Frank Thomas released by Blue Jays!

[RAZRr1275]

Re: Frank Thomas released by Blue Jays!

This makes no sense.

[Happy29]

Re: Frank Thomas released by Blue Jays!

Thats dirty buisness, if you make a agreement with someone you stick to it not find a loop hole to get yourself out.

[SPTO]

Re: Frank Thomas released by Blue Jays!

As I said in the Jays thread early this morning. This is a JP move and i'm sick and tired of him playing dirty pool with people. Sometimes I wonder if he and Godfrey have some kind of homosexual affair going on because no other CEO would allow his team to be run the way JP has run it. JP has seriously compromised the integrity and good reputation that this franchise has built for itself up for itself through it's entire history.

i'm sick and i'm tired of this BS.

[Sandman42]

Re: Frank Thomas released by Blue Jays!

As I said in the Jays thread early this morning. This is a JP move and i'm sick and tired of him playing dirty pool with people. Sometimes I wonder if he and Godfrey have some kind of homosexual affair going on because no other CEO would allow his team to be run the way JP has run it. JP has seriously compromised the integrity and good reputation that this franchise has built for itself up for itself through it's entire history.

i'm sick and i'm tired of this BS.

You sure its not more influenced by Gibbons? It seems every player he has issues with (Bush, Hillenbrand, now Thomas) ends up off the team.

[theaub]

Re: Frank Thomas released by Blue Jays!

Okay, a lot of stuff here.

Opportunity looks like it is about to be called for Bonds... then suddenly it's the only team that still hosts in Canada that released a player.

I don't know if the guy is allowed to leave the country or not.

Barry Bonds signing with the Blue Jays made sense before the season, even if they were going to stick him in LF. While its probably not happening, there is no reason not to sign him. The one thing that will push the Jays over the top is a lefty power bat, and last I checked, Bonds can hit a few homers.

This franchise is ****ed with JP. Godfrey continues to give him full support. What a freaking joke this franchise has become.

He started slow last year and was our best player down the stretch. This is mind boggling and just STUPID.

This team also started off slow and was good down the stretch. And as usual, they finished 3rd in the AL East and 10+ games back. That's not a coincidence.

It was all about money. If Thomas reached a certain amount of plate appearences this year then his vesting option of $10 million would have kicked into plus. That is the real reason he was benched, not because of a slow start.

Alot of guys are off to a slow start. It's APRIL and you're dealing with PROFESSIONAL BASEBALL PLAYERS. These people getting their panties in a knot, going into panic mode really need to smoke a doobie or something and chill.

If you're smoking a doobie, Canada's a good place to do it.

Besides that, this team can't afford another month and a half of Frank Thomas sucking from the #5 spot in the order. This isn't a panic move, its a looking ahead move.

Thats dirty buisness, if you make a agreement with someone you stick to it not find a loop hole to get yourself out.

Um...a loophole would've been sitting him on the bench for the rest of the year so he could go nowhere else. Frankly (lol pun) I wouldn't have minded that, but we need the roster spot.

[theaub]

Re: Frank Thomas released by Blue Jays!

You sure its not more influenced by Gibbons? It seems every player he has issues with (Bush, Hillenbrand, now Thomas) ends up off the team.

Hillenbrand wrote "The ship is sinking" on a clubhouse board, and was pissed that no one congratulated him on adopting a child. There's definitely two sides to that story.

Bush didn't have a problem with the Jays, but Ted Lilly did. And you know what, that was probably a reason Lilly didn't sign back here when we offered him more money.

The only issue Gibbons had with Thomas was the fact he was hitting like ****.

[Sandman42]

Re: Frank Thomas released by Blue Jays!

Bush didn't have a problem with the Jays, but Ted Lilly did. And you know what, that was probably a reason Lilly didn't sign back here when we offered him more money.

This is what I was referring to:

On May 28, 2005, Gibbons chastised former Toronto starter Dave Bush in the dugout after the right-hander showed his displeasure on the mound about being removed from a game. The next day Bush was sent to the minor leagues.

[bkrich83]

Re: Frank Thomas released by Blue Jays!

