Bye Bye BJ Ryan

[SPTO]

Re: Bye Bye BJ Ryan

Actually that was a trade not a signing. A trade that ultimately didn't work out for either team as David Wells went 5-7 with a 4.47 ERA in 16 starts with the White Sox and Brian Simmons hit .178 with 2 HR's and 8 RBI's in 60 games for the Blue Jays.

Ah right, Now I remember. There was quite a lot of talk of Kenny Williams intentionally fudging the medical reports on Sirotka in order to get the trade done.

[CoRruPt-]

Re: Bye Bye BJ Ryan

I hate to say anything good about JP, but if there's anything he's done right it's been drafting pitchers. Until this season I didn't even realize that we're so deep especially with lefty starters, of course a lot of them are still raw but they can probably make a name for themselves at the major league level down the road.

It's unfortunate that JP is a complete moron when it comes to free agents. Gotta remember that experiment a few seasons ago signing Ohka and Thomson to patch up the rotation. Signing a washed up Stewart for a second run in Toronto. Money thrown at Glaus/Ryan/Burnett that hasn't panned out for more than a season. Also, trades. Has he made a single meaningful deadline move since he's been running this team?

[Ewing]

Re: Bye Bye BJ Ryan

Vernon Wells sucks so badly. He can't hit for avg or power and swings at everything. Just brutal.

It's amazing, really. Wells was never that great of a player to begin with and somehow he got a huge deal. Check out his numbers before signing the massive contract...

.288/.336/.492, 112 OPS+, 104 RC per 162

Those are decent numbers and worthy of a starting spot on a contender. Not a superstar by any means but still good enough that the man should be playing every day. So what does JP do?

$126 million, seven years

At that very moment, someone should have just taken the guy to an insane asylum for electroshock therapy. You have to be on PCP and opium for the thought of handing out a contract that large for that kind of production to even enter your brain.

For anyone who thinks he is a good fielder, Wells is dead last in all of MLB this season with an astounding -33.3 UZR/150. His career UZR/150 is -6.3. Seriously, this might just be the worst contract in the history of professional sports.

[OSUFan_88]

Re: Bye Bye BJ Ryan

I'd put money on the Indians picking him up.

[rsox]

Re: Bye Bye BJ Ryan

Also, trades. Has he made a single meaningful deadline move since he's been running this team?

Since the Jays are usually out of contention by the trade deadline the need has not been there to make a deadline deal and Halladay becomes the first sought after Jays player in a very long time.

[BunnyHardaway]

Re: Bye Bye BJ Ryan

Dude was a beast when he was in Baltimore...shame his career fell apart.

[Misfit]

Re: Bye Bye BJ Ryan

I just remember everyone and their mother knowing that Ryan contract was awful the moment it was announced. How a highly paid executive of a Major League team could not understand that still boggles my mind. JP has received the benefit of the doubt so many times and it the media seems to have always portrayed him as one of the young and up and coming GM's ever since he took the job but when does that end?

[BunnyHardaway]

Re: Bye Bye BJ Ryan

I just remember everyone and their mother knowing that Ryan contract was awful the moment it was announced. How a highly paid executive of a Major League team could not understand that still boggles my mind. JP has received the benefit of the doubt so many times and it the media seems to have always portrayed him as one of the young and up and coming GM's ever since he took the job but when does that end?

It's funny...during Spring Training of '05 the O's were "trying" to re-sign him, and he was asking for 3/15 and they didn't agree on anything.

Needless to say, the Jays outbid themselves 10 fold.

[ryan36]

Re: Bye Bye BJ Ryan

Gotta wonder how JP has a job. He's got Halladay. That's it. The rest of that team, yuck.

[Misfit]

Re: Bye Bye BJ Ryan

It's funny...during Spring Training of '05 the O's were "trying" to re-sign him, and he was asking for 3/15 and they didn't agree on anything.

Needless to say, the Jays outbid themselves 10 fold.

Without question. I'm not sure if anyone was even willing to guarantee him 4 years, let alone 5. With his history and his delivery he was a perfect candidate for TJ surgery. And he never had great "stuff" he was always successful because of his delivery and late action on his pitches. If he lost just a little bit of the stuff he had he was going to fail, which is basically what happened.

[Vince]

Re: Bye Bye BJ Ryan

Gotta wonder how JP has a job. He's got Halladay. That's it. The rest of that team, yuck.

Aaron Hill is probably the best second baseman in the AL and Adam Lind should've made the All-Star team.

[SPTO]

Re: Bye Bye BJ Ryan

Gotta wonder how JP has a job. He's got Halladay. That's it. The rest of that team, yuck.

As Vince mentioned we arguably have the best 2B in the AL and Adam Lind is going to be a damn good player for years to come. The Jays also have pitching through the wazoo. It's just they keep getting injured

BTW someone asked if JP has made any good trades at all in his time in Toronto. Well, he's made 2 good trades.

1. Basically gave up nothing for Marco Scutaro
2. The Glaus for Rolen trade was basically the equivalent of the Jays robbing STL blind. Thankfully for STL they have great minor league depth so the deal doesn't look as bad as it was for them.

[Misfit]

Re: Bye Bye BJ Ryan

JP's trading hasn't been bad, though it hasn't been dynamite either, and somehow he's been able to identify talent when drafting but not when handing out contracts. That's really been his only misstep, contracts and giving the most money to the wrong people. Wells got a huge contract basically for two good seasons that both looked like outliers in his total body of work. In defense of JP though, Rios looked like a better player than what he's become. He could still turn things around, but he definitely hasn't developed the way most expected.

[BunnyHardaway]

Re: Bye Bye BJ Ryan

Yeah, I'm not seeing much in Toronto's system. I don't think they have any high profile pitching prospects and the only 2 young hitters with big upsides I can think of are Snider and Arencibia.

[SPTO]

Re: Bye Bye BJ Ryan

Yeah, I'm not seeing much in Toronto's system. I don't think they have any high profile pitching prospects and the only 2 young hitters with big upsides I can think of are Snider and Arencibia.

The strange thing about the Jays' pitchers in the system is that they're very average at best in the minors but once they make it to the Show they suddenly become very very good.

It's baffling to me but hey, I like it