It's not defensive to tell you your analysis is flawed, and I'm certainly not looking for an apology because I understand how difficult it must be for a Yankee fan to be forced to look at things as 90% of the teams in this league do. "Wait, you mean we can't buy our way out of this and then buy our way out of any mistakes that we buy this offseason. Oh crap, we're screwed." Your analysis is flawed because you're looking through your "Pinstriped Shades" at how to help the Jays out of the mess they're in by signing old, broken down pitchers who would make a "kerplunk" (as in deadweight) noise rather than a "splash" noise (Martinez is 37 and gave up 19 HR in pitcher friendly Shea Stadium last year in a little over 100 IP. Which Perez are you referring to? Because there aren't any Perezes in the list of remaining free agents at ESPN.com) and taking a 2B who missed the last two-thirds of last season with post-concussion syndrome and asking him to move back to a position that used to be his primary position, but that he hasn't played with any regularity since 2004. He has all of 79 MLB games of well below averageness at SS and has turned into a very good 2B. I understand that to the fantasy player and even us Mogulers that they're all chess pieces, but I think it's a bit of a stretch to ask that of Hill when he's coming off a possible career-ending injury don't you? As for 39 year old Grudzy and 37 year old Durham, I think the combination of moving Hill to a position that he hasn't been much good at Major Leagueically speaking and bringing in an aging, declining 2B is not all that appealing, and might even qualify as dumb.
There's a reason this team has yet to sign a major free agent this offseason. When last season's contracts came off the books and the approximate raises due to the players on the '09 roster were tabulated the total was around $80 million. J.P. was told by the board that payroll was not to go above $80 million. I believe they could go up to $120 million if they wanted to, but I neither have access to the budget, nor the power to change it. So, trade a big ticket player you say? Do you see any movable contracts (yes J.P. handcuffed the team here: on that we can agree.
) here that wouldn't require including a highly touted prospect, which are already in short supply? And prospects do have more currency to a team constituted as the Jays currently are. The only two I can possibly see are B.J. Ryan and Alex Rios. Blow the whole thing up and trade Halladay? (stop drooling, he ain't goin' nowhere for the moment
) I really don't want to put that heavy a responsibility in the hands of a GM who appears to have been coasting the last year or so. I'd rather let the new guy decide on the new direction of the team and that kind of decision is a franchise course altering decision that requires plenty of deliberation.
So, J.P. went and did something this offseason that he has demonstrated a great aptitude for since becoming a GM in 2001-2002. He went dumpster diving. He came up with some "interesting" finds including failed 2004 1st overall pick SS Matt Bush as a pitcher and injury riddled pitcher Adam Loewen as a 1B/OF. Well, Bush does have a 16/2 K/BB ratio in 7.2 IP in the low minors. That's good right?
As for Loewen, he has all of 2 PA, both in the Majors since being drafted in the 2002 draft. That's eons in baseball time. I wish him all the best, but the odds are rather long that he'll ever work his way back up to the show as a hitter. It looks like with the signing of Shawn Hill, that J.P. is desperately trying to play the Canadian card. Good luck with that.
Matt Clement, Kevin Millar and other free agents round out this year's "throw the pasta against the wall and see what sticks" crew.
Irrelevant?
Unbalanced I will give you. All pitching and defense with very little in the way of offense I will give you. Largely ignored by the U.S. media and broadcasters because they can't make a dime of advertising off them I will give you, but not irrelevant. The 2009 version has yet to play a game, so I won't stick that label on them yet. The most recent version had the best combination of pitching and defence that the game has seen in a long time, but the team was constantly plagued by its inability to produce offensively. At all. Ask the Boston Red Sox (players not fans) if they think the Jays are irrelevant. Head on over to sonsofsamhorn.com and see what they think of the Jays. Bring "ear plugs" if you're sensitive though 'cause those guys swear like drunken sailors.
Is the Jays' starting rotation in big trouble this year? Oh God yeah, but they still have most of 2008's #1 MLB bullpen intact. They'll probably be worn out by the end of May, but at least they can take it easy on the days Doc pitches. I hope Travis Snyder is able to 1) stick in the majors and 2) do well because it'll give us (the 15 to 20,000 hardcore fans, not the 30,000 others who will sit back and wait for a "winner" or who showed up when the Dome opened because it was the "place to be") motivation to show up on non-Doc days. I also hope the Maple Leafs don't make the playoffs, although many puckheads will stay home to watch playoff hockey of any kind and always have.
As for the farm system comment.
The baseball draft is an extreme crapshoot. Obviously better scouting and development would help. The best news of the offseason was delivered by interim president Paul Beeston when he said starting now the team will look at paying "over slot" bonuses for draftees. Hallefreakinluia, about freakin time. I doubt they'll go too much over slot, but it's a start. Other threads on this very forum are discussing the phenomenon of more and more excellent amateur players falling in the draft due to bonus demands. Given that trend and the fact that you don't have a clue where these guys will be 5 years after they're drafted, how exactly is it that draft position has much if any impact on improving a team's farm system.
The farm system can also be improved with trades, it's not only about draft position.
Finally J.P. Ricciardi = average, mid-range, mediocre GM, not crappy GM. For crappy GM see Bavasi, Bill; Littlefield, Doug; Bowden, Jim; Baird, Allard. Average, mid-range, mediocre GM = not good enough for the AL East. His strengths are dumpster diving, pitching and defense. If you look at his transactions he probably comes out about even. Recent drafting has appeared to be better (can't know until we see the finished products) since he's moved towards a more balanced high school/college approach rather than a college, college, college, and hey do you know if there are any more college players out there (?) approach. Weaknesses: offense, finding a f***n SS for the love of God, contract extensions with his own players and how can any Blue Jay fan forget this: public relations. Were I an MLB GM and he was fired, I'd hire him in a heartbeat and put him in charge of finding reclamation projects and I'd want his opinion on pitching and defensive ability, but I'd tell him to STFU regarding anything else. I'd probably also tell him his employment was conditional on him never, ever, ever talking to any media of any kind whatsoever and that doing so would result in an immediate dismissal. Whether his ego would be able to handle all this after having had a taste of being the man with the final say is extremely debatable. Whoa! This has turned into a Tolstoy or a Joyce type post. Sorry about that folks!
Originally Posted by koolzach1
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