MLB Free Agent Season

Toronto Passions

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6-0, 170lb's with a 4.87 ERA in AA last year...Yeah I don't know about this one.

Teoscar was a main cog in a world series winner...That's hard to beat.
I didn’t even look up his stats. Yeah Hernandez winning the World Series with the Dodgers when he could’ve been extended by the Blue Jays, is that automatic winner in the shittiest trade in team history imho. However, obtaining him in the first place was actually a great move for Ross Atkins. When he was a free agent last off-season, he was undervalued and non-targeted. What stings even more is he said openly he would welcome a return to Toronto. It’s tough enough to swing free agents this way north of the border and here we had Hernandez openly saying he wants to come back. That goes ignored, and then he wins the World Series with the Dodgers and offers protection in that lineup. It really hurts, but since I love the Dodgers… I’m OK with it. I actually love Sandy Koufax that started my love of Dodger blue when I was a teenager. Now I have family that works high up in the Dodger head office, I’ve gone to so many Dodger games and I just love them. I’m cool & LA rocks. 😎 Now I like Teoscar being there.


Philip
 
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onomatopoeia

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... Ross Atkins went off and dealt Hernandez during the apparent “window to win“ and Hernandez then goes off to win a World Series in Los Angeles…. extending Hernandez and keeping him in that lineup was the right move….

Philip
Philip. you're assuming that it was up to the Blue Jays to decide if Hernandez stayed. They only had dibs on him for one year. This team doesn't have a long term strategy, they're just trying to delay the rebuild for as long as possible.

You were also bullish on acquiring Cody Bellinger long term. Look what the Cubs got for him, when he chose not to opt out.

Spend, spend spend works for the Dodgers because the individuals who own the Dodgers care more about winning that the financial bottom line. Ed Rogers doesn't own the Blue Jays. Most of Rogers Telecommunications is owned by investment groups who care more about stock dividends than championship trophies, and we've seen that top free agents want to play somewhere else.

The Jays get their man only when they overpay, when they are the last remaining suitor, or if there's a health gamble involved. If Toronto wants to field a winning team, rather than one competitive for the mid field, they'll have to do that by building from within, and concentrating on younger, inexpensive controllable talent.
 
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Toronto Passions

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You were also bullish on acquiring Cody Bellinger long term. Look what the Cubs got for him, when he chose not to opt out.
My idea of acquiring Bellinger for 2023 would’ve been a good one…. But yeah, last year he was a stinker.. I’ll go on record saying right now however, Cody is going to have a monster year in New York in 2025. With that short porch in right he’s probably going hit 40. I’m excited to see what he can do hitting between Judge and Stanton. Most of the Yankee podcasts love this move.

Philip
 
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onomatopoeia

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My idea of acquiring Bellinger for 2023 would’ve been a good one…. But yeah, last year he was a stinker.. I’ll go on record saying right now however, Cody is going to have a monster year in New York in 2025. With that short porch in right he’s probably going hit 40. I’m excited to see what he can do hitting between Judge and Stanton. Most of the Yankee podcasts love this move.

Philip
Philip, my assessment of talent is based mainly on the difference between production and cost. Teoscar Hernandez was a good value player for the Jays:

teo-8.png

but would he have been a good fit for the Jays at 250%+ of his 2022 salary for several years?

I don't think trying to contend for a Wild Card playoff spot is a commitment to winning. I don't think a Wild Card contender should be signing free agents attached to qualifying offer compensation. If I want to get rich, I invest in stocks and bonds instead of a handful of scratch lottery tickets. I want to pay players based on what they'll do for me, rather than for what they did for someone else. I don't think the Jays can contend with Vlad Guerrero locked in for life, surrounded by seventeen guys named Raoul.

There's no way that the Jays will contend again during my lifetime, and possibly yours as well, if a good chunk of their budget is going to pay the salaries of players on other teams. Imagine a thirty-two year old Vlady, with six guaranteed years left at $45 Million per year, putting up Lyle Overbay numbers after eleven seasons playing on artificial turf most of the time have reduced his knee cartilage to cole slaw.

Re: Bellinger: I think he'll do well in Yankee Stadium, but look at his 'market value' as a trade piece: Cody Poteet, and the Cubs are on the hook for a big chunk of Bellinger's salary while he's playing for someone else.

bellinger1.png
 
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Toronto Passions

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There's no way that the Jays will contend again during my lifetime, and possibly yours as well, if a good chunk of their budget is going to pay the salaries of players on other teams. Imagine a thirty-two year old Vlady, with six guaranteed years left at $45 Million per year, putting up Lyle Overbay numbers after eleven seasons playing on artificial turf most of the time have reduced his knee cartilage to cole slaw.
That’s depressing to think that they will not contend again in our lifetime. You do make good points though especially about artificial turf.

Philip
 

onomatopoeia

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Scherzer agrees to one year at $15.5 M deal with Jays

He's been hurt past 2 seasons, hopefully he's healthy and not washed up.

If Max is healthy, and performs well, I think this is a great move. They'd be able to get some blue chip prospects for him at the trade deadline.
 

Toronto Passions

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Yeah, he’s passed his twilight, but if he has anything left, he would make a great fifth starter. The problem is the fact that they have what six right handed starters in their rotation? We need at least one lefty starter to mix it up. Didn’t they make some signings with some international free agents and also a couple of minor-league deals with major league experienced players?

Maybe there is something there? Are they expecting someone to maybe have a good spring training? For the bullpen I’d really like to see them resign Yarborough.

Philip
 
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shack

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Yeah, he’s passed his twilight, but if he has anything left,

Philip
That's what I was thinking earlier. How much gas does he have left in the tank?

As I recall, analysts were saying that Scherzer would want the Jays to be competitive for him to sign and having Alonso on board would go a long way toward that. Just speculating here.

Looks like we'll have another Blue Jays cap in the HoF.
 

shack

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Yeah, he’s passed his twilight, but if he has anything left, he would make a great fifth starter. The problem is the fact that they have what six right handed starters in their rotation? We need at least one lefty starter to mix it up. Didn’t they make some signings with some international free agents and also a couple of minor-league deals with major league experienced players?

Maybe there is something there? Are they expecting someone to maybe have a good spring training? For the bullpen I’d really like to see them resign Yarborough.

Philip
I think Yariel is going to the 'pen.

So we have Berrios, Gausman, Bassitt, Scherzer and Francis? How much depth do we have?
 

Toronto Passions

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I think Yariel is going to the 'pen.

So we have Berrios, Gausman, Bassitt, Scherzer and Francis? How much depth do we have?
Chris Bassett is cool with all his pictures and blah blah blah and he calls his own game and blah blah blah….. but he’s pretty useless at the end of the day. Trade bait?

Philip
 
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