Toronto Blue Jays 2011

[mandrill]

It seems Brett Lawrie doesn't know that if you put pics of yourself on facebook it won't get out .

http://www.620wtmj.com/shows/danodonnell/111463394.html

Nothing to be too embarrassed about. Just another dumb post adolescent jock getting drunk with his buds. No one's going to get too upset about this.

 

[Kilgore Trout]

The depth that the Jays have in pitching makes the Marcum deal a pretty good one to me. This Lawrie guy has pretty good upside and is worth the risk. A team like Toronto has to take risks like this.
I remember following the 2008 draft live on the internet and was so dissapointed when Milwaukee picked Lawrie one spot ahead of Toronto who ended up getting the underwhelming David Cooper. I was hoping Jays would get either Brett Wallace or Brett Lawrie. Wallace went 3 or 4 picks ahead of where Toronto was drafting.

The trade means a job is there for Kyle Drabek if he can grab it in spring training. Zach Stewart is also very close to major league ready and could be on the team full time by June, 2011 and if there are injuries there's an outside chance he makes the team right out of spring training.

From the 2010 draft Deck McGuire and Asher Wojciechowski both have realistic chances of making the team by June 2012 and investing so heavily in pitchers in the 2010 draft also made it easier to make this trade because it looks like some pretty good stuff is cooking in the oven.

http://www.mlbbonusbaby.com/2010/6/23/1530538/draft-review-toronto-blue-jays

 

[Dawgger]

Cubs just signed Pena to a dumb contract ... I think 10 + million dollars ..

good, the strike out king went to chicago way over rated

 

[Dawgger]

Another question I have if anyone has a answer is how many more years until Grienke can have free agency and can walk ??

Good question...if you are trading some quality away you better make sure this guy signs an extension first.

 

[party_guy49]

Marcum is eligible for Salary Arbitration this winter as well. AA could've felt it would have been a better bargain to trade him now than get stuck with an unreasonable reward that would hurt his trade market.

Marcum is also eligible for free agency in 2012 a full year before Greinke.

 

[Dawgger]

According to reports from the Boston Globe, the Boston Red Sox have signed highly coveted outfielder, Carl Crawford to a seven-year, $142 million contract. The deal would make him the highest paid outfielder in MLB history.

American league East is heating up in Dec. Yanks have made an offer to Cliff Lee.
So far Jays have traded a starting pitcher for a minor leaguer with attitude.

 

[Dawgger]

You have to let the Yanks and Red Sox do what they do cause the last time the Jays tried to be like them they signed Wells to a 20 million a year contract ... I guess when Yanks are going to pay Lee close to 25 million a year ... Greinke at 12 million is a bargain .

Yeah and I wonder where he will play next year, I thought if he was coming here that deal would be done by now.

 

[Mervyn]

I'm pretty sure Lee is waiting for something a little closer to CC Sabithia's contract.

 

[Kilgore Trout]

They should 4 divisions in the AL.

The Money Division with Yankees, Red Sox only
East Division with Tigers, Jays, Orioles, Rays
Central Division with White Sox, Royals, Indians, Twins
West Division with Angels, Mariners, A's, Texas

No wild card , just 4 division champions every year.

 

[Kilgore Trout]

Jim Callis of Baseball America has some stuff on the Blue Jays in his latest column.
He says Toronto, as of right now has 5 picks in the top 61 for the 2011 Draft, with one more coming if Randy Gregg signs with another team. Right now Jays have spots 21, 35,39,45, and 61.
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Callis also talks about Brett Lawrie coming over in Marcum trade:

Quote:


"Every year, there's usually at least one prospect who gets caught in Top 10 limbo, and this year it's Lawrie. He would have been our No. 1 Brewers prospect, but he got traded to the Blue Jays for Shaun Marcum before our Milwaukee Top 10 came out—and after our Toronto Top 10 was published. So Lawrie won't make a Top 10 in our magazine or on our website, though he will appear in the 2011 Prospect Handbook.

Here's the scouting report that would have appeared with our Brewers Top 10 had Lawrie stayed put:

The Brewers put Lawrie on the fast track in 2010 by assigning him to Double-A Huntsville at age 20, making him the second-youngest regular in the Southern League. Very confident to the point of cockiness, he was anything but intimidated and got better as the season progressed and he adjusted to the higher level of competition. He led the league in runs (90), hits (158), triples (16) and total bases (250). Lawrie has very strong hands and a quick bat, allowing him to wait on pitches and drive the ball to all fields. He's not a prolific home run hitter but piles up extra-base hits by shooting the ball into the gaps. Lawrie needs to balance his aggressiveness with more plate discipline, however. Though he stole 30 bases, he was caught 13 times and his speed is just average. Lawrie has smoothed out some of his rough edges in the field but still must work on making his hands softer, as evidenced by the 25 errors he committed in 131 games at second base in 2010. He has solid arm strength but may not have the first-step quickness to remain at second. He won't have to be a Gold Glove defender because his bat will get him to the big leagues and keep him there. If he has to move to an outfield corner, he'll still provide enough offense to profile as a quality regular.

Lawrie will rank No. 2 on our Blue Jays list, between righthanders Drabek and Deck McGuire. I don't think Lawrie will stay at second base and think his big league home will be right field. He should join Toronto at some point in 2012.

