New Burnett info- Looks like it's down to Jays and Cards

[SPTO]

Re: New Burnett info- Looks like it's down to Jays and Cards

The Jays won't be making the playoffs when you have your best hitter not even getting 30HR-100RBI and is streaky, your lazy RF hits single digit homeruns, LF's are scrubs, 3B is a .250 hitter whose injury prone and your 1B would have trouble hitting college pitching. Oh yeah and who is the DH this week? When's the last time a team was playoff bound with that lineup?

Well I said "make a run" not "get in the playoffs". I love your bluntness but sometimes it smacks of pessimism. I'll try to be positive and see how things go. If JP is smart he gets at least one power bat this offseason.

[VanCitySportsGuy]

Re: New Burnett info- Looks like it's down to Jays and Cards

The Jays aren't the Yankees we can't afford to spend 55 Mil to experiment. The Jays hit like a national league team so that spike in his ERA isn't going to get him any more wins. Yeah it's not my money but as a fan I'm sick of hearing excuses of shaving payroll in the future because we have albatross contracts that handcuff us. The guy was .500 last year with a better team in Florida and totally tanked the 2nd half of the season.

J.P. is so blinded with this guy that he didn't even know Beckett was available whose cheaper and better and lacks the skill to try and get a cleanup hitter thru a trade.Hell they should of went after Delagado at least the team would have improved with him batting clean up protecting Wells. With A.J. I don't see how we really improve.

The one thing I don't like under the JP regime so far is his unwillingness to rolle the dice. He's played it safe with his draft picks (all of the Jays top picks in the first few rounds each year have been college players) and getting players like Hillenbrand and Koskie. Sure signing AJ is a gamble but it's one the Jays have to make if they want to take the next step.

If the Jays continue their path of aquiring solid but not great players, the Jays will be destined to hover around .500 each season.

Juding AJ by his W/L record is short-sighted.
Using better stats to measure a pitcher, shows you he had a good season last year.

FIP: 3.09
ERA+: 126
VORP: 33.1

I felt like the Jays should have made a run at Beckett (I like him better than AJ) but JP didn't want to take on Lowell's contract. The Jays had no interest in retaining Delgado. They offered him a 2yr/12 mil contract and said it was fair market value. And the Jays brass said they didn't have payroll room to keep him anyways. Remember the increase in payroll was tied into the purchase of RC. That didn't take place until every good FA was off the market except for Maggie.

I do agree the Jays need a bigtime upgrade in offence. The Jays have a surplus of arms to deal. That's why they're looking at players like Wilkerson, Overbay, Mench, and Sanders.

The Jays need to upgrade at either 1B or DH and RF. Many Jays fans don't know this, but Rios was the second worst starting offensive RF last season only ahead of Corky Sosa. If the Jays want to contend they don't have time to see if Rios's power will develop. At this point his MVP AA season looks like a fluke.

[Yosemite Dan]

Re: New Burnett info- Looks like it's down to Jays and Cards

Well I said "make a run" not "get in the playoffs". I love your bluntness but sometimes it smacks of pessimism. I'll try to be positive and see how things go. If JP is smart he gets at least one power bat this offseason.

I'm just venting because I keep seeing these idiot reporters totally ignoring our little league offense and fawning over Burnett. I'm not a fan of J.P. either, the guy has gotten a free ride from the media (compare him to the lynching of Babcock) for basically doing nothing for 4 years where the team has stagnated using the payroll excuse where other teams have done more with less. The guy lacks any creativity with trades with this attempted signing and signing guys like Koskie because he's Canadian. The guy gets some cash and instead of exploring trades to improve areas of weakness he just sees whose the best pitcher in a very bad free agent group and tries to overpay him. Can you remember anything he's done of substance in the last 4 years and the Jays want to give him an extension.

[SPTO]

Re: New Burnett info- Looks like it's down to Jays and Cards

Can you remember anything he's done of substance in the last 4 years and the Jays want to give him an extension.

