 0.8
Carlos Villanueva $1.90m 1.1
Casey Janssen $1.60m 1.3
Jeff Mathis $1.50m -1.0
Sergio Santos $1.00m 1.6
Brett Lawrie $0.42m 2.7
Henderson Alvarez $0.42m 1.0
Everyone else is below $1m. Too bad Buster Olney or his source didn’t elaborate on how Blue Jays will reduce their payroll.
* Edit *
Ben Francisco $1.50m -0.1
Darren Oliver approx $3.00m 1.3
Contract the Jays!
Contract them?? Whats that mean????
Contract the Jays!
they’ll cut jeff mathis
Ha Ha you guys really liked that move by AA 😀
They may try to move Rajai and cut Teahan, though that wouldn’t save the Jays much. Everyone else is affordable.
Olney’s point, while not to be taken literally, is a way to shoot a shot across the bow of us fans and let us know that there’s no way they add any significant players before the season begins….say bye bye to Garza Jays fans, we’re not getting him if that’s the philosophy.
I don’t believe money is the issue for Garza. Apparently, Cubs want Alvarez Drabek & Syndergaard. I doubt AA agrees to that price. In my opinion, the deal gets done if Cubs agree to something like Drabek Jenkins & a B level prospect.
I expect Yankees and Red Sox to have money come back their way if they give Cubs their good prospects. Similar to Jays sending money to Phillies on the Halladay trade.
Jays not wanting Cubs to send money will be the difference. However, it may not be enough for the Cubs because Garza will net Cubs a 1st and supplemental pick when he becomes a free agent in two years. That is their baseline.
ability to hit for average and power, speed, throwing, and fielding….I’d give Colby about 2 1/2 of these
Cards didn’t trade him because he hit his potential , hence why they got BP pieces and a #3 rental starter for him. It was worth the risk for AA to see if he can hit his potential with the Jays , if not , what did he really lose that isn’t immediately replaceable?
it was a fine trade for the Jays, but Jays fans should definitely chill out on the 5-tool stuff because it simply isn’t true.
I agree , i think 4 tools is his ceiling. But he still has to get there.
I agree , i think 4 tools is his ceiling. But he still has to get there.
horrible year next year and everyone will want him out of Toronto. I really hope he does amazing but if he does fail. We have Marisnick and Gose behind him in the minors.
the jays payroll rumor is probably bogus. nobody from the jays with knowledge of the situation would spill that kind of info unless it was intended as a smokescreen should they actually be serious about signing fielder.
besides that theres almost nobody else olney could have talked to who would actually know. probably just some agent being spiteful and trying to stir up more public pressure for the jays to spend big.
finally theres the fact that the rumor does not make mathematical sense. jays payroll will increase compared to last year because of arb raises and salary increases for bautista, romero, escobar and encarnacion. the jays current MO is to add to the big league team, not to subtract, so its difficult to imagine a scenario where payroll would drop. they already added some payroll with the santos trade.
Nil
Nil
Atleast Jays are getting some advertisement out of all the rumors. Was this all planned by Rogers? He pays reporters and writers to put them on every rumor?