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I know what you mean, he's done outstanding lately.. I'm sure a lot better than most anticipated.
Just try to look at it from a different perspective though, now you have guys coming up who can showcase what they have for next year.. I assume probably Richmond/Mills. I'd like Drabek to get a start, but I think it's probably unlikely.
Drabek would be nice, but with his team in the heat of a race in NH right now he won't be coming up. I think he's ready for the big time though and think we could see him in the rotation next season. How great would a starting rotation of Marcum, Romero, Cecil, Morrow & Drabek be? WOW. If you can't get excited for that possibility, then your not a Jays fan.Quote:
Ryan_1523 wrote:
Marcum's gonna want a pretty hefty payday. AA better get to work.
Too bad we couldn't reel in Chapman in the offseason. Did anyone catch his performance last night? The kid touched 102 mph.
Yeah, you're right about the playoff situation down in NH.. I wish I could see that on TV, honestly.
That is a pretty solid rotation.. With the whole John Buck situation, what do we do? He's impressing everyone this year.. He wants to stay here, but we have Arencibia coming up.. Thoughts?
Chapman, how did we not get this guy.. We offered him like just as much, maybe more than the Reds at the time. He's impressive, let's see what he does in a full year at the big league level before we decide how good he'll be.
Kyle Drabek, being called up to make the start on Wednesday, the 15th, versus the Baltimore Orioles.
New Hampshire didn't get very far in the playoffs, but just making it is a big achievement right now.. It's a sign of things to come.
I expect him to go 5 innings, probably give up 4-5 runs with 5 K's and 2 walks - the O's have been playing well since the hiring of Showalter. I'm not too fond of him facing the Yankees, but it's nice for him to get his feet wet and see what he's got and it'll be a good learning tool.
Full Story:http://toronto.bluejays.mlb.com/news...s_tor&c_id=torQuote:
Bautista blasts franchise-record 48th homer
BOSTON -- With a towering shot that arced high into the Boston night and crashed into the seats atop Fenway Park's Green Monster, Jose Bautista rewrote the Blue Jays' record book on Friday night.
Bautista belted his 48th home run of his magical season in the sixth inning of an 11-9 victory over the Red Sox, eclipsing George Bell's single-season franchise record. Bell's record of 47 blasts in a single campaign stood alone since 1987 and was equaled by Bautista on Wednesday in Baltimore.
Jose hits number #50 of the season. Only the 26th player in MLB history to hit 50 homeruns in a season.
http://watch.tsn.ca/mlb/clip351798#clip351798
Good on J-Bau. Now give him his extension (3 years, 24 mil should get it done)
John Farrell being named the next manager of the Jays today. I think it's a great move for the Jays. They're obviously focusing on their pitching and developing them. He's had experience in player development with the Indians - having a part in developing their farm system and elevating it to a #1 status during his tenure, so he knows a thing or two about young players and how to bring them along. Solid move. I;m excited to see what AA has in store for the rest of the off-season.
I think its a solid move too. Farrell has a ton of respect around the league especially for what he's done with team's pitching over the last 7 or 8 years.
I read last night that Manny wants to play in Toronto now that Farrell is here. He likes him that much. I'm not too sure what to think about Manny in a Jays jersey though. :confused:
I'd love Manny in a Jays jersey, Doc. I can just imagine him and Bautista smashing HR's at Rogers Centre all year next year. He's a Scott Boras client, so he's gonna want a lot of money, but if he's willing to take a discount, I'd take him here in a heartbeat - just as long as the Sox don't offer him arbitration. Then I wouldn't take him.
How do we fit him in the line-up night in, night out? Manny's clearly DH material now, so we could have an issue with him and Lind assuming Adam isn't ready to play 1B everyday which I doubt he'll be ready for next spring. I don't think Manny can play the outfield any longer. So something's gotta give. I'd like to spend that money on a decent first baseman like Dunn or perhaps Beltre for third base. We're missing 2 or 3 consistant bats in our line-up.Quote:
MangoKid wrote:
Ramirez is stictly a DH. He's a mess in the outfield. That's well documented. Lind is awful at first. I'd be looking to package him for an all-star (or real solid) second baseman (Brandon Phillips anyone? The Reds were rumoured to be shopping him last season because of financial considerations - they're going to have a hard time giving Votto a contract he deserves/wants), and move Hill to third (which he has offered to do). Keep Bautista and his rocket of an arm in right field.Quote:
Doc Naismith wrote:
I wouldn't make a play for Dunn (or Beltre) because the Nats and Sox will offer them arbitration. If they accept and they sign with us, we lose draft selections. ANd the Jays have spent an awful lot of money in scouting, so it would be a shame to lose our first and second rounders plus sandwich picks.
If I'm spending money this off-season in the FA market, it's gonna be in the bullpen.
I'd also love to package Drabek (or Marcum) + Arencibia plus another prospect for Kansas City for Grienke.
Honestly, Drabek will be top of the rotation in the future anyways.. Marcum is middle of the rotation who will give you a lot of innings and keep you in games. I honestly liked John Buck all of last year (not sure how he's a type B free agent instead of type A), but I think we really need to give Arencibia a chance. He's young, has power, and he has a good arm.. He's ready to be a big league catcher, and I don't want to get rid of guys before they show their full potential like we've done in the past.
