A Realistic View at 2016

[Spudboy]

I will watch out of boredom normally. But because the Sox are to prevalent ( particularly the 3 Bs ), I pretty much have to watch.

[moonslav59]

I usually skip watching the all star game.

[Slasher9]

Stanton is a beast. I still wish we had found away.....

[moonslav59]

Stanton is a beast. I still wish we had found away.....

 

Me 2

[cp176]

Me 3 -

[Bellhorn04]

Can't live in dreams, folks.

[southpaw777]

Can't live in dreams, folks.

 

Imagine a blockbuster deal with Fernandez and Stanton?

Sorry, I enjoy dreaming. Its got me to where I am today.

[mvp 78]

Stanton is 66th in OPS, 108th in OBP, 6th in K's. He's still a good player, but you'd have to give up way too much.

 

Fernandez is legit though. Probably the 3rd best pitcher right now behind Kershaw and Scherzer (who we could have grabbed two offseasons ago).

[User Name]

....who is also a ticking time-bomb.

[mvp 78]

....who is also a ticking time-bomb.

 

Stanton is a ticking time bomb, just look at his neck. His head is about to pop off any second now.

[mvp 78]

DFA Stanton

[Maxbialystock]

It wasn't about guessing. It was about seeing the product before you commit big bucks -- just sound business.

 

Ben and Theo are not good businessmen imo. Neither could run a candy store in Brooklyn. They would be out of business in 6 months.

 

FWIW, the guy running the Sox candy store is John Henry, and to date he has made money at it while bringing 3 WS titles to Boston after the 86 year drought. Theo Epstein ain't running the candy store in Chicago either, but the guy who is pays Theo an awful lot of money and right now is pretty happy with him.

[moonslav59]

Imagine a blockbuster deal with Fernandez and Stanton?

Sorry, I enjoy dreaming. Its got me to where I am today.

 

True, but imagine us without Betts, Bogey and more...

[Kimmi]

DFA Stanton

 

OK, that was funny.

[southpaw777]

True, but imagine us without Betts, Bogey and more...

 

Of course, this is why when some were suggesting the trade I was against it. Although Id love to have both, I wouldnt want to give up The names it would take. Pitchers nowadays are very volitile and Im wary of giving up top offensive bats for them...

once DD clears some payroll I think most of our starting pitchers will be FAs due to the unbelieveable and unrealistic asking prices for trades.

[Kimmi]

Dombrowski recently said something to the effect that every conversation he's had so far for pitching begins with the names of players he's not willing to part with. It will be be interesting to see what he does.

[a700hitter]

FWIW, the guy running the Sox candy store is John Henry, and to date he has made money at it while bringing 3 WS titles to Boston after the 86 year drought. Theo Epstein ain't running the candy store in Chicago either, but the guy who is pays Theo an awful lot of money and right now is pretty happy with him.

Didnt Henry's hedge fund go broke.

 

A dead person could run a professional baseball team and make money today -- no particular business acumen is needed. What they have had are some good baseball people that have helped bring the championships.

[a700hitter]

Dombrowski recently said something to the effect that every conversation he's had so far for pitching begins with the names of players he's not willing to part with. It will be be interesting to see what he does.

Tha CYA narrative gets rolling at this time every year. They will whine about the cost. They always do. I'm not interested in their excuses. The Jays added Tulo, Price and an all star reliever last year at the Trading Deadline.

[Spudboy]

Tha CYA narrative gets rolling at this time every year. They will whine about the cost. They always do. I'm not interested in their excuses. The Jays added Tulo, Price and an all star reliever last year at the Trading Deadline.

 

Yes but did the Jays have Fort Knox as their farm system?

[southpaw777]

Yes but did the Jays have Fort Knox as their farm system?

 

The Jays made one of the worst trades getting RA Dickey, a 38yo flutterballer at the time, for Noah Syndergaard and Travis D'Arnaurd. I wouldnt call that smart business,..they mortgaged a LOT over two years to basically get to the playoffs. Theres no way in hell I would have given up what they did. Just because he just won a CYA? Hes a knuckleball pitcher for christ sakes!!! Those guys are unpredictable at best. To bet two top prospects on that guy was dumb if you ask me. Imagine if they waited another year or so for both those kids to be ready?

AA was desperate and sold the farm for a playoff appearence. I dont want DD to do that. Id like to think hes a lot smarter than AA was before he was let go.

[mvp 78]

Tha CYA narrative gets rolling at this time every year. They will whine about the cost. They always do. I'm not interested in their excuses. The Jays added Tulo, Price and an all star reliever last year at the Trading Deadline.

 

And a year later they have zilch to show for it except a 3rd place team. It could be a horror show up there next year.

