7:17pm: The Red Sox and Orioles had interest in Floyd over the winter and Baltimore had talks that nearly resulted in a deal, a source told Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com.
TUESDAY, 7:32am: The Blue Jays and White Sox have discussed many players, but there's no evidence that serious talks regarding Floyd have taken place, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com tweets.
MONDAY, 9:12pm: "I am not looking to move [Floyd]," White Sox GM Kenny Williams said in an e-mail to MLB.com's Scott Merkin.
2:12pm: The Blue Jays continue pursuing White Sox right-hander Gavin Floyd, Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports report. Toronto GM Alex Anthopoulos has interest in upgrading the club's rotation before Opening Day, the FOX reporters add.
The Blue Jays and White Sox have had dialogue about Floyd since Spring Training began, according to Rosenthal and Morosi. The 29-year-old will earn $7MM in 2012 and his contract includes a $9.5MM club option for 2013. Henderson Alvarez and Dustin McGowan currently profile as the club's fourth and fifth starters. Alvarez has just ten big league appearances and though McGowan is looking sharp this spring, he has struggled to stay healthy in recent years, appearing in just five big league games since 2008.
The Blue Jays' pitching staff includes two relievers who were traded to Toronto after finishing the 2011 season with the White Sox: closer Sergio Santos and right-hander Jason Frasor. Anthopoulos and GM Kenny Williams have completed three trades since last summer, as MLBTR's Transaction Tracker shows.
Personally, I think this has more to do with questions about Cecil than either of Alvarez or McGowan at this point.
Agreed.
I don’t think Floyd is a front end starter, particularly in the AL East, but if the price is right I think the Jays could use a reliable arm in the middle of the rotation.Â
Romero and Morrow should be good. Alvarez and McGowan are exciting. But Cecil’s velocity was down again this spring, and Drabek seems to be going through a major delivery overhaul. Adding another arm seems smart.
Floyd is a very solid #3 starter who has a lot of success vs. AL East teams in his career.
none of those issues are new.
I can’t help but have a bad feeling that somehow, the White Sox and Jays will wind up doing something that winds up with the Sox re-acquiring Jason Frasor.
Floyd and Nestor Molina for Frasor?
 uhh….I don’t think even Ken Williams is THAT stupid.
Will this prevent our youth from attaining the show? I dont know if im a fan of this, but AA is the man. If he thinks this is the way to go, then i’m in.
He’s only under contract for 1+1 years, so it shouldn’t make a whole lot of difference. Â If he’s worth retaining after that, it will mean that he’s better than the youth anyway.
I agree
But I don’t Like Floyd in AL East
Im really pulling for McGowan this season. WHen hes right, hes filthy. Seems like there are so many of these guys though that just cant stay on the mound.
He is not a front end starter but he is a useful innings eater who can get hot and will cost a nice haul especillay for 16.5 million for next 2 years. I would start with Gose and McGuire….maybe throw in the catcher from A ball. Jimenez…
I doubt it….but….don’t let it stop you from dreaming
We’re talking about 1 year plus an option of a good, not great, pitcher that isn’t terribly cheap. One good prospect or two decent ones is likely all the White Sox can reasonably expect.
No actually you are definately talking about 2 years of control for 16.5 million dollars. If you ask any mlb team (some who just paid 4/5 starters like John Lackey and AJ Burnett 18 million per year) if they can get a good 3.5/4 starter for 8.25 for the next 2 years and then possibly a draft opick or two you would have to start with some prospects.
To me Deck is interchangeable on his ceiling as some of the others but he is closer to MLB. Jimenez is a top 20 catcher but a ways from contributing and has alot of factors that can cause a collapse or a rise. I can agree with Gose being one guy AA wants to stick with but I dont see another positional player unless you are interested in a PTBNL and then trading Jacob Anderson?
No actually you are definately talking about 2 years of control for 16.5 million dollars. If you ask any mlb team (some who just paid 4/5 starters like John Lackey and AJ Burnett 18 million per year) if they can get a good 3.5/4 starter for 8.25 for the next 2 years and then possibly a draft opick or two you would have to start with some prospects.
