Make me a sandwich. Bitch

 

All Star John Buck signed a monster deal with the Marlins almost two weeks ago.

The news on Kevin Gregg came in with a full day to spare before the midnight deadline for free agents to accept or decline the offer of salary arbitration.

It was reported that Scott Downs no doubt easily made his decision early on today. He will have zero problem getting a multi year deal for somebody. 

Jason Frasor tipped his hand around dinner time and ultimately choose to stay with us for one more year provided he isn't traded. I got him for a buck in my AL only keeper league and am secretly hoping he is our next closer.

And what about Miguel Olivo? You know the guy who was officially a Blue Jay for an hour and a half? Well it went right down to the wire but he decided against accepting the offer.

Conclusion:

We just scored 4 sandwich picks between the first and second rounds of the really deep 2011 Amateur Draft as long as Downs, Gregg and Olivo sign a Major League contract with another team.

Weekly Round Up: Nov 22 - 28

 

Consider this your required reading for the week.

Consider this your required listening for the week. 

Courtesy of Jim Callis:

Blue Jays righthander Joel Carreno had a 173-30 K-BB ratio in 138 innings at high Class A Dunedin. How good is he?

Jason Miles
Columbus, Ohio

Signed out of the Dominican Republic in 2004, Carreno led the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League with 64 strikeouts in 65 innings in his U.S. debut three years later. Though he consistently threw strikes and racked up whiffs, he didn't spend an entire year in full-season ball until 2010, when he ranked fifth in the minors in strikeouts.

Carreno is a prospect in that he has a fighting chance to get to the big leagues, but he's not going to make our Blue Jays Top 30 in the 2011 Prospect Handbook. He was old for the Florida State League at age 23, and scouts who saw him weren't sure how he'd be able to overmatch more advanced hitters like he did high Class A opponents. Carreno's best pitch is a changeup that grades as plus at times, and he also throws an 88-92 mph fastball and an average curveball.

Pitchers with good command of average stuff often thrive in the lower minors. Carreno's future should become clearer after he pitches in Double-A next year.

Joel was recently added to the 40 man roster in order to avoid being selected in the Rule 5 Draft. A while back we did a post on him. In it his pitching coach Darold Knowles mentioned he views Joel as a reliever in the higher levels. That may have been a reason why Boy Wonder felt comfortable dealing away Danny Farquhar and Trystan Magnuson. Joel will most likely start the year in New Hampshire as a starter but if he is unable to adjust to the level of competition, look for him to get converted to a reliever.

 

Courtesy of Batter`s Box:

BB:  While developing the organization is important, at some stage do you not have to say I will sacrifice the long term for the short term so I can compete this year?  Or do you want to be a strong team every year and if the playoffs happen they happen because enough players have career type years? 

AA:  There's no question that you always weigh the short and the long term. That's what makes trades, free agent signings, etc so challenging. There really isn't a specific template or formula to follow. By the same token, the goal is to build the organization up to the point that we can be competitive year in and year out. 

BB:  Is there anything we haven’t touched on that you would like to say directly to the fans of the Blue Jays?

AA:  I'd say thank you for your passion and thank you for your belief in what we're doing as an organization. It's energizing to know how much people care about this organization and the excitement that exists in this city and country for the Blue Jays. It's a huge responsibility for all of the employees of the organization and one that no one takes lightly. 

Nice job by the team over at Da Box.

Courtesy of John Sickels:

Toronto Blue Jays Top 20 Prospects for 2011

1) Kyle Drabek, RHP, Grade A-: Borderline B+. Looks like he's going to be a workhorse and possibly more.

2) Deck McGuire, RHP, Grade B+: I don't expect that he'll need a lot of minor league time. Number three starter type at worst and could be more.

3) Zach Stewart, RHP, Grade B+: His stock has dropped a little, but I still like him. If he can't cut it as a starter he can close.

4) Asher Wojciechowski, RHP, Grade B: You can make a case for B+, but I want to see some additional pro data. I like him a lot, and this is another guy who should be a solid starter at worst.

5) Carlos Perez, C, Grade B: I like the balance of offensive and defensive skills. Very young, will have to avoid Young Catcher Stagnation Syndrome. Grade is aggressive.

6) Aaron Sanchez, RHP, Grade B: Aggressive grade for a high school arm, but I really like his projectability and his stuff is already strong. Also has high-K, high-ground ball profile in the early data.

7) J.P. Arencibia, C, Grade B: Borderline B-. Power is genuine, but I don't buy a high batting average or OBP in the majors from him.

