Blue Jays Rumors

Odds & Ends: Padres, Jays, Giants

By Howard Megdal | October 2, 2009 at 5:52pm CDT

A few links to start the evening….

Bob Nightengale of USA Today believes the Padres would be making an epic mistake if they let GM Kevin Towers go. The odds of Towers being retained look "very slim," according to Corey Brock of MLB.com (via Twitter).
Earlier today we discussed reports of tension in the Blue Jays' clubhouse between players and manager Cito Gaston. Jordan Bastian of MLB.com relays reaction quotes on his Twitter from those involved. Vernon Wells says it's never been this bad in Toronto in the past.
Keith Law of ESPN.com opines that Buster Posey's only weakness is his game-calling, which could only be fixed by gaining major-league experience with the Giants' staff. He suggests San Francisco save the money they could spend on Bengie Molina and hand the catching reins to Posey in 2010.
As Tom Verducci of SI.com points out, the game now has a dominant group of young pitchers such as Felix Hernandez and Clayton Kershaw.
Houston owner Drayton McLane tells MLB.com's Brian McTaggart that rumors of the Astros being for sale are "absolutely untrue."

Odds & Ends: Padres, Jays, Giants

By Luke Adams 2 | October 2, 2009 at 5:52pm CDT

A few links to start the evening….

Bob Nightengale of USA Today believes the Padres would be making an epic mistake if they let GM Kevin Towers go. The odds of Towers being retained look "very slim," according to Corey Brock of MLB.com (via Twitter).
Earlier today we discussed reports of tension in the Blue Jays' clubhouse between players and manager Cito Gaston. Jordan Bastian of MLB.com relays reaction quotes on his Twitter from those involved. Vernon Wells says it's never been this bad in Toronto in the past.
Keith Law of ESPN.com opines that Buster Posey's only weakness is his game-calling, which could only be fixed by gaining major-league experience with the Giants' staff. He suggests San Francisco save the money they could spend on Bengie Molina and hand the catching reins to Posey in 2010.
As Tom Verducci of SI.com points out, the game now has a dominant group of young pitchers such as Felix Hernandez and Clayton Kershaw.
Houston owner Drayton McLane tells MLB.com's Brian McTaggart that rumors of the Astros being for sale are "absolutely untrue."

Odds & Ends: Braves, Blue Jays, Reds, Mets

By | October 2, 2009 at 2:42pm CDT

Time for another round of links…

David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal Constitution wouldn't be surprised if the Braves could get a team to pick up Derek Lowe's contract. The righty has $45MM remaining on the four-year deal he signed last offseason.
Richard Griffin of the Toronto Star says there's "significant discontent" towards Blue Jays manager Cito Gaston. It's just not as bad as Ken Rosenthal says it is.
MLB.com's Jordan Bastian says the discontent has been building in the clubhouse all season long.
From Jeff Blair's Twitter: "Poor Chicago: first they get screwed by [Alex] Rios, then they get screwed by Rio."
As MLB.com's Mark Sheldon notes, the Reds fired pitching coach Dick Pole.
Matthew Cerrone and Michael Baron of MetsBlog are divided on whether Carlos Zambrano would be a good addition for the Mets.
ESPN.com's Buster Olney hears that it will cost about $500MM to buy the Rangers.

Odds & Ends: Braves, Blue Jays, Reds, Mets

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | October 2, 2009 at 2:42pm CDT

Time for another round of links…

David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal Constitution wouldn't be surprised if the Braves could get a team to pick up Derek Lowe's contract. The righty has $45MM remaining on the four-year deal he signed last offseason.
Richard Griffin of the Toronto Star says there's "significant discontent" towards Blue Jays manager Cito Gaston. It's just not as bad as Ken Rosenthal says it is.
MLB.com's Jordan Bastian says the discontent has been building in the clubhouse all season long.
From Jeff Blair's Twitter: "Poor Chicago: first they get screwed by [Alex] Rios, then they get screwed by Rio."
As MLB.com's Mark Sheldon notes, the Reds fired pitching coach Dick Pole.
Matthew Cerrone and Michael Baron of MetsBlog are divided on whether Carlos Zambrano would be a good addition for the Mets.
ESPN.com's Buster Olney hears that it will cost about $500MM to buy the Rangers.

