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Offseason In Review: Toronto Blue Jays

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The Blue Jays seem poised to contend for the playoffs following a series of bold offseason moves by GM Alex Anthopoulos.

Major League Signings

Notable Minor League Signings

Trades and Claims

Extensions

  • R.A. Dickey, SP: two years, $25MM. $12MM Club option for 2016.
  • Josh Thole, C: two years, $2.5MM.

Notable Losses

Needs Addressed

A transformative offseason began with a change of leadership for the Blue Jays. They traded manager John Farrell to the Red Sox, ending a two-year relationship that concluded with the revelation that Farrell preferred to to manage in Boston. John Gibbons returns to Toronto, where he managed from 2004-08.

The Blue Jays re-built their rotation, acquiring R.A. Dickey, Josh Johnson and Mark Buehrle in a pair of high-profile trades. These pitchers provide the Blue Jays with much-needed depth following a season in which a thin rotation got exposed when injuries struck. The Blue Jays also addressed bullpen needs, bringing back Darren Oliver and acquiring Jeremy Jeffress and Esmil Rogers.

Jose Reyes - Blue Jays (PW)

The starting lineup has a new look, with Jose Reyes, Maicer Izturis and Emilio Bonifacio up the middle. These new acquisitions and holdover Rajai Davis could add significant value on the basepaths, as Dave Cameron of FanGraphs recently explained. 

Melky Cabrera becomes the team's primary left fielder after signing a two-year, $16MM contract. It's a substantial commitment for a player linked to performance enhancing drugs, but the deal has significant upside. Newcomers Mark DeRosa, Henry Blanco and Josh Thole provide the team with depth on the bench and at Triple-A Buffalo.

Anthopoulos spent aggressively on free agents Cabrera and Izturis and, after years of stockpiling prospects, traded from minor league depth. In Dickey, Johnson, Buehrle, Reyes and Cabrera the team acquired five former All-Stars. Best of all, the Blue Jays didn't have to surrender much off of their MLB roster to acquire these players and establish themselves as contenders. 

Questions Remaining

The Blue Jays have significant health questions entering the 2013 season. Jose Bautista underwent surgery on his left wrist last year and Johnson and Brandon Morrow have had trouble staying healthy in recent years (recent DL trips are reason enough to have some concern going forward, as Russell A. Carleton of Baseball Prospectus recently showed). Knee and elbow issues plagued Ricky Romero in 2012, and the left-hander put together a career-worst season. The Blue Jays can’t afford a repeat performance from Romero. 

Colby Rasmus, who played so well early on in 2012, struggled mightily in the second half. The Blue Jays need more from Rasmus in 2013. Meanwhile, Cabrera will have the chance to quiet skeptics after missing the end of the 2012 season due to a violation of MLB’s drug policy.

Adam Lind, the Blue Jays' projected designated hitter, has a 93 OPS+ over the course of his last 1500 plate appearances. He had a great 2009, but that’s a long time ago now, as ’09 All-Stars Brad Hawpe and Zach Duke can attest. If an argument exists that Lind is now anything more than a platoon hitter with little defensive value, I haven't seen it.

Deal of Note

The blockbuster trade with Miami did more than re-stock the Blue Jays’ roster. It signaled a change in direction for a Blue Jays team that had previously spent modestly under the ownership of Rogers Communications. The Blue Jays play in one of North America’s largest markets, and they clearly view themselves as Canada’s team. Now they’re actually acting like a large market club.

The blockbuster trade improved the Blue Jays in a number of areas, none more important than the starting rotation. They had one of the worst starting rotations in baseball this past season in terms of innings, ERA, wins above replacement, strikeout rate and walk rate. Injuries contributed to the disappointing year, but the club didn’t have enough depth.

Toronto’s blockbuster trade with the Marlins addressed the issue of rotation depth in a meaningful way. Buehrle has completed 200-plus innings in every one of the last 12 seasons and Johnson rebounded from an injury-shortened 2011 season to pitch 191 1/3 innings in 2012. Gibbons and the Blue Jays would surely welcome similar performances in 2013. 

The acquisitions of Johnson and Buehrle pushed pitchers such as J.A. Happ, Chad Jenkins and Brad Lincoln down on Toronto’s depth chart. Just about every team goes through five or ten starters over the course of the season, so Happ and others will get their chances. The difference is, they’re no longer the team’s best options.

