The Blue Jays plan to shop aggressively for upgrades this offseason, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports. The team will seek solutions in the starting rotation, at second base and in left field.
The Blue Jays are unlikely to re-sign Kelly Johnson after a disappointing season from the 30-year-old second baseman, Rosenthal reports. And Yunel Escobar, who recently served a three-game suspension for writing a homophobic slur under his eyes, “is a goner,” according to Rosenthal.
The Blue Jays are short on veterans to guide the team’s younger players in Rosenthal’s opinion. A free agent such as Torii Hunter would be a fit in Toronto, Rosenthal writes. GM Alex Anthopoulos will consider the possibility of adding experienced contributors.
“I don’t think it ever hurts to have as many veteran complements as you can,” Anthopoulos said. “That’s something we’ll definitely look to do if we can.”
I guess we’re going to see how proficient Anthopolous is at gauging veteran talent.
Bring Felix Pie back to the Al East!
Except Felix doesn’t like Pie and it’s on the AL West… he prefers cheese cake.
any money not spent on the starting rotation is money lost.
I’d rather them get 2-3 new starters and let hech and gose/sierra get at bats, then bring in a guy like hunter and have laffey take the ball every 5 days
Completely agree with you on this
However—A veteran, big bopper at DH signed short term would be nice also
agreed, I want david ortiz
I want the draft picks
protected pick baby!
The battle for a top 10 continues!
Nah, how bout we give you Dice K and Lackey instead??
I’m not sure if you have a choice in the matter
Bring back Matt Stairs!!
and have laffey take the ball every 5 days
You lost me here, which is pretty good since that’s the end of your comment haha.
He’s eaten innings for the Jays this season, and that was immensely needed, but he’s not even a 5th starter. Maybe use him as a long man? I dunno if he’s even good enough for that.
The rest I agree on. They should look at resigning Villanueva to be the 5th starter also.
There is an option left on Laffey. In my opinion, he is stricly depth. Like Shaun Hill.
yah but going in to next season, who’s our rotation?
Morrow, Happ, Romero, and question marks.
I like Alvarez, but he needs to start in buffalo and work on a third pitch before he’s going to be successful. jays need to add depth to their rotation and not 4/5 depth, top of the rotation starter or 2 is a must.
I dont want Charlie V back if he wants starter money, these are all lateral moves imo. We need reliable top end talent.
I’d assume the Jays would look for outside help to fill 2 spots for sure. Morrow, Romero and Villanueva should take up 3 rotation spots internally.
I’d love to see the Jays make an attempt for Price if the Rays make him available this off-season as it’s speculated. Both teams match up well in terms of needs, so it’s not crazy.
if we werent division rivals, price would make so much sense, would have to give up d’arnaud+ but i’m not sure it will go down.
I’m not sure why you like villanueva so much, he’s been valuable as a spot starter, but paying him for 90 starts the next 3 years seems like a bad investment.
He has the numbers to back up warranting a chance.
And I figure for Price it would cost something like d’Arnaud + Marisnick + one of the big 3. For Price, I wouldn’t even think twice about that deal, divisional rivals or not, and I’m not sure if the Rays would turn that down also. If it’s not enough, it’s damn well close.
his arm isnt built for a full season, he’s already starting to waiver a bit.. I’d take him back on a 2/10 year deal, but anything more than that is an overpay.
I’d give up my first born for david price. seems like a fair deal on your part though
It probably would take that. It would be a tough pill to swallow to let D’arnaud go. I would much rather the jays try and convince TB that JPA is more MLB polished, and then add an extra arm and/or maybe 5 million.
whoa, thats not going to happen. Rays have one of the best front offices in the league and have faced JPA 40 times
I know, it is just hard. After all of these years of waiting for a real strong C prospect to come up through the system and develop, our best bet is almost there.
An ace would be nice, but would be hard to acquire.
Greinke is the only ‘ace’ available on the free agent market and I doubt GM AA is willing to trade because of the loss in prospects.
As for CV, I doubt he gets anything more than $5m/year + option, which shouldn’t be too big of an issue.
I think they should start by resigning villanueva, Not sure who they would be looking to sign this off-season.
Carlos V would be a good re-sign, IMO. I don’t know why he was bumped from the rotation to start the year considering his success last year. If he he can improve his conditioning, perhaps he’d be able to contribute from start to finish instead of falling off in September.
