09 Toronto Blue Jays Thread

[Crash Davis]

Here us Jays fans can discuss the usuals...
Starting with the Offseason

Anyone think waiting on Burnett is completley idiotic???
Jays apparently arent going to seek many FA's next week at the Winter Meetings whats up with that?

If you were GM what offseason goals would you have?
Mine personally would be get Furcal no matter what, attempt Giambi for a one year contract, and go after a 2nd tier FA starter.
If going the trade route I'd try everything in my power to grab Adrian Gonzalez from the Padres, we need a 1B bad and he flies under the radar of most teams.
Also a trade for JJ Hardy if Furcal doesnt work out.

[jaguar8311]

Re: 09 Toronto Blue Jays Thread

Jays need to rebuild, trade Halladay and lets get some good pitching prospects.

Can't wait to see Travis Snider develop though!

[SPTO]

Re: 09 Toronto Blue Jays Thread

Jays need to rebuild, trade Halladay and lets get some good pitching prospects.

Can't wait to see Travis Snider develop though!

Agreed about Snider.

As for Halladay, intellectually I agree with you but emotionally it's going to be tough. As a life long Jays fan i've watched just about every game Halladay has pitched for the team. He's clearly the best starting pitcher in franchise history. I agree that he should be traded. He's toiled enough as it is here but damn it's going to be tough not seeing the Doc around anymore.

He's a true lifer and when his career is over he's an automatic to have his name on the Level of Excellence.

[SPTO]

Re: 09 Toronto Blue Jays Thread

OhMyGosh!

The Jays made a huge signing WOOOHOO.......of catcher Michael Barrett.

Oh well.

[SPTO]

Re: 09 Toronto Blue Jays Thread

Seems like i'm the only one here but just to add to the Michael Barrett thing they also signed Mike Maroth to a minor league deal. This could be a positive thing. I always liked the guy but injuries and the specter of a 20 loss season dragged his career down.

If he can come back healthy and does well in the minor I suspect the Jays will give him a shot at the big time.

[jaguar8311]

Re: 09 Toronto Blue Jays Thread

I am just extremely pissed off about JP, when he took over the job he said that the Jays would play their young kids and whats with these signings? its probably just to say he did something. Last Year he signed Okha and Zambrano and look how that turned out. The Jays need to start giving Cecil, Romero, Arencibia,Purcey serious looks because there is no way this team will be competing.

I am offically on the Leafs and Jays "Tank Nation" Bandwagon, blow up the whole damn team and start playing the kids.

I am still enraged by his decision to let Johnson walk as he was my favourite player and he emobodied the spirit of the game with his hustle and determination and who did he replace him with? A S**T platoon of Wilkerson and Mench?

I can't believe hes had a 100M Payroll and been GM of this ballclub for 8 years and he's done S**T, drafted terrible(later years he has done better). Hes thrown silly money to all these players *cough*Wells*cough* and with the exception of Doc, they have all been busts or inconsistent.

Godfrey gone is a start but J.P needs to leave and lets pick up a real "moneyball" manager.

I just needed to let off some steam, sorry for grammatical or puncuation errors

[theaub]

Re: 09 Toronto Blue Jays Thread

Let us note a few things

1) The Blue Jays will never, ever trade Roy Halladay unless he wants to leave. Considering everything that he has done for this franchise (in monetary terms, not performance), trading him without his consent would make this team a black hole for potential FA's. Unfortunately, this will probably end like the Delgado situation, where the Jays will end up getting a couple comp picks instead of the assload of prospects that they could get if they traded him. But really, that's not JP/whoever the GM will be in 2010's fault.

2) If Adam Lind starts the entire year in LF, and David Eckstein doesn't exist (not only for his inability to hit, but the fact that he KO'd Aaron Hill), this team is probably in the playoffs.

3) I am all for the Jays signing this guy

[Crash Davis]

Re: 09 Toronto Blue Jays Thread

Predictions:

Barajas and Barrett split time more than initially planned

Overbay will start crappy like past 2 years then pick it up in mid season thanks to Tennace and Cito

Aaron Hill will blow, especially at first has a chance to pick it up late season

Joe Inglett will be under appreciated and wont get what he deserves

Jonny Mac will do a tad better at hitting, everyone will go crazy cuz they love him but really he'll still be average at best.