Overview

The Blue Jays entered the offseason as a flawed, 89-loss team with a manager who preferred to leave. They emerged from it as the World Series favorite — at least according to Las Vegas. In between Anthopoulos made a series of tremendous moves, restoring hope for a fan base that hasn’t had a playoff team in two decades. The players are in place. Now it’s a matter of staying healthy and meeting expectations.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Relief Rumors: Valverde, Tigers

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MLB relievers combined to post a 3.66 ERA with nearly one strikeout per inning pitched (8.4 K/9) in 2012. Here are the latest relief rumors as teams consider reinforcements for the 2013 season…

  • Free agent right-hander Jose Valverde won’t pitch for the Dominican Republic at the beginning of the upcoming World Baseball Classic, but he could pitch for the team later on, agent Scott Boras told Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (Twitter links). Valverde, who’s missing the early part of the tournament due to the illness of a family member, is “ready to throw,” according to Boras.
  • Meanwhile, Valverde’s former team seems intent on younger solutions. Tigers management wants Bruce Rondon to take on a significant role in 2013, but the rookie reliever has encountered control issues early on, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports. "We're not looking to add anyone," GM Dave Dombrowski said.
  • Detroit manager Jim Leyland said bringing Valverde back has not been discussed, Jason Beck of MLB.com reports (on Twitter).

Rangers Hope To Keep Nolan Ryan

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There’s a chance that Nolan Ryan will leave the Rangers following leadership changes in Texas, but the club hopes to keep its Hall of Fame CEO in place, Randy Galloway of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports. It’s possible Ryan will leave the Rangers by the end of Spring Training, Galloway reports. However, Rangers co-chairman Bob Simpson said he wants Ryan to remain with the team forever.

“Nolan Ryan leaving the Rangers would be a tragedy, and something we don’t want to happen,” Simpson said. “We absolutely do not want Nolan to leave.”

The Rangers recently announced promotions for Jon Daniels, now the team’s president of baseball operations and general manager, and Rick George, now the team’s president of business operations. Daniels now has autonomy on all baseball decisions and George has the final say on business decisions, which seems to leave Ryan with reduced power. 

Simpson said Ryan will still make “significant decisions” even if he’s less involved in the club’s day to day moves. The Astros loom as a team with possible interest in Ryan, and it’s a possibility Simpson has considered. “Nolan isn’t going anywhere, not as far as I’m concerned,” Simpson said.

Why I Chose My Agency: Jeremy Affeldt

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By freelance writer Dave Pond for MLB Trade Rumors.

Giants reliever Jeremy Affeldt has been a Moye Sports Associates, Inc., client since 1999, and signed a three-year $18MM contract with the Giants shortly after their 2012 World Series Championship. It was Affeldt's third contract with the Giants, following stints with Kansas City, Colorado and Cincinnati. The veteran left-hander spoke with freelance writer Dave Pond about his agency for MLB Trade Rumors:

How did you get hooked up with Mike Moye (Moye Sports Associates, Inc.)

In 1997, I signed with the Royals out of high school and, although I didn't have an agent, I did have a guy who advised me as I negotiated my first contract. When I went off to rookie ball, everyone told me I needed an agent. My mom had seen an article on Mike in Sports Spectrum [a Christian sports publication], told me that he was an agent and a Christian, and that she thought I should give him a call. 

I called Mike and we talked. He told me that I didn't really need an agent during rookie ball. He wasn't just trying to sign me to sign me. Mike said that we should just get to know one another, and see if he was the kind of guy who I wanted to work with. He said he could help me get shoes and things like that — that I didn't need an agent to do those deals — but down the road, if I wanted to work with him, that we could talk about it then.  Mike's not one of these gung-ho, Jerry MaGuire-type guys who comes in with his hair slicked back and a lot of talk. He's a warm, low-key guy, and very professional at what he does. He really takes the time to listen to you, and learn what's important to you. 

A couple of seasons later, I was really doing well in Charleston, and made the single-A All-Star team. I was at the hotel, and I got a bunch of calls from different agents, and I really didn't want to meet with any of them. I was still trying to figure our professional baseball at the time, and I didn't want to have to deal with any of that. So, I called Mike and told him I wanted to sign.

That's what impressed me about Mike so much — he wasn't all about how fast he could sign someone, or see how many guys he could sign. He wanted to make sure I was a quality player, not just on talent, but when it came to character, too — that I was I the kind of guy he wanted to represent, and that I wanted a guy like him to represent me. It was a two-way street, and I was really impressed with that.