I have a great idea the Phils are looking bad position playerwise and AA doesn’t want long contracts. So Rasmus, Escobar and an Arm for Doc
Roy was a great part of Toronto Blue Jays history but it’s time to move on. Get someone younger, who can be just as good as Doc for more years.
Rosenthal, in fine Fox tradition, reports his opinion rather than showing any investigative substance. The first line of his article “The Blue Jays need some adults in the room.” sets the stage for the rest of the article and clearly demonstrates his bias.
He claims, without reference, that Arencibia and Lawrie “walk a fine line between confidence and know-it-all arrogance” and Rasmus is “self-assured one moment, full of self-doubt the next.” Even if he did get this from a source and didn’t make it up himself, it’s still entirely personal conjecture and not, in fact, baseball news. Does know-it-all arrogance translate into better or worse stats? Or does it have no demonstrable effect at all? (Answer: don’t ask Rosenthal; he probably doesn’t know.)
And while the Jays fan base hopes they do shop aggressively, there’s no mention in the article that it was said by anyone in the Jays’ system.
Rosenthal, like most of Fox, does not report news.
The Brewers were open to trading such a huge talent as Lawrie because they felt he had some issues with being “coachable.” That’s a pretty well known fact inside baseball circles.
Neither their feelings, nor their coachable player list, nor “pretty well known facts”, nor “baseball circles” are actual facts.
Neither does any of it hold any weight for Rosenthal’s opinion on Lawrie or the rest of the Blue Jays squad.
Is a fact only a fact once it becomes well known to all? Was it only a fact that Melky Cabrerra used PEDs when his test came back positive and the media reported it? No, he was using long before that. If you don’t want to believe what a lot of baseball experts already know, then keep your head firmly rooted in the sand.
this actually makes no sense.
It became fact when he was caught. All players are considered innocent until proven guilty. Him being caught is FACT.
you cant quantify coach ability, heart, etc
No, Melky doing PEDs is a fact. Him getting caught was a consequence.
It’s just like the earth wasn’t round when scientists discovered it was round. It was always round.
Let’s have Sean Hannity do sports!
JPA is a very mature player who respectfully makes fun of writers weight,when they rank him too low. Leave it to fox news to smear his good name!! But seriously you are right that writers and commenter for that matter should stop pretending they know these players personality, and your are also right that writers and commenter should stop passing off opinions as fact, but then again you couldn’t even do that in your own post… “Rosenthal, like most of Fox, does not report news.”
I’m a commenter, not a reporter. I don’t think the same onus applies.
I wonder if they will go after Jon Niese? The Blue Jays would make a perfect trade partner for him if the Mets were looking to move him. Perhaps Niese and maybe Murphy for one of Arencibia or D’Arnaud and an outfielder…
sounds like a bad deal for the Mets (assuming the outfielder isn’t JB).
niese is a mid to back end starter in the AL, can’t keep acquiring that kind of talent and expect anything to happen.
He has had his growing pains, but he still has not reached his prime yet. I think it’s realistic to consider him a number two (NL) or a strong three (AL)…
That’s what I was thinking too. Murphy needs to be in the AL. Niese is a young left hander who is showing signs of promise. The Mets could take Lind off their hands if needed too. There are options available here.
Give us R.A Dickey and Murphy in a trade somehow and deal lol
But you have Colby Rasmus!!! LOL
by “shop aggressively” does he really mean “wait for the perfect deal, and if nothing comes up, trade for a reliever”?
I think it means they smash down doors and trample people like Black Friday shoppers!
Colby Colby Colby!!!!
My wife finally found something she has in common with a Major League Baseball team.
She waits for the offseason? That doesn’t sound right..
Haha. Just the headline.
Good times man, good times. Enjoy watching your team make a playoff push while I enjoy watching my team.. yeah.
I will not be surprised if Rasmus, Escobar, and Arencibia are trade candidates. I suspect AA will retool the team in place of augmenting the existing core.
Nobody wants Rasmus… bats .220, streaky, Limiteded range in the Outfield with a weak arm. Bad attitude to boot. Corn Rolls???? C’Mon Man
What Rasmus have you been watching…
The one batting .225 with 142 k’s……..
Batting Average….
The bizarro one with limited range.
the one that ranks 39th, 39th and 36th in wOBA, wRC+ and WAR out of 49 CF’s with at least 200 plate appearances.
its cornrows. not rolls.
Remember when Bronson Arroyo had them in Boston? Oh the days of seeing that every 5th day… Lmao.