Wasn't O-Dogg a JP product?

Um....signing Gregg Zaun?

hmmm uh, er rebuilding the farm system. The system was pretty bare when he got here.

[Yosemite Dan]

Re: New Burnett info- Looks like it's down to Jays and Cards

Wasn't O-Dogg a JP product?

Um....signing Gregg Zaun?

hmmm uh, er rebuilding the farm system. The system was pretty bare when he got here.

The same Hudson who is considered expendable right now. I wouldn't consider Greg Zaun to be something to hang your hat on. He's average at best.

The farm system has been rebuilt but that's gonna happen when you refuse to let go of any of your prospects but how many of these guys are bonafide major leaguers. The young pitchers look good but the hitters are nothing to brag about. Rios does not look good, Hinske had a decent rookie season but has regressed and J.P. ends up overpaying him way too soon where we can't trade him now.

The shortstop (can't remember his name, brain cramp) may be OK offensively eventually but is a terrible fielder and the last thing you want in your shortstop is 30 errors a year with limited range.

In 4 years there's isn't much to brag about J.P., if he was the Raps or Leaf GM he would've have been fired long ago. The apathy by fans and media has saved his job.

[VanCitySportsGuy]

Re: New Burnett info- Looks like it's down to Jays and Cards

AJ's on the verge of signing with the Jays.

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2248966

http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/5141368

[SPTO]

Re: New Burnett info- Looks like it's down to Jays and Cards

AJ's on the verge of signing with the Jays.

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2248966
http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/5141368

If the deal breaks down i'm blaming you. Just letting you know in advance.

[VanCitySportsGuy]

Re: New Burnett info- Looks like it's down to Jays and Cards

If the deal breaks down i'm blaming you. Just letting you know in advance.

I spent 5 mins typing an official AJ signs with Jays thread but I didn't post it.

Even though the odds are 99.9% he has already signed with the Jays at this moment, I'll wait until I see an official report.

[Yosemite Dan]

Re: New Burnett info- Looks like it's down to Jays and Cards

AJ's on the verge of signing with the Jays.

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2248966
http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/5141368

Great do we even have enough money left to at least sign Julio Franco.

[SPTO]

Re: New Burnett info- Looks like it's down to Jays and Cards

Great do we even have enough money left to at least sign Julio Franco.

Well Batista is gonna be gone when this deal is official. We might get Brad Wilkerson in that deal and I'd do it too.

[theaub]

Re: New Burnett info- Looks like it's down to Jays and Cards

So if this ends up being a 7-12-12-12-12 deal (as rumoured), then the Jays end up with a $75 million payroll. Trade Batista (who would make $6 million), and you have around $71.5 probably (Overbay's and Mench's salaries are both 2.5 mil, don't know about Wilkerson).

So there's still room for two trades after this, even if it does go through.

[Vince]

Re: New Burnett info- Looks like it's down to Jays and Cards

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20051206.wxbaseball06/BNStory/Sports/

It's official

[dust247]

Re: New Burnett info- Looks like it's down to Jays and Cards

I thought Burnett signed with Boston earlier in the offseason...I'm lost.

Who was that pitcher that Boston signed?

[nyisles16]

Re: New Burnett info- Looks like it's down to Jays and Cards

welcome the newest Blue Jay:

http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/5142964

the Sox got Josh Beckett in a trade from the Marlins...

[Birdsonbat]

Re: New Burnett info- Looks like it's down to Jays and Cards

I thought Burnett signed with Boston earlier in the offseason...I'm lost.

Who was that pitcher that Boston signed?

Boston didn't sign anybody, they traded for Josh Beckett.

Oh well, I was hoping AJ would go to a winner since he is on my keeper league, but part of me is glad the Cards didn't spend that much on him. He obviously wanted the money more than he wanted to win so I guess good for him and his agent for getting what he wanted.