To me Deck is interchangeable on his ceiling as some of the others but he is closer to MLB. Jimenez is a top 20 catcher but a ways from contributing and has alot of factors that can cause a collapse or a rise. I can agree with Gose being one guy AA wants to stick with but I dont see another positional player unless you are interested in a PTBNL and then trading Jacob Anderson?
I was thinking the sox should just give him to the jays in return for stealing the great talent that is Alex Rios a few years agoÂ
In all seriousness I don’t think Gose moves unless its in a package for a top of the rotation guy
I agree with this. I can’t see AA trading Gose for anyone not named Felix (out of the names that could possibly be out there). Lets remember, Gose is a guy AA wanted in the Halladay deal but Philly refused. So AA waited and got him in the deal that sent Oswalt to the Astros. He LOVES this guys toolbox and will be VERY hesitant to part with him.
Floyd is decent not good.
There’s no chance that Felix will be on the block, so Gose will stay where he is. And he very well should. He’s really a burner on the basepaths and between Lawrie, Rasmus, and him, the Blue Jays suddenly look extremely athletic.Â
Imagine the outfield of Gose, Rasmus, and Bautista. Wow.Â
 If Rasmus is still with the Jays when Gose arrives for good, Bautista won’t be in the outfield anymore. An outfield of Gose, Rasmus and Snider would be terrific defensively. It wouldn’t surprise me if Bautista is at 1B next year.
Defensively the OF of Gose, Rasmus and Marisnick would be SICK!! Jose will eventually be moved to 1st I assume.
There is absolutely zero chance the Jays trade Anthony Gose or Deck McGuire for a 4/5 starter.
Well, take the Edwin Jackson trade. The White Sox got Zack Stewart (a decent young arm, not a top prospect though) and Frasor in return.
I would think you could expect a bit better haul than that because we’re talking about 2 years of control versus a couple months + a pick. But definitely not Gose+McGuire.
i.e., if it were really happening, we wouldn’t hear about it.
Mike Wilner â @Wilnerness590
If you’re hearing it, it’s probably not happening.
@Aaron_mcdevitt: @Wilnerness590Â thoughts on the jays chasing Gavin Floyd?
I find it funny that whenever the Jays are mentioned in something that there are fans that say if it was true we wouldn’t be hearing about it. You do realize even IF it was true that we never heard anything about what the Jays were doing, there has to be another team involved in a trade. So unless AA can make the other teams front office not speak about anything, it could get leaked.
Yes, I did realize there are two (or more) teams involved in a trade. Â Not sure how closely you follow Jays trades, but I can’t say I remember the last time I heard rumours prior to a Jays move. Â Santos, Lawrie, Escobar, Rasmus, Cordero — the press release was the first notice. Â
So even though in each of these cases there were other teams involved, no rumours were leaked. Â Can’t speak about the veracity of the following claim, but it stands to reason that Anthopoulos has requested that other team involved in the trade keep quiet to its completion.
More to the point, JPM generally seems to be talking out of his hat about the Jays.
You can’t use the derogatory term for posterior? Â Really?
Sorry….but…there were rumours about Jays interest in Lawrie, Rasmus, and Cordero before the press release.
However, AA does limit the leaks by limiting the number of people allowed in the room during discussions. He prefers to have private talks with other GM but will allow one additional person. This minimizes the leaks and helps identify the potential source of any leak.
During Winter meetings, the general convention is to have a bunch of people from each organization in the room while having talks.
Yes, there were rumours about the Jays being interested in Rasmus and Lawrie. But the rumours were not even close to when the trades came down and they were pure speculation. When the trades happened it was a shock and no one was talking about it at all. I guess if the Jays trade for Floyd in 2 years without a peep you can turn to this thread and say you knew it the whole time. (I’m aware Floyd is a FA in 2 years but you get my point).
You can find it funny all you want. It’s true. AA deals in secrecy and if other teams don’t abide by it the Jays will just walk away. Simple really.