[Jack Flap]

The trade market a year ago was flush with "rental" type pitchers heading into free agency - Price, Cueto, Samardzija, etc. This year you're limited to guys like Rich Hill and Hellickson.

 

For non-rental types, Teheran is pretty good, but Atlanta's asking price is said to be extreme. Pomeranz and Cashner, maybe, depending on the cost. The Rays have Odorizzi and Moore, but will they deal within the division without demanding a big overpayment?

 

And that's about it. I expect some more names may be thrown out there as the deadline approaches, but as of right now, the pickings look pretty slim, and the number of teams looking for pitching help is large. I expect we'll pick up someone for the back of the rotation, but expecting some sort of blockbuster acquisition seems like setting one's self up for disappointment. I don't think a #1/2 type is walking through that door on August 1st.

[Bellhorn04]

And a year later they have zilch to show for it except a 3rd place team. It could be a horror show up there next year.

 

The Jays made a pretty good run at it last year, taking the champs to 6 games and creating a lot of excitement for the fans.

 

Don't count them out this year just yet either.

[Bellhorn04]

The trade market a year ago was flush with "rental" type pitchers heading into free agency - Price, Cueto, Samardzija, etc. This year you're limited to guys like Rich Hill and Hellickson.

 

For non-rental types, Teheran is pretty good, but Atlanta's asking price is said to be extreme. Pomeranz and Cashner, maybe, depending on the cost. The Rays have Odorizzi and Moore, but will they deal within the division without demanding a big overpayment?

 

And that's about it. I expect some more names may be thrown out there as the deadline approaches, but as of right now, the pickings look pretty slim, and the number of teams looking for pitching help is large. I expect we'll pick up someone for the back of the rotation, but expecting some sort of blockbuster acquisition seems like setting one's self up for disappointment. I don't think a #1/2 type is walking through that door on August 1st.

 

At this point Rich Hill is looking pretty good, with fingers crossed for health of course.

[mvp 78]

The Jays made a pretty good run at it last year, taking the champs to 6 games and creating a lot of excitement for the fans.

 

Don't count them out this year just yet either.

 

That's fine, but we have 3 rings from the past 15 years, the Jays hadn't had success since the first few years of the Clinton presidency. I don't see the impetus for us to mortgage the future for a short term run.

[Kimmi]

And a year later they have zilch to show for it except a 3rd place team. It could be a horror show up there next year.

 

IMO, the Jays will be the team to beat in our division. They have a better team than either the Sox or the Os.

 

That said, I 100% agree with you about not mortgaging the future for the short term.

[Kimmi]

Tha CYA narrative gets rolling at this time every year.

 

Just because he just won a CYA?

 

Two posts apart from each other, two entirely different meanings.

 

Yes, I am easily amused.

[a700hitter]

And a year later they have zilch to show for it except a 3rd place team. It could be a horror show up there next year.

It was more of a horror show before the last few years when they tried to build with prospects and didn't want to mortgage their future. Their fans were waiting for the future for 20 years.

[mvp 78]

It was more of a horror show before the last few years when they tried to build with prospects and didn't want to mortgage their future. Their fans were waiting for the future for 20 years.

 

Looks like they'll have another 20 to go.

[a700hitter]

The Jays made one of the worst trades getting RA Dickey, a 38yo flutterballer at the time, for Noah Syndergaard and Travis D'Arnaurd. I wouldnt call that smart business,..they mortgaged a LOT over two years to basically get to the playoffs. Theres no way in hell I would have given up what they did. Just because he just won a CYA? Hes a knuckleball pitcher for christ sakes!!! Those guys are unpredictable at best. To bet two top prospects on that guy was dumb if you ask me. Imagine if they waited another year or so for both those kids to be ready?

AA was desperate and sold the farm for a playoff appearence. I dont want DD to do that. Id like to think hes a lot smarter than AA was before he was let go.

My only point was that if the Jays could land 2 premier players and an All Star reliever at the trading deadline, we can land a # 4 and #5 without mortgaging our future. I am not interested in excuses by the FO if thy don't get it done.

 

As for the Jays, they are probably the strongest team in the ALE. Dickey has put up solid and consistent performances over his tenure with the Blue Jays. Yeah Noah looks like a stud, and I hope that he will be a stud, but that one trade will not undo the Jays. He has been experiencing a dead arm and he has bone spurs in his elbow. So, who knows how long he will last.

 

Here's the scoop on d'Arnaud. He had better step up the offense and learn to play another position, because he couldn't throw out that 103 year old woman that ran the bases in Toronto last week. Swihart is Johnny Bench compared to d'Arnaud.