Trading with Tampa Bay makes perfect sense. Yunel Escobar and JP Arencibia fill big needs on their roster… Who knows? Escobar is a great hitter, but like his last year in Atlanta, this year he has not shown heart or hustle (see yesterdays double play). He is more of a .280 avg .350 obp type of hitter in my eyes and that would leave his value high despite his lack of hustle and stupidity. Arencibia is ok. He seems to fit Tampa’s offense who have been looking for a good catcher for a while now. Id rather see D’arnaud get traded because Arencibia has shown he has legit MLB power. i don’t see Tampa trading David Price, but I’d be happy to get a Hellickson or Shields from them. I think heading into next year, there are a lot less question marks than there were last year.
Assuming that doesn’t happen (trading between division is hard), here’s my ideal team going into next year)
We have a decent catcher. It would be nice if he could get on base more, but his production makes him like a higher average hitter. As long as hes not in the top 6 of the order, he’s fine.
We have a GREAT first baseman… EE should be the 3 hitter next year to take pressure off of Jose.
We need a second baseman… No. Not Hechavarria- yet. That needs to be a priority in the offseason. Houston has shown the willingness to trade good players for depth talent. Maybe taking a run at Altuve would be a great idea, regardless of what we have to give up. I’ve watched him a little bit and the announcers always commend him for his effort despite his team’s struggles.
We can live with Escobar, but I don’t like him as a veteran leader and he’s not good enough to keep around with the re-arising off field (actually on field) distractions. Maybe Scutaro could come back… who knows
We have a good third baseman- Not great yet. Lawrie hasn’t proven a thing and he’s not a top of the order guy in the MLB at this point. Still like him as a 5 or 6 until he gets on base more and hits for more power
Outfield- Jose is great, Rasmus is good… but not a top of the lineup guy. I’d love it to be Lawrie- 6 Rasmus- 7.., I like Davis or Gose as a left fielder… Speed is great to have and the hitting will come soon enough for Gose (hes my favorite prospect)
DH- Lind? If he can stay healthy… I’d much prefer David Ortiz. Don’t say he’s too expensive. If it doesn’t work, it doesn’t work. Our payroll needs to go up. Take some chances. No signing is a guarantee…. I like Lind but with his back problems, he’s not worth it. I’d be happy to trade him if a good return is in place and have Ortiz bat 5th.
As of now here’s my dream lineup
1- Altuve- 2B2- Escobar or Scutaro- SS (Escobar is a 2 hitter… bad year doesn’t change that… Tony Fernandez hit .250 with a .295 obp in his 6th year also!!! Crazy fact of the day)3- Edwin- 1B4- Bautista- RF5- Ortiz/Lind- DH6- Lawrie- 3B7- Rasmus- CF (I dont care if he’s more “comfortable” batting 2nd… he cant hit up there anymore)8- Arencibia- C 9- Davis or Gose LF (Speed at the bottom)
To get Altuve I think we’d need to trade someone like Hechavarria and Alvarez and maybe a good minor league pitcher
As for the pitching… Figure it out AA… open the wallet so we can have this wallet.
My dream rotation-
1- Peavy2- Morrow3- Romero4- Blanton/ 5- Happ
Since we traded Alvarez.
Write below if you guys think this is possible… Bullpen is fine.
Scutaro, really? Why wouldn’t Morrow be our ace? If Blanton is higher then our #5 starter, we’re screwed. Davis cannot be an everyday player either.
yikes.
Jake Peavy #1? This isn’t 2007 anymore. Peavy is a solid #3 but not a #1. Plus I don’t know any dream rotation that has the guys Joe Blanton or JA Happ in it.
tldr
If I was Toronto I would look at trading Escobar to the Dodgers for Capuano as the Dodgers have Josh Beckett $15.75M, Ted Lilly $12M, Chad Billingsley $11M, Clayton Kershaw $11M, Aaron Harang $7M, and Chris Capuano $6M under Contract next year and Dee Gordon has not hit at the MLB level were as Escobar has. Then see if I could build a package around Rasmus and an arm for RA Dickey. If they could do those two things then maybe look at adding big Papi on a 2/25-30 deal or see what it takes to pry Willingham loose from MIN.
yikes, Escobar is worth more than a Capuano (which was somebody they picked off the arms heap). If they don’t want him at SS, then move him 2B.
They picked him off the pile but he is giving them 200ip of sub 4FIP/ERA that is worth a malcontent SS with a big mouth and an inconsistent bat. You are right that 4WAR Yunel is worth more but unless you prefer bringing in Jason Marquis Cappy would be a solid addition.