What sets Moye apart from other agents?

Several GMs have told me that Mike has a real bulldog mentality when it comes to representing his players in the negotiating room, but that he's one of the best guys to work with as well. He knows his stuff, but he doesn't lie to make you look better or make a team look worse. He doesn't manipulate situations — he's honest with teams he's talking to, and he expects teams to believe him. I want an agent who teams enjoy working with, as well as one with high integrity, good character and good values.

When you meet him, he's not "Hollywood" —  he doesn't seem like your stereotypical agent. You definitely don't look at him at first glance and think "sports agent." I didn't want a Hollywood-type guy — I want to work with a guy who I enjoy spending time with. He's a family-first guy who cares about his wife and kids and where they are at spiritually, so all of that really played into it, too. 

Why have you stayed with Moye Sports?

I'm a very strong Christian man, so I want that type of influence in my life, whether I'm negotiating a contract or if when I'm frustrated with the front office. Mike can talk to me from a Christian perspective as well as from an agent's perspective and that's big for me, because it helps me make the right decisions. Most importantly, Mike reminds me about who I represent — I don't represent me, I represent Jesus.

As professional athletes, we're basically entrepreneurs. We run our own business, and we need people to help us make decisions that will be the best for our families. When we're dealing with the kind of money we're dealing with, and have to make the kind of decisions we're make, I have to have wise counsel, and know that everything is on the table. 

Mike's not just a "yes" man, and he fights for what he knows is right. For Mike, it's never been about how much money he can get Jeremy, so that he'll get a bigger cut — it's how can he help me in life, so that I not only receive great contracts to support my family, but also that I represent  Jesus well in everything I do. Over the years, Mike has helped me become a Major League Christian athlete — not just a Major Leaguer, but a solid Christian man who can represent the Gospel in a tough arena to represent Jesus in. 

Quick Hits: Indians, Red Sox, Santana, Cubs

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The Indians have a new-look offense and Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer examines it in detail following a busy offseason for GM Chris Antonetti. After signing free agents Nick Swisher, Mark Reynolds and Michael Bourn, the Indians have more speed and power than they did in 2012. "I don't think we'll be entirely reliant on any one way to score runs," Antonetti said. Here are some more links from around MLB…

  • The Red Sox are looking good after completing last summer's blockbuster trade with the Dodgers, Pete Abraham of the Boston Globe writes (on Twitter). Not only did the Red Sox send the cumbersome contracts of Carl Crawford and others to Los Angeles, they obtained promising right-handers Rubby De La Rosa and Allen Webster in the deal.
  • Questions surround Johan Santana and Frank Francisco, the Mets' two highest-paid pitchers, Ken Belson of the New York Times writes. Santana, who will earn $25.5MM this year, didn't arrive to Spring Training in top form, and Francisco, who will earn $6.5MM, could also open the season on the disabled list.
  • Carlos Villanueva told reporters that he signed with the Cubs as a free agent because he likes the direction of the franchise (video link via the Chicago Tribune). Villanueva said he seeks information on people running teams, just as Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer do their homework on players.

Teams With Open 40-Man Roster Spots

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Teams looking for reinforcements can turn to the waiver wire as Opening Day approaches. Each club faces tough roster decisions at the end of Spring Training, and talented out of options players are sometimes available on waivers as teams try to sneak them through to the minor leagues.

The Braves (three open spots), Angels (one open spot), Phillies (one open spot), Nationals (one open spot), Cardinals (one open spot) and Giants (one open spot) are the MLB teams that presently have open 40-man spots, according to MLBDepthCharts.com. These clubs are well-positioned to claim someone should an intriguing player be placed on waivers. They could also offer free agents Major League deals without having to cut another player (if they have enough money and projected 25-man roster space).

The Braves are known to be seeking a left-handed bench bat, and could consider options on waivers in the next month or so. The Nationals could be looking for left-handed relief, depending on how their internal options perform this spring.

Keep in mind that many of the 24 teams with full 40-man rosters will create roster space by moving a player to the 60-day disabled list or by releasing, outrighting or designating for assignment a rostered player. For context, eight players were claimed on waivers during the week leading up to Opening Day in 2012.