Just another reason why the Blue Jays are the Blue Jays. Let's not kid ourselves, they aren't going to sign Bonds, (can he leave the country with a trial pending anyway?), so they are going to replace a first ballot HOF'er who was arguably their best hitter last year with Shannon Stewart and Matt Stairs? And this was because he got off to a slow start 2 weeks in to the season? This was financial, no doubt about it. If you are a free agent, why would you even consider going to this team.

This reminds me of the Padres. Financial moves are first and only priority. And then if you can be competetive great, if not, oh well.

[SPTO]

Re: Frank Thomas released by Blue Jays!

so they are going to replace a first ballot HOF'er who was arguably their best hitter last year with Shannon Stewart and Matt Stairs?

Surprisingly, this move is getting (mostly) public feedback from those at ESPN which is kinda odd to me but I can handle that. Anyways to address this point they will be replacing Thomas' bat with Stairs and having Stewart playing in a platoon with Adam Lind who's tearing up Triple A right now with a .363 avg. He has a bit of a stiff neck right now so he hasn't been called up yet.

[bkrich83]

Re: Frank Thomas released by Blue Jays!

Surprisingly, this move is getting (mostly) public feedback from those at ESPN which is kinda odd to me but I can handle that. Anyways to address this point they will be replacing Thomas' bat with Stairs and having Stewart playing in a platoon with Adam Lind who's tearing up Triple A right now with a .363 avg. He has a bit of a stiff neck right now so he hasn't been called up yet.

That's an even bigger unknown. Tearing up AAA and becoming a legit DH and #5 hitter in the AL East are to vastly different things.

I know they are high on Lind, but as you know the bigs are littered with highly touted sluggers who weren't able to make the jump.

[SPTO]

Re: Frank Thomas released by Blue Jays!

Lind in his time in the big leagues has looked pretty good. Last year in 290 ABs his avg wasn't much but he did have a .400 SLG% and hit 11 HRs with 46 RBI. I think now is as good a time as any to give him an extended look.

[bkrich83]

Re: Frank Thomas released by Blue Jays!

Lind in his time in the big leagues has looked pretty good. Last year in 290 ABs his avg wasn't much but he did have a .400 SLG% and hit 11 HRs with 46 RBI. I think now is as good a time as any to give him an extended look.

I don't think they have a choice now. Although on Baseball Tonight, they were saying they wouldn't be bringing him up until sometime around June 1st.

[theaub]

Re: Frank Thomas released by Blue Jays!

I don't think they have a choice now. Although on Baseball Tonight, they were saying they wouldn't be bringing him up until sometime around June 1st.

Lind will be up the second he can turn his head to the right again.

And Frank Thomas is Edgardo Alfonso for two months and Barry Bonds for four. This team needs production now, and they'll get more of it during the next two months from Lind/Stairs/Stewart/Barajas/etc. After that Thomas is better, but with Thomas in the lineup the Jays are probably out of it anyways.

[bkrich83]

Re: Frank Thomas released by Blue Jays!

Lind will be up the second he can turn his head to the right again.

And Frank Thomas is Edgardo Alfonso for two months and Barry Bonds for four. This team needs production now, and they'll get more of it during the next two months from Lind/Stairs/Stewart/Barajas/etc. After that Thomas is better, but with Thomas in the lineup the Jays are probably out of it anyways.

I think they are probably out of it no matter who they put in there. But stranger things have happened. I just don't see how this makes them a better club. This was purely a financial move, not a baseball move. This reeks of something the Padres would do. I have seen it way too many times. It's the reason why teams like the Padres and Blue Jays won't win a title any time in the near future. Nickel and diming fans and players is more important than putting the best players on the field.

[SPTO]

Re: Frank Thomas released by Blue Jays!

It's the reason why teams like the Padres and Blue Jays won't win a title any time in the near future. Nickel and diming fans and players is more important than putting the best players on the field.

There's a key difference though, Ted Rogers is willing to spend the money. In fact, it's an open secret that if the Jays are in contention he'll open up the purse strings and allow management to trade for a big contract. The problem is not so much nickel and diming it's JP signing guys to contracts that become a burden later on down the road. The Jays are operating on about an 80ish million dollar budget right now with the potential to go up to 100 million by the trade deadline if they're challenging for the playoffs.

The blame should go more toward the GM then the ownership which has been rock solid ever since Ted Rogers bought the team from Interbrew.