Did he tell you that, or wait. If you tell me is he going to walk away?
yes
It’s never that simple. at all.
Hard for me to agree with that line of thinking. It relies on White Sox management being tight lipped which I doubt to be the case.
I have to wonder if AA “scouting” Blanton was a signal to Chicago not to count on Jays having a “Floyd or bust” mentality.
If there is a stalemate between Williams and AA, AA has the advantage because he is not the one at the limits of his budget. He can outwait Williams.
Mike Wilner â @Wilnerness590
Just spoke to Alex Anthopoulos. He said:
“We’re getting Floyd now? Who are we giving up?” #bluejays #jays
That’s pretty standard for every GM but somehow when AA denies something, people think it’s news.
I think you and I have a different definition of the term “news.” Â Public comments by public personas are usually considered news. Â Maybe as a Cards fan you don’t consider it valuable news, and that’s your prerogative.
The point is, it doesn’t matter if AA is working on a deal or not, he’s going to say something similar to that. No GM goes to the media and talks about what they’re doing and when the media asks him about something they are rumored to be involved in they always deny it. It’s every GM, in every sport, in every city. No news.
 You forget that AA is our Heavenly Father resurrected. Get over yourself and start fawning over AA!
Paraphrasing:
Ruben Amaro Jr: “We’re not attempting to acquire Roy Halladay.”
a week later
the Phillies acquire Roy Halladay.
No GM is ever going to confirm a trade rumor…
please don’t bring up that terrible day
It’s not news. People make stuff up all the time about the Jays though because they are so tight lipped. Again, it’s pretty simple really.
Floyd has been AA’s choice for most of the off-season and spring. I really hope they make a run at Gavin over fat Joe Blanton. Floyd has a lot to live up to being a former 4th overall pick, but it appears at this point his ERA around 4 is his norm.
Cecil for Floyd, Jays pay the contract.
 If the Jays are getting ready to give up on Cecil I’d be fine with that.
Floyd is Cecils Ceiling ,and AA could make the Jays rotation much more reliable and durable for this season without a huge commitment as next year you can just go with one of the other young starters with more upside than Cecil anyways.
I just don’t want to see Cecil and Floyd in there together unless they plan to leave Alvarez in AAA this season. Don’t want any of the kids chances being chewed up by Floyd, Cecil or players of their ilk.
I wish He’d pursue Jair Jurrjens instead! The Braves have the specs and availability for Jose Bautista! A package around Jurrjens, Prado, and Mike Minor/Randall Delgado should open the doors for talks. I wish the Braves would pursue it.
I can see why Braves would trade those players for Jose Bautista…BUT…I can’t see why Jays would trade Bautista for those players. Especially when they have one of the best prospect funnels.
 No player is “untouchable” for the right price, and it’s not like they have plans to contend within 2 years. It’d definitely be a huge right move for them to take Prado, Jurrjens, and Minor/Delgado in any deal to project the team that much further. It’d hardly hurt the Braves with the kind of depth in the minors. Maybe possibly lock up McCann now and send Bethancourt in a deal as well. I could see the move making a ton of sense for both teams.
Unfortunately, it won’t happen. It’s all just speculation. The Braves would be the new Beast of the East with the move however.
Bautista is not going anywhere.
End of story
 Never said he was. Just stating it would make total sense for both teams to pursue it.
No it wouldn’t. It makes ZERO sense from the Jays point fo view. The Jays are looking to add proven talent. Not more prospects. They already have an embarrassment of riches. Is Prado an upgrade? Not a big one. JJ gets hurt and is not a workhorse by no means. This trade makes zero sense….. Now if you wanted to start with Heyward ++ they might get to the table…but even there the Jays have OF depth in the minors.
Prado, Jurrjens, Minor AND Delgado and maybe you have a start.
Or Teheran
 Bethancourt would fit in there as well. I doubt 2 top pitching prospects would fit in there.
This isn’t a video game. Â You can’t grab all the Braves leftover parts and turn them into the best RF in the game. Â Try starting with Heyward, Teheran, and Delgado.