Odds & Ends: Blue Jays, Wedge, Sweeney

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | October 2, 2009 at 10:54am CDT

Some more links for the morning…

Multiple major league sources tell Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports that many Blue Jays are fed up with manager Cito Gaston and don't want him to return. One source says it's "nearly a mutiny" in the clubhouse.
Eric Wedge wants to manage again at some point, according to MLB.com's Anthony Castrovince.
Marlins prospect Mike Stanton still projects as a middle-of-the-order 40 homer threat, according to Ben Badler of Baseball America.
Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr. gets high marks from his predecessors, according to MLB.com's Todd Zolecki. Former Phillies GMs Ed Wade and Pat Gillick praised Amaro's moves.
Mike Sweeney is having the most fun he's ever had in the big leagues, according to Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times. He wants to return and play one more year for the Mariners or the Angels.
As Jon Heyman of SI.com notes, players chose Michael Weiner as the next executive director of the MLBPA.
Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune doesn't expect Jermaine Dye, Josh Fields or Octavio Dotel to return to the White Sox next year.

Gammons On Wedge, Halladay, Giants

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | October 1, 2009 at 3:17pm CDT

ESPN.com's Peter Gammons describes how hard it is to win when there's no room for error. It's tough for small-market teams like the Indians and Blue Jays to win when every mistake and injury costs them. Here are Gammons' latest rumors:

Indians GM Mark Shapiro never felt that the club's disappointing season was manager Eric Wedge's fault, but someone had to go. Shapiro still fired Wedge, but could any manager have done much better with a team that traded its veterans (most notably Victor Martinez and Cliff Lee) and endured an injury-plagued season from its best player (Grady Sizemore)?
If the Blue Jays can't sign Roy Halladay long-term, they can expect to get 60% of what J.P. Ricciardi could have obtained if he had dealt the Jays' ace within the AL East back in July.
Gammons finds it hard to believe that there are questions remaining about Giants GM Brian Sabean, whose future in San Francisco remains uncertain. In spite of some over-zealous spending (Aaron Rowand and Barry Zito come to mind), there's a lot to like about the Giants.
Mets ownership doesn't like the team to spend above-slot on its draft picks, which weakens the team's minor league system. Gammons says their system has become deeper, however.

Odds & Ends: Ankiel, Moyer, Griffey, Jays

By | September 30, 2009 at 8:17pm CDT

Another round of links, expertly prepared…

Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch believes the Reds might have interest in soon-to-be free agent outfielder Rick Ankiel. The Pirates are also thought to have some level of interest in the former pitcher, who's hit 36 home runs in the past two years and boasts one of the best outfield arms in baseball. (That's looking on the bright side of things, of course).
As ESPN.com's Jayson Stark notes, Jamie Moyer's season-ending groin injury locks in his 2010 salary at $8MM. $6.5MM of that is base pay, and the other $1.5MM is available through performance-based incentives.
Ken Griffey Jr. side-stepped another retirement question when the San Francisco Chronicle's Susan Slusser spoke with him Wednesday. "It's not really up to me," he said. "Well, some of it is." Stay tuned this offseason for more on Junior's future plans.
According to Jordan Bastian of MLB.com, the Blue Jays have laid off nearly two dozen employees from the business side of their organization. Cost-cutting in the front office doesn't bode well for any kind of free agency exploits this winter.