The Blue Jays may be the team best equipped to make a trade for Greinke. The Royals' biggest need is up-the-middle talent, which Toronto has. Though the Jays reportedly won't include Drabek in any deal, they could build an offer around a combination of Lawrie, a catcher (Travis d'Arnaud, who might be the best catching prospect in the minors, or J.P. Arencibia) and a toosly albeit raw center fielder (Anthony Gose or Jake Marisnick). I still don't see why Kansas City has to trade Greinke with two years remaining on his contract, however. "

http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/prospects/ask-ba/2010/2611045.html

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BA's Top 10 Jays prospects:
http://www.baseballamerica.com/toda...ganization-top-10-prospects/2011/2610895.html

 

[Rockslinger]

Lyle Overbay is gone. Damn, I forgot the name of his new team.

EDIT: Lyle's new team is the Pittsburgh Pirates.

 

[shack]

Jim Callis of Baseball America has some stuff on the Blue Jays in his latest column.
He says Toronto, as of right now has 5 picks in the top 61 for the 2011 Draft, with one more coming if Randy Gregg signs with another team.

Not sure how the Jays can get a draft pick from a retired hockey player.

Having said that, Kevin Gregg has signed with the Orioles.

 

[Kilgore Trout]

Not sure how the Jays can get a draft pick from a retired hockey player.

Having said that, Kevin Gregg has signed with the Orioles.

Yea, I keep calling Kevin Gregg , Randy Gregg.
Premature senility.

Player salaries are really going through the roof if Gregg is going to get 12 million over 2 years.
http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2...lose-to-signing-12-million-deal-with-orioles/

 

[Dawgger]

Yea, I keep calling Kevin Gregg , Randy Gregg.
Premature senility.

Player salaries are really going through the roof if Gregg is going to get 12 million over 2 years.
http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2...lose-to-signing-12-million-deal-with-orioles/

Gregg @ $6,000,000. per season that's a lot of money for a lot of anxious moments!

 

[Kilgore Trout]

I get the feeling that the way Encarnacion came back to the Jays was orchestrated by AA a couple of months ago.

My guess is he asked Oakland GM to claim EE on waivers and then just not pick up the option on EE and not offer him arbitration either. That way he wouldn't cost Oakland a cent and Anthopoulos can repay A's for the favour at some later date.

If the Jays themselves had declined the option on Encarnacion and then declined to take EE to arbitration they wouldn't have had a chance to sign him until May 1 next year I think; so, by getting Oakland to go through those technicalities for the Jays, Anthopoulos was able to resign EE at a number he liked and most importantly do it before May 1, 2011.

Anthopoulos thought that Encarnacion could have made 5.5 million in arbitration and by signing him as a free agent he was able to get him for only 2.5 plus a team option for 3.5M on 2012.
If they don't pick up the option they might get a supplementary round 1A pick if he leaves as a free agent after 2011.
AA always seems to be looking for angles to convert short term player assets into compensation round picks like he's done with Buck, Olivo, and Gregg.

Jays plan on using Encarnacion as their full time DH, with Lind moving full time to first base.

http://www.cbc.ca/sports/baseball/story/2010/12/16/sp-mlb-jays-encarnacion.html

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Adam Lind is working out over the winter in Dunedin to develop his first base fielding skills.
http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20101215&content_id=16326312&vkey=news_mlb&c_id=mlb

 

[k57]

The way Encarnacion plays (so wildly inconsistent, especially butchering routine plays @ third) made me wonder if maybe he had some compromising pictures of the Blue Jays brass so they'd keep him around. But I must admit he does have some upside: 21 homers and I believe 55 RBI in 95 games last year: not bad numbers.
The deal for Lawrie might be designed for a future trade: apparently KC covets him and it's possible the Jays might include him in a package for Greinke.
Greinke, Romero, Cecil and Morrow would be a great quartet.

 

[Dawgger]

The way Encarnacion plays (so wildly inconsistent, especially butchering routine plays @ third) made me wonder if maybe he had some compromising pictures of the Blue Jays brass so they'd keep him around. But I must admit he does have some upside: 21 homers and I believe 55 RBI in 95 games last year: not bad numbers.
The deal for Lawrie might be designed for a future trade: apparently KC covets him and it's possible the Jays might include him in a package for Greinke.
Greinke, Romero, Cecil and Morrow would be a great quartet.

I think you may see him at first quite often. His arm won't be the liability it was at 3rd.

 

[Kilgore Trout]

I'd rather platoon Lind at first since the way he hits lefties there's no point in even having him in the lineup that day. Something like a .118 BA and .315 OPS against portsiders.
I think they should use Snider at first when they play left handed pitchers since Snider has some talent when it comes to smacking left handers around. He's a right handed glove too so first is like a natural position for him.

 

[Dawgger]

I'd rather platoon Lind at first since the way he hits lefties there's no point in even having him in the lineup that day. Something like a .118 BA and .315 OPS against portsiders.
I think they should use Snider at first when they play left handed pitchers since Snider has some talent when it comes to smacking left handers around. He's a right handed glove too so first is like a natural position for him.

I think we have to wait until AA finishes assembling this years team. There are a lot of holes to fill. Pitchers, catcher, 3rd, 1st,. How comfortable are they with Escobar at SS? Will Hill be at 2nd or 3rd? Outfield looks set. I think we may see a few trades and/or signings before opening day.

 

[fcuk]

Trade Adam Lind for a legitimate first baseman and try to get Manny Ramirez via trade to DH for his former bench boss. Ramirez would be a perfect fit with rest of the Dominicans and will blossom in Toronto where he wants to be. Add Greinke to the starting line-up and a closer ?????, then you have a chance for a playoff berth.