2013 Toronto Blue Jays

[SPTO]

Re: 2013 Toronto Blue Jays

Great news for baseball in Canada as the Jays will be playing 2 games against the Mets in Montreal during spring training next season. This is going to be a challenge to Anakin Slayd and his Montreal group to put up or shut up. I fully expect to see 40K in the stands at the Big O for both games.

[bhurst99]

Re: 2013 Toronto Blue Jays

Great news for baseball in Canada as the Jays will be playing 2 games against the Mets in Montreal during spring training next season. This is going to be a challenge to Anakin Slayd and his Montreal group to put up or shut up. I fully expect to see 40K in the stands at the Big O for both games.

Really? I'll be shocked if they get 30,000 for exhibition baseball.

[SPTO]

Re: 2013 Toronto Blue Jays

Really? I'll be shocked if they get 30,000 for exhibition baseball.

Well it's probably not a reasonable expectation but I think it's a challenge to the "Montreal deserves baseball again" people to get as many folks to the game as possible to show that Montreal can be a viable market.

[Majingir]

Re: 2013 Toronto Blue Jays

Looks like grass is on the way. Athough still a long way off.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/baseball/jays-turf-argos-in-favour-of-grass-playing-surface-at-rogers-centre/article14211436/

It wouldn't surprise me if there's a lot of free agents in the past who have cited the turf as one reason for not wanting to play in Toronto.

Sounds like there will be some interesting challenges growing grass.

Still though...2018?! That's so far away. It'll be a new era of players on this team by time that happens, and with our minor league system not having as much depth as before, we'd have to rely on free agent signings and stuff, which might be abit harder to do if we don't have a great field for a few more years.

[bhurst99]

Re: 2013 Toronto Blue Jays

I was hoping Lawrie's hot streak after he returned from his injury was a sign he had turned things around. But in September he's only hitting .232 with three extra base hits in 82 at bats.

It's just so frustrating watching the young Jays struggle. The only one who has really impressed is Sierra with his hitting.

As AC Milan mentioned it doesn't look like Goins is the answer at second base. AL pitchers have really caught up to him after his hot start.

[AC]

Re: 2013 Toronto Blue Jays

Heh, vindication. Dude hits like Darwin Barney without the pop.

[SPTO]

Re: 2013 Toronto Blue Jays

Yep, I admit it, I was wrong.

Where's my crow?

[Majingir]

Re: 2013 Toronto Blue Jays

For 2014, who I think should be back on MLB roster:

Batters:
EE
Reyes
Lawrie
Melky
Rasmus
Bautista
Lind
Davis
Gose

SP:
Dickey
Morrow
Buehrle(if he wants to come back(cause of the whole dog stuff))

RP:
Janssen
Loup
Cecil
Delabar
Santos
Perez(either Luis or Juan)
McGowan

Meaning we need: 2-3SP,Starting C,Backup C, Starting 2B, Backup IF

Not to mention, ALOT of AAA depth.

Looking at FA pool, who I think wouldn't be bad options for us

Starting C:Brian McCann,A.J. Pierzynski,Carlos Ruiz

Backup C: Dioner Navarro,Brayan Pena

Starting 2B:Omar Infante,Skip Schumaker,Ben Zobrist

SP:Roy Halladay(if he is able to pitch another season then why not?),Scott Baker,Matt Garza,Dan Haren,Jeff Karstens,Jon Lester,Colby Lewis,Shaun Marcum,Ervin Santana,James Shields,Jason Vargas

About a dozen SP options to fill 2-3 rotation spots, if we are able to get multiple guys from that list, then that'd be great.

[AC]

Re: 2013 Toronto Blue Jays

A.) Ben Zobrist isn't going to be an FA

B.) Skip Shumaker as a starting 2B might actually be worse than Goins

C.) Halladay probably shouldn't be looked at as an option.

D.) Baker isn't a guy you want to rely on either.

E.) Lester isn't going to be an FA

F.) Karstens Lewis and Vargas? No thanks

G.) Shields isn't going to be an FA


In an ideal world we sign one guy like Tanaka or Garza and trade for a legit SP option like Lance Lynn or Jarrod Parker. Jose Molina would be a nice C but Navarro is a nice option. Stephen Drew would be a great 2B option along with Guerrero, Peralta or Infante.

List of position players who will be available in some way shape or form:

http://www.fangraphs.com/leaders.asp...3035&sort=17,d

List of pitchers available in some way shape or form:

http://www.fangraphs.com/leaders.asp...0,412,944,4424

We need to upgrade at C, 2B, LF, SP1, and SP2. That's not an easy task and we're probably going to go in with a massive hole.

I'm not sure if people understand just how crucial it is that our draft pick be protected.

[Majingir]

Re: 2013 Toronto Blue Jays

^Our pick is protected now! We got 9th and 11th picks in 2014 draft.

[AC]

Re: 2013 Toronto Blue Jays

Oh thank god. If we had come back I would've thrown a fit.

[Majingir]

Re: 2013 Toronto Blue Jays

Oh thank god. If we had come back I would've thrown a fit.

lol ya, if Jays won, they would've had 12th pick which wouldn't be guaranteed.

[SPTO]

Re: 2013 Toronto Blue Jays

Okay, the pitching rotation was acknowledged as the main weakness in the team this past season so what do they do? They fire Dwayne Murphy and Chad Motolla but keep Pete Walker around.

HUH?!?

Actually the Murphy firing is not so surprising as I bet Tim Raines will be the 1B coach next season but I thought that Mottola's message was starting to sink in about halfway through the season.

Pete Walker must have compromising photos of Anthopoulos or something to still have his job.

[AC]

Re: 2013 Toronto Blue Jays

Hah a guy I know tweeted "Motolla is a good looking guy he probably slept with someone's wife" to Stoeten and got some RT's.

I freaked out initially but it's not a big deal. We don't know how much impact they had and it probably wasn't a lot. It's not worth worrying about. Let's hire Delgado or Alomar or something.

[Majingir]

Re: 2013 Toronto Blue Jays

^Besides Delgado/Alomar, any other guys people here would want to see as coaches?

Obviously success on field doesn't always translate to success in coaching, but Jays of the future having guys like Fernandez,Delgado,Alomar,Halladay among others being coaches on this team would be awesome to have.

Leafs have sorta done that(Carlyle did play for the Leafs), Raptors don't have much notable players to begin with so they won't matter much, but Jays also have a great number of players who even to this day, still come to Toronto to host various events, so if they were offered a coaching job, don't see why they wouldn't take it.