Odds & Ends: Gillick, Moronta, Halladay, Rays

By Zachary Links | September 28, 2009 at 4:07pm CDT

Here are some choice links to kick off the afternoon…

Former Phillies and Blue Jays GM Pat Gillick is not interested in a return to Toronto, writes ESPN's Buster Olney. However, the 72-year-old would not rule out handling baseball operations for another team down the road.
Ben Badler of Baseball America reports that Eladio Moronta – one of the toolsiest players in Latin America – is now eligible to be signed, five months after being suspended for lying about his age.
Manager Cito Gaston doesn't see the Blue Jays holding on to Roy Halladay if the team doesn't make other improvements, writes Bob Elliott of The Toronto Sun.
Russell Branyan could return to the Mariners in 2010, according to Larry LaRue of The News Tribune. Branyan was raking before the all-star break, posting .280/.382/.573 with 22 HRs before being bogged down in the second half by a back injury that cost him the month of September.
Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times asked and answered questions regarding what the offseason might hold for the Tampa Bay Rays. Amongst other things, Topkin says there is no way that the Rays will trade Carl Crawford, nor will they decline to pick up his $10MM option for 2010. Crawford is still a great value at that price as Fangraphs values his 2009 performance to be much higher than that.
Joe Maddon doesn't expect to make any changes to his coaching staff, writes Marc Lancaster of The Tampa Tribune. Maddon says he'll meet with his coaches at season's end, as they are all up for renewal.
If Dusty Baker has his way, pitching coach Dick Pole and hitting coach Brook Jacoby will return in 2010, says John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer. Under Pole's instruction, the Reds have seen their team ERA improve from 4.55 a year ago to 4.19 in 2009.
Brewers infielder Craig Counsell recently turned 39-years-old but still intends to play in 2010 according to Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

Odds & Ends: Chapman, Indians, Dye, Cubs

By Zachary Links | September 27, 2009 at 9:53pm CDT

Let's take a look at the wire…

Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times talked to Angels scouting director Eddie Bane about his level of interest in Cuban pitcher Aroldis Chapman. Bane once again stated that he is intrigued by the 21-year-old lefty, but must see him face live batting before considering making an offer.
A clause in Red Sox pitching coach John Farrell's contract prevents him from accepting an outside managerial position until after the 2010 season, writes Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. Farrell, who served as Cleveland's farm director before joining the BoSox, was expected to be a candidate to manage the Indians if Eric Wedge is not brought back.
More from Ken Rosenthal as he reports that the Brewers are "seemingly on the verge" of retaining Ken Macha and are considering hiring pitching coach Rick Peterson. Macha and Peterson were on the Oakland staff together from 1999-2003. Peterson served under Macha in 2003, his first year as the A's skipper.
MLB.com's Scott Merkin reports that Ozzie Guillen hopes "it's not the end" for him and Jermaine Dye, as 2010 marks a mutual option year. Dye wants to return but the White Sox are unlikely to pick up the 35-year-old's $12MM option.
Carrie Muskat of MLB.com reports that Lou Piniella doesn't expect the Cubs roster to change too much. "Last year we had about 10 changes here," Piniella said. "If we have half that, that's a nice number. Some changes [last year] were out of necessity. I see us being selective in what we do."
Toronto's Jose Bautista is improving his stock heading into arbitration, writes MLB.com's Jordan Bastian.
Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News writes in his blog that Brian Sabean denied telling season-ticket holders that he would "undoubtedly" look to pick up Freddy Sanchez's option, but said that the Giants want to hang on to him.

Cito Gaston Talks 2010 Starting Rotation

By Zachary Links | September 27, 2009 at 5:55pm CDT

Manager Cito Gaston predicts that the Blue Jays will stick with a similar starting five next season, writes Jordan Bastian of MLB.com. Assuming they hang on to Roy Halladay, Gaston sees Shaun Marcum along with lefties Ricky Romero (Toronto's top pick in 2006) and Marc Rzepczynski as Doc's support in spots two through four.

The fifth slot is, of course, a long way from being ironed out, but 27-year-old David Purcey is an early candidate in the eyes of Gaston. General Manager J.P. Riccardi characterized Purcey as a guy who is "in the mix."

Gaston indicated that he does not think that starting pitching should be the team's main concern this offseason and should instead stand pat with what they have. Marcum, Romero and Rzepczynski have all posted solid numbers, with each recording a K/9 north of 7.

Would you focus on sprucing up the Blue Jays' rotation or improving on an offense that finished fourth in baseball's toughest division in OPS (.764)?

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