If the Jays need a 2B and an SP, I wouldn’t be surprised to see them match up with the Cubs for Matt Garza and Darwin Barney. Theo’s looking for quality prospects and the Jays have those in spades.
RA Dickey can probably be had, but it won’t be for Rasmus.
Torii is a good veteran presence but I would rather have David Ortiz than Hunter. With a fairly tight outfield, Hunter would only hinder playing time from someone like Gose or Sierraa (though I don’t really see Sierra starting anyway).
pretty sure the point is that Sierra shouldn’t be starting, and that is why we need a LFer. Hunter at least offers you some defensive value, unlike Ortiz.
Gose. Ortiz is going to offer that middle of the lineup productive bat that Adam Lind was supposed to provide these past 3 years. I wouldn’t be opposed to both guys, but if you sign Hunter, it really blocks Gose unless Rasmus goes, which I do not see happening until at least July.
dear goodness…
Bautista-Encarnacion-Ortiz
That’s terrifying.
I doubt Escobar is a “goner”
Looks like Farrell isn’t to stay in Toronto anyways, trade him to the Red Sox for maybe a Mike Aviles or Xander Bogaerts. We need a SS and they need a manager. Works out great. The offseason is going to be a busy one for AA, he needs to find 2 starting rotation pitchers and a 2nd basemen.
Mike Aviles or Xander Bogaerts? Are you kidding me? It starts with Jon Lester or Clay Bucholtz.
Trust me Mike. They aren’t letting go of Jon Lester for Farrell. Plus Lester is doing horrible. He’s got a Era close to 5. Mike Aviles is what we need and they need Farrell.
Aviles is no better then Escobar. That trade makes no sense. If your not letting go of a high-profile pitcher, your not getting Farrell for 2013.
why would any team give up such a significant piece for a manager?
c’mon man, you’re better than that
Im not saying they should give up Lester or Bucholz, Im saying that the Jays will require that to get Farrell. If the Sox want Farrell as much as we hear, they are in a tough spot and will have to overpay. They Jays are not going to hand over their manager to a division rival for Mike Aviles, its just not going to happen.
Just happened buddy 🙂
their is a difference between shopping aggressively and shopping smart
If David Price was available I’d be all over that deal but turn it into a much larger mega-deal to address both teams needs:
To Toronto: Price, Zobrist, Wade Davis [and over $20m in salary assuming Price’s arbitration puts him north of $11m/season]
To TB: Happ (or Alvarez), Arencibia, Lind, Escobar, Sierra, maybe a reliever [and around $15m in salary]
Tampa picks up $15m in salary but drops $27m+ [$10m of 2012 salary for the 3 guys traded + about $17m+ in savings for FA’s that you can let walk: Pena, Upton, Molina, Keppinger]. Decline the option on Luke Scott but pick up the Shields option and save another $4m in salary. Then use that savings for a power DH (Ortiz).
For the Jays: then go out and sign Kyle Lohse as a veteran inning eater
Jays Rotation:
Price*
Morrow
Romero*
Lohse
Alvarez/Happ*
(flip the Lohse/Romero order if it’s Happ that leaves)
Pen:
Santos, Janssen, Delabar, Lincoln, Laffey*, Davis, Oliver*/replacement LH specialist
Line-up:
Lawrie 3B
Zobrist# 2B
Bautista RF
Cooper* 1B
Encarnacion DH
Rasmus* CF
D’Arnuad C
Hech SS
Gose* LF
Bench:
Davis, Mathis, McCoy, Gomes
…then when the pitchers start coming back (Drabek, Hutchinson, Perez) towards the 2013 deadline, or in the 2013 post-season, make an agressive trade offer for the big LH power bat at 1B/DH they need (trading Cooper after he’s increased his value with playing time and pitchers). Then shore up the bench in 2013 offseason with real veteran leadership once Davis leaves via FA, McCoy can be traded and Gomes is traded or sent back to the minors. Address the LF if needed and fine-tune the pen.
Competing is 2013 is then still possible but really shoot for 2014 and beyond as being consistently in the playoff hunt
My wishlist:
Free agents:
– Brandon Lyon 2yr/$10m
– Anibal Sanchez 3yr/$40m + option
– David Ortiz 1yr/$15m + option
– Zack Greinke –> but I know this one won’t happen
Trades:
– Alex Gordon –> Rasmus, Aaron Sanchez, Kevin Pillar, Jake Marisnick