8) Travis D'Arnaud, C, Grade B-: Strong glove, but I think people are overrating his bat. Young enough to improve that.

9) Anthony Gose, OF, Grade B-: I realize other people will think this is too low. I respect his athleticism and potential, but the risk of failure is high enough for me to be a little wary.

10) Eric Thames, OF, Grade B-: I believe in his power.

11) Noah Syndergaard, RHP, Grade B-: Another high school power arm that I like a lot.

12) Dickie Joe Thon, SS, Grade B-: Speculative grade based on tools and scouting reports. Could be much higher (or lower) next year.

13) Kellen Sweeney, 3B, Grade B-: Good plate discipline and I think he sticks at third. Power??

14) Griffin Murphy, LHP, Grade B-: Solid high school lefty from the 2010 draft.

15) Jake Marisnick, OF, Grade C+: Others will rank him higher due to his excellent tools, but I don't buy into the bat yet.

16) Chad Jenkins, RHP, Grade C+: Looks like a workhorse strike-thrower, will need to step forward in '11 to avoid getting buried by influx of new arms.

17) Adeiny Hechavarria, SS, Grade C+: Like the glove. The bat...well, I'll wait and see on that.

18) Marcus Knecht, OF, Grade C+: Good balance of tools, skills may need some time but I like his power.

19) Henderson Alvarez, RHP, Grade C+: Like Jenkins, a guy who throws strikes but needs a good year to stay in the picture.

20) Drew Hutchison, RHP, Grade C+: Overlooked strike-thrower from 2009 draft.

21) Joel Carreno, RHP, Grade C+: Excellent K/IP and K/BB in the Florida State League, older for the level but just added to 40-man.

22) Alan Farina, RHP, Grade C+: Intriguing relief sleeper to watch.

23) Justin Nicolino, LHP, Grade C+: Yet another arm from the 2010 draft.

Another list about our prospects. Nice to see Drew Hutchison getting some love! 

Courtesy of Ken Rosenthal:

In recent years, free-agent relievers who received Type A rankings sometimes had difficulty finding work. Teams were reluctant to forfeit a high draft pick for signing them.

This offseason could be different.

As of Friday, the highest first-round pick that could be lost was the 20th overall selection. What’s more, for teams that sign more than one Type A free agent, the high number of supplemental choices will reduce the impact of losing a second and third pick.

Here’s how it breaks down:

Thirty-five free agents were offered salary arbitration by their respective clubs, an increase of 12 from a year ago. If most decline, virtually an entire round of compensation picks will be created between the first and second rounds when those players sign with other teams.

We got 2 days till the deadline for players to accept or reject arbitration. You have to figure Scott Downs will be able to get a multi year offer and thus is more likely to reject arbitration. Jason Frasor is a bit of a wildcard. I'll set the line at 50/50 that he accepts arbitration and returns to anchor the bullpen in 2011, possibly as the closer. 

Courtesy of Kenneth Gray:

College Councillor Rick Chiarelli has been talking with Toronto Blue Jays officials about bringing an affiliated professional baseball team to Ottawa.

Chiarelli is optimistic a deal can be worked out.

"If the (Blue Jays) were disinterested, I wouldn't be doing this," Chiarelli said. "I've discussed the possibility of an affiliated team."

At present, the sole tenant at Ottawa Stadium is the Fat Cats of the Intercounty Baseball League that has teams across southern Ontario. The Triple-A Ottawa Lynx operated out of the stadium from its opening in 1993 until the team was moved to Allentown, Pennsylvania, after the 2007 season. In 2008, the independent Can-Am League had a franchise here, but the Rapidz folded after one season.

Ottawa Stadium is owned by the City of Ottawa and that's why Chiarelli is seeking an agreement with the Blue Jays.

"Maybe nothing will come from it, but we have a great facility and people across North America recognize it."

Chiarelli was reluctant to provide details about his negotiations because the Blue Jays are sensitive about offending the ownership of their farm teams and breaking rules of the various leagues involved.

If the City of Ottawa has their eyes set on bringing affiliated baseball back, then they had better look into the parking situation at their "great facility". Absolute and total clusterfuck. 

Courtesy of Dirk Hayhurst:

There are some cases where copy-catting works, but most of the time, it fails. The players who’ve made it to the Bigs have all mutated and adapted their mechanics to accommodate for their own specific bodily feedback. Every pitcher’s delivery at the top of the game is a combination of sensory feedback, over coming a limitation, and maneuvering to produce a desired result based on those first two informants. And, these mechanics are constantly evolving