Never said it was, but with Andrelton Simmons surging, Pastornicky, Bethancourt, Delgado, Jurrjens, and Prado would be way better than that offer.
I don’t know anything about Bethancourt but Pastornicky, Jurrjens, and Prado aren’t really players I would see the Jays wanting, especially if Bautista is involved.
This. Â It would probably be Hanson and Heyward to start the conversation.
Heyward starts the conversation..
but braves dont/shouldnt move him,
Please, please stop it. You’re killing me.
 You have a mental illness if you think Bautista is getting traded. His contract is way too team friendly and he was a candidate for MVP last season. There’s absolutely no chance.
The Jays have a great farm system with great pitching depth down there. What they don’t have in the minors is a big bat. Trade from weakness to fill a strength? That doesn’t seem to make sense to me.
It doesn’t make any sense for the jays, I don’t see your logic
Jays are holding onto Bautista because in two years Joey Votto is a free agent and they are the favorites to sign him (native Canadian). That’s why they didn’t go after Fielder like so many expected they would. If they can establish a number 1 starter and have a 3/4 of Votto and Bautista… they’d at least be good enough to compete with the Rays. We’ll see what happens to the Yankees with Granderson and Cano (although their rotation projects pretty highly). The jury’s still out on Boston and the Orioles are still the Orioles.
How do you know the Jays are favoured to sign Votto??? Just because he’s Canadian?? Votto will go where the money is. Plain and Simple.
Want to clarify one thing, I’m not a Jays fan. If I’m Joey Votto I’m signing with the Rangers. 1B (usually one of your top 3 hitters) currently bats 9th in what is probably the best batting order in MLB… WITHOUT a power hitting first baseman (not a Rangers fan either, btw). If Texas retains one of Hamilton/Cruz and Joey Votto at 1B, they’ll be laughing at the Angels and Albatross Pujols all the way to 5 more consecutive division and likely WS titles.
That said, the Jays CAN offer the contract he’d be looking for because they haven’t spent big on free agents so far and have a team-friendly deal with Bautista in place. Votto could be drawn by hitting in front of Jose, you don’t see that kind of protection just anywhere. 1B is open and they are looking to contend around the same time he’d be a free agent, so there’s also the draw of playing for a contender.
So when you combine all of that with the fact that Joey Votto is not only a native Canadian but he was BORN in Toronto, has family there, and would likely love to play on a championship caliber hometown team, then yeah I’d say the Jays have a pretty good shot at landing him.
However, I could be completely wrong and he’ll take a huge contract somewhere else. But logic dictates that the Jays have more to offer than other teams. Many baseball pundits agree with me btw.
I find it funny that, despite all the trades that the Jays make with the White Sox, they are still ranked last in the league.
Itâs interesting to hear all the names that the Blue Jays have been associated with this past off-season and current Spring Training Session
Joe Blanton
Gavin Floyd
To a certain extent a few months ago Mat Latos before he was traded to the Reds.
Matt Garza
Someone (blogger) also just posted Jurrjens today
Imagine the possible rotation after Romero
Floyd
Garza
Jurrjens
Blanton
Could the Blue Jays pull it off, it would be interesting if they tried, not sure of the practicality though because of the players and prospects it would take. It is possible though.
are you saying its possible to land floyd or land floyd, garza, jurrjens, and blanton?
 and dump morrow and mcgowan in the process.
I take Morrow over ALL of them.
Floyd is maddening. Â He was the Cy Young of June and July in 2010 (I think, 2011, too, but the whole White Sox thing got too painful to follow last year, so I don’t remember). Â He outdueled Strasbourg in that period . . .
Anyway — he has great stuff, but he is a space cadet. Â If he could ever figure out how to stretch those summer months into 6 months, he’d be a top-of-the-rotation guy. Â If the Jays really _do_ want him, it’s probably because they think they can straighten him out.