Rolen will be injured 30% of the season leaving the door open for Bautista who wont do much better

Adam Lind will play fairly average perhaps 15 dingers maybe 20 if were lucky
Travis Snider will get held back (unless overbay gets traded) but if he starts on opening day I expect him to be in the running for ROTY

Vernon Wells, will bounce back and have a better season 25 HR's 300 average especially if he plays in the WBC again (doubtful)

Rios, same old same old 15 HR's 270 average fail in clutch sitations

Doc Halladay wont repeat seasons but still be solid around 16 wins
Listch will suprise people and pick up wins in the teens
Purcey will be foreced to pitch when hes not MLB ready and get killed, 4-9 record 4.50+ ERA Sent down at some point
McGowan - comes back and will pick it up late july end record around 8-6

someone will become a suprise starter wether it be jannssen Maroth or clement and pitch average but not bad. perhaps one of the prospects like romero and Cecil will come up mid season and help

overall Jays dont seem to be heading anywhere fast maybe 3rd place again or 4th but thats the beauty of it you never know with baseball, remember the rays???

[SPTO]

Re: 09 Toronto Blue Jays Thread

The Jays had their stat of the franchise meeting with season ticket holders last night. The only big news to come out of it is that Casey Janssen will be ready to start the season and will be penciled in as a starter for the team. They also plan to have Lind and Snider get a lot of ABs this year as well.

[SPTO]

Re: 09 Toronto Blue Jays Thread

So the Jays finally sign a Japanese player....except he's old and washed up.

per TSN.CA

TORONTO - The Toronto Blue Jays and Ken Takahashi finalized their minor-league contract Friday and the left-hander was invited to major league spring training camp.

The 39-year-old is the first player the team has ever brought over from Japan, where he has spent his entire 14-year career.

He'll be given a chance to compete for the fifth starter's spot or a job out of the bullpen with the Blue Jays.

Takahashi was 8-5 with a 3.50 ERA in 21 games for the Hiroshima Toyo Carp last season. Overall, he's 66-87 with a 4.23 ERA in 433 games, 160 starts of them starts.

Pfft

[SPTO]

Re: 09 Toronto Blue Jays Thread

Well the Jays made their final addition this offseason with a minor league deal to Kevin Millar. I'd have liked this if it was 5 years ago not now.

Oh well he's an insurance policy if one of the kids (Lind/Snider) craps the bed.

[sabresfan]

Re: 09 Toronto Blue Jays Thread

I tell you, I am optimistic to a fault but even I realize a whole lot would have to go right for us and wrong for a lot of other people for us to remain even remotely in contention. BP's PECOTA projections have us at 81-81 for this year, which doesn't really sound too bad given our total lack of anything good this offseason.

[theaub]

Re: 09 Toronto Blue Jays Thread

81 seems about right.

My only prediction is that, by the end of the year, Aaron Hill will be our starting shortstop.

[CoRruPt-]

Re: 09 Toronto Blue Jays Thread

I've got no real expectations going into this season. I think 81 wins would be an accomplishment based on what we have on paper so far.

I'll watch regardless because I love baseball too much not to, but again another JP fielded team stuck perpetually in the .500-ish zone at best. Every offseason it just seems like JP makes a bunch of these "reclamation project" signings that have little to no upside and isn't making a move towards competing or rebuilding - that seems to be the JP status quo isn't it? We really don't know whether JP is trying to rebuild or make a run for it with the way he ran the show these last several years.

What's the status on Marcum and McGowan? I suppose Marcum is gone for the entire '09 after TJ.

[Spear]

Re: 09 Toronto Blue Jays Thread

What's the status on Marcum and McGowan? I suppose Marcum is gone for the entire '09 after TJ.

McGowan might be back by May at the earliest.

It's going to be a long season. I'm debating whether or not I should buy season tickets when I move to Toronto in the next month.