NL East Notes: Phillies, Stanton, Marlins

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Baseball Prospectus' preseason projections have the Nationals and Braves ahead of the Phillies in the National League East. That's how the standings looked in 2012, and most observers seem to expect similar results in 2013. However, Phillies special assistant Pat Gillick sees things differently. Here are the details…

  • Gillick told Bob Brookover of the Philadelphia Inquirer that he believes the Phillies can contend for "two or three more years." Gillick, the team's former GM, said he likes the club's approach this spring. "They really want to win. When people have that attitude, it carries them a long way," he said (link via the Miami Herald).
  • The Marlins renewed the contract of Giancarlo Stanton for $537K, Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald reports. Stanton's not earning much more than the MLB minimum of $490K for now, but he'll earn a substantial raise one year from now when he's arbitration eligible for the first time.
  • Marlins fans agree that owner Jeffrey Loria isn't good for baseball in Miami, Greg Cote of the Miami Herald reports. Loria addressed reporters multiple times this past week, offering insight about the team’s busy offseason and future direction.

AL West Notes: Trout, Rangers, Felix

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One American League executive told Anthony Castrovince of MLB.com that he'd be talking to Mike Trout about a "crazy-long deal" if he were running the Angels. Castrovince considers some possible comparables for extension talks, concluding that it probably makes sense for the Angels to wait before extending Trout. His leverage is high right now, even though he's arguably the best bargain in MLB.

Here are some more notes from the AL West…

  • The Rangers announced that Jon Daniels has been promoted to president of baseball operations/general manager. Daniels, who became the club's GM in 2005, will still report to CEO Nolan Ryan.
  • Daniels told Scott Miller of CBSSports.com that he's intent on being more than "the team that used to be good.” The Rangers lost Mike Napoli, Josh Hamilton and Ryan Dempster to free agency, but Daniels isn't worried about the transition. “You've got to keep moving forward and not be afraid of change,” Daniels said. The GM explained the importance of depth and noted that being the best team on paper doesn’t guarantee success.
  • The Rangers are among the teams still interested in free agent infielder Ryan Theriot, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports (on Twitter). However, Theriot continues looking for more playing time.
  • Mariners right-hander Felix Hernandez recently established a new record for starting pitchers, signing a seven-year, $175MM contract. Hernandez told Heyman that he expects Clayton Kershaw will be the one to break the record because "he's a little younger" than other top pitchers. Hernandez suggested that Justin Verlander "might get the money, but less years.'' The Mariners ace said he helped other pitchers a bit, adding that he won't mind when another pitcher breaks his record.

Offseason In Review: New York Yankees

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The Yankees seem determined to avoid the luxury tax in 2014, yet the club entered the 2012-13 offseason with a variety of major needs. They addressed most of them with short-term solutions, only to see more issues emerge. 

Major League Signings

Notable Minor League Signings

Trades and Claims

  • Acquired RP Shawn Kelley from Mariners for OF Abraham Almonte.
  • Claimed UT Russ Canzler off waivers from Indians.  Later claimed off waivers by Orioles.
  • Claimed RP Jim Miller off waivers from Athletics.
  • Claimed RP Mickey Storey off waivers from Astros.
  • Claimed RP Josh Spence off waivers from Padres.
  • Claimed RP David Herndon off waivers from Blue Jays.
  • Claimed C Eli Whiteside off waivers from Giants. Later claimed off waivers by Blue Jays.

Notable Losses

Ichiro Suzuki - Yankees (PW)

Needs Addressed

Lavish spending set the Yankees apart from other MLB teams for years. No other franchise spent as aggressively, and it was difficult to argue with the results: five championships since 1996. Their wild spending habits have now disappeared, but Brian Cashman’s job description hasn’t changed. He’s still tasked with bringing another championship to New York.

Cashman retained starters Hiroki Kuroda and Andy Pettitte on one-year deals, solidifying the rotation for 2013. The veteran pitchers didn't require long-term commitments — a bonus for any team, especially the suddenly cost-conscious Yankees. 

Mariano Rivera returns for a 19th season in pinstripes after signing a one-year deal. Spending $10MM on a reliever returning from a lost season wouldn’t make sense in most instances, but this is the greatest closer of all time, someone who has proven he can succeed past his 40th birthday.

The Yankees added a number of accomplished but aging position players in Ichiro Suzuki, Kevin Youkilis, Travis Hafner and Juan Rivera. Suzuki required a two-year commitment, which was something of a surprise considering his combined .308 on-base percentage for 2011-12. Yet Suzuki played well after joining the Yankees in a midseason trade, providing strong defense. Plus, the Phillies reportedly offered more than the Yankees did, so the market for Suzuki was strong. 

The addition of Youkilis makes sense in my view. He’s not the player he once was, but considering the thin offseason market for third basemen and Alex Rodriguez’s hip issues the Yankees did well to acquire Youkilis, a longtime New York nemesis. 

Though Hafner is another player in decline, the Yankees don’t need him to perform at the level he did seven or eight years ago. Instead, they’ll hope his left-handed swing translates into lots of Yankee Stadium home runs. It’s a gamble worth taking and — notice a pattern here? — it’s just a one-year commitment.

Questions Remaining

Even though the free agent market for catchers featured Russell Martin, Mike Napoli and A.J. Pierzynski, the Yankees passed, choosing instead to rely on Chris Stewart and Francisco Cervelli behind the plate. Neither Stewart nor Cervelli has played 100 games in a season, so the Yankees are taking on significant risk here.

The starting rotation must be considered a concern, especially now that Phil Hughes may not be ready for Opening Day. Pettitte hasn’t started 30 games since 2009 and can’t be counted on for a full season. And while David Phelps, Ivan Nova and Adam Warren are valuable arms, the Yankees would presumably prefer not to have to rely on these players to lead them to October.

Health is a concern for many Yankees, including Derek Jeter, who’s recovering from ankle surgery, and Rivera, who missed almost all of the 2012 season. The embattled Rodriguez won’t be back before midseason due to his hip issues.

Another infielder, second baseman Robinson Cano, has received a "significant" contract offer from the Yankees. The club must now determine whether Cano and agent Scott Boras define "significant" differently than they do, or if a long-term deal remains within reach.

The Yankees also have a potential need in left field, now that Curtis Granderson is sidelined with a broken arm. In one sense the timing is ideal — half of Granderson’s recovery period overlaps with Spring Training. In another sense, it’s too late for Cashman to pursue upgrades now that the best trade candidates and free agents are no longer available. 

Deal of Note

Credit the Yankees for their handling of free agents Kuroda, Rafael Soriano, Nick Swisher. All three players obtained qualifying from the Yankees early on in the winter, and all three players declined the $13.3MM offers. The results could hardly have been better from the Yankees’ perspective. Kuroda later signed a one-year deal with New York, where he’ll look to build on a strong 2012 season. Swisher and Soriano left, bringing the Yankees valuable compensatory picks in the upcoming amateur draft. 

In particular, the Yankees’ dealt with Soriano much differently than they did two offseasons ago, when they initially signed him. During the 2010-11 offseason, upper level Yankees executives were intent on signing Soriano, even though it cost them a draft pick to do so. Two winters later, the Yankees preferred the draft pick to the player.

Overview

The Yankees’ offseason moves weren’t particularly exciting. The organization changed course, bypassing the elite free agents they would have pursued five or ten years ago in the hopes of avoiding baseball’s luxury tax by 2014. Limited by this goal, Cashman signed veterans to short-term deals, addressing most needs, and setting the team up for another run at a championship. After a good, but not great offseason, the Yankees have a good, but not great team.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Robinson Cano Rumors: Friday

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GM Brian Cashman announced yesterday that the Yankees extended a "significant offer" to Robinson Cano. Agent Scott Boras responded, stating that discussions will remain confidential and suggesting that talks will end if they become a distraction. It sounds as though the sides intend to limit leaks for now, but we’ll pass on any Cano-related updates here…

  • Cano told reporters this morning that he wants to "focus on baseball," but he acknowledged that contract talks are "never" going to be off of his mind completely, Dave D'Alessandro of the Star-Ledger reports.
  • Cano didn't say whether he had declined the Yankees' offer, Dave Waldstein of the New York Times reports. In fact, Cano didn’t even confirm that he had received an offer.
  • There’s some disagreement as to whether the Yankees made Cano an official offer, Buster Olney said on ESPN.com’s Baseball Tonight podcast. Some of Olney’s sources say it was more a discussion of concepts and comparables. It’s still early, yet the sides are talking about some “really big numbers,” according to Olney. It’s possible the Yankees would offer $27-28MM per season on a seven-year deal. The club would probably prefer to avoid a ten-year commitment in Olney’s view.

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