His numbers are average and will only get worse playing in the east so unless the price is cheap especially with his salary i would passÂ
If this is true, it’s not a bad move for the Jays, and likely signals that they’ve got questions about somebody in the presumed rotation — probably Cecil. White Sox won’t get much; probably a mid-range pitching prospect like Tepara or Wojo, and maybe another warm body. Or somebody superfluous on the ML team, like maybe Francisco. I don’t see them getting Snider or Drabek. I can’t see them getting somebody who might be able to start in the majors opening day, like Hutchison, or maybe Carreno, but maybe one of them if the Jays think differently about them than the press seems to (cf. Molina). Floyd’s salary shouldn’t be a problem for them to absorb.
If they get Floyd, and he doesn’t do well, they don’t pick up the option, and he isn’t blocking anybody. If he pitches well, the option isn’t a huge burden.
Floyd is a righty, Cecil a lefty. can the Jays opperate with 4 righties in the rotation?
 Don’t most AL East teams destroy lefties anyways?
Don’t most AL East teams destroy any pitcher?
 Touche.
Definitely.Â
maybe the white sox would be interested in a certain eric thames??
Kenny is not looking to just dump Floyd,AA is seeking,won”t happen unless kenny gets Marisnick and Hutchison,might have to send something else with Floyd.
Well, then after all the laughing Kenny shouldn’t feel bad with the click he hears on the other end….without a goodbye.
The Jays would need the White Sox’ entire farm system to make that trade even.
what farm system??? you did say white sox didnt you?
They still couldn’t get it done. What would the White Sox throw in? The only prospects of any consequence are Molina, who came from Toronto, and Reed, and the Blue Jays already got a closer from the White Sox.
I think you underestimate the value of 160 prospects.
Gavin Floyd for Brett Lawrie, Anthony Gose, Kyle Drabek, Travis D’Arnaud and Jake Marisnick
^^ Not sure if telling truth, or trolling đ
Absolutely trolling
I’m a White Sox fan and I won’t start feeling any hope about the direction of this franchise until the day Kenny Williams is fired.
I have been a Kenny supporter through it all. Sometimes a change of direction is needed đ
It doesn’t take this long to land a Floyd. If it was going to happen it would have happened already
the notion that all of a sudden the gm has concerns about the rotation are ridiculous… Cecil didn’t just get below average, he’s been that, mcgowan didn’t just become an injury concern, he’s be that and drabek, alvarez and co didn’t just become young starters with question marks. that was all well established.
now if romero or morrow got injured and this rumour surfaced, it would make sense.
but as it stands now, its all fluff.
Yes and no sometimes it is a process. Lets not kid ourselves and pretend deals don’t happen during spring training.Â
 It could happen, but, the chances of anything happening by now are pretty low if they’ve been talking all winter. Things can change, but, that could be said of any of the hundreds of potential deals AA is always kicking around.
I don’t think the Sox trade Floyd. That would be throwing in the towel this year and they can’t afford to do that this early. If they don’t start fast, they will not get alot of support from the fans. Without Floyd they have Danks, Peavy???, Sale who will have limited innings, Hunber????? and who?
You’d think Kenny Williams would be a bit gunshy of AA right now. Sadly, he is not. It’s like when you’re playing fetch with a dog, and fake throw it, but the dog still runs.
At this point, I would much rather have Alvarez or McGowan over Floyd in the rotation.  Something tells me AA feels the same and trading for Floyd at this point doen’t make much sense. Unless, due to club policy, the Jays will not allow Alvarez and McGowan to exceed a total number of innings pitched in a full season.
So lets say the jays will only allow Alvarez and McGowan to pitch 150 innings total in a season, this would cause a burden on the BP in a full season, and if the Jays are somehow close to contending in August, this will cause AA to start looking for a trade cause he may have two starters that will be shut down due to club policy.
Now it comes down to if AA believes that he can cover those inning with pitching debth like Drabek, Laffey Perez etc.
Bottom line is AA has time to see if the pitching debth he has can cover the short coming of th 4th and 5th starter in a full season. If he doen’t think they can and the Jays are contending for the wildcard. AA will need to make a trade.