I'm looking at the first base situation, and I think Lind played decent at first, I'm not sure how he's awful when he didn't record an error. I admit he could stretch out for balls a bit more, but I think in 8 games it's hard to fault him, and it looks like he'll just get better. I remember we picked up Mike Jacobs, who had a good season a couple years ago and now isn't so great.. I think he's a free agent now, but if we sign him to a small contract then that would be back up enough really.. He hit over .300, with a few really good games in triple A.. I think at worst, he does as good as Lyle Overbay offensively, with a slightly lower fielding percentage.
I think our rotation's solid, we could use a little more speed/average, but our offense is decent for the most part, we just need to build on our bullpen. I wouldn't mind picking up Gregg's '11 option, just needs to work on command a little. I'd like to keep Scott Downs, and I am in love with Shawn Camp's slider.. I think he definitely deserves a contract, really good last year. Frasor, it could go either way.. I just think as long as we don't resign Tallet, then we'll be okay. Though, we'll still probably have to add a few additions, which I really can't see as a problem now that we have John Farrell as manager and also as a team close to being a contender.
I'd hate to part with Drabek right now. In another 2 years I think he can our 1 or 2 guy in the rotation. Middle relief and a couple extra bats is what I hope Alex focuses on this winter. Our bullpen lost so many games for us this season that it quickly became our achilles heal. :mad:
Drabek isn't really an ace. At best, he's a #2 - which isn't bad at all. Farrell and Walton will definitely help him out and foster his development, but when you have a chance to get a guy like Zack Grienke and you have the tools to do so, you gotta do it. It's not like Grienke is over 30. He just turned 27. And he would thrive in Toronto not being in the spot light (unlike a New York or Boston or Chicago or LA)
Buck is a type B FA because he didn't have a real solid season last year in KC. Had he had 2 back to bask seasons like this season, he would qualify as a type A. Drabek will be a nice innings eater. A yearly 15 game winner at best. Arencibia is just really a power bat. He might be better off as a DH. Not a good contact hitter, just a power bat. His defense is still quite suspect. The Jays have better catching prospects in the pipeline.Quote:
Ryan_1523 wrote:
I wouldn't qualify Jacobs as a heir apparent at first. We might as well keep Lind at first if that's the case. Jacobs is another case of having good power, but not a guy who hits for contact and doesn't play a good first base. At best, he's a good roster filler for AAA Vegas. I think Farrell's gonna stress pitching and defense this year, so we should have a good defensive first baseman. I'd look into bringing Overbay back.
Gregg should definitely be back. At his price, for what he delivers, he's a steal. The club should also bring back Downs at all cost. I'd also like to see us make a run at Matt Thornton from the White Sox as a FA. Tallet should not be brought back. Purcey can do what he does. I'd rather let Frasor walk and take the first round and sandwich pick.
Well, I don't really think we need an ace then. I think Romero will eventually be our number 1 guy, Brandon Morrow is also a top rotation guy. We'll see how we do, I'm not really looking to focus on adding anything to the starting rotation this year.. Get back to me at the end of the season next year, to see if we have a legit chance of making post season with what we have or not.
I don't think Arencibia gives you enough to be a DH.. I'd as soon get rid of him and pick up Manny if we needed that. I like his D, but that's just from what I've seen.. He has a good arm, and he blocked the ball better than Buck did. He definitely has a lot of room to improve in his approach at the plate, I'd be more worried about how his offense will come through.. If it does. We haven't had a lot of luck with drafting catchers, I just think Arencibia has a lot of talent and whether we ever see his full potential is anyone's guess.
Yeah.. That's kinda why I compared Jacobs to Overbay. He'll never be as good as Overbay was defensively, and really doesn't fit what Farrell is looking for offensively really.. I just think if we're looking for Lind to stay at first, then we have a guy who has had big league experience and has played well in the past. Lind is a tough decision.. He had a good '09 season, and I liked his play in '07-'08, but he's more than just a home run guy.. He needs to show more than what he did last year. It's not enough for a DH, but it'd be fine for a first baseman to put up those numbers. I'd maybe consider Overbay as a one year deal at a much lower cost, of course. He'd have to split time with Lind, and it'd give Lind more incentive to play his best, offensively and defensively.
I'd take the picks too, honestly, now that I think about it. Matt Thornton type A, I'd have to assume.. So we're kinda losing those picks right there, if we can sign him to a multi year contract, though.. I think it'd be worth it. ERA and opponent batting average's have been really good the last 3 years, has really good command too. I think the White Sox will definitely pick up his 2011 option though. A lot of aging relievers in the talent pool this free agency.. None are really standing out for me right now. I like a lot of what we have, I've been a fan of Carlson for a while.. I hope he gets back on track and has a good '11 season. Casey Jannsen had a good season. I'm surprised Accardo was down in triple A almost all year.. He can be pretty decent. I think Rzep's curve is better suited as a reliever, I never really saw him in the rotation.. He can give you 6 innings, but give up 2-3 runs as well.. With the other guys we have, that really doesn't do it for me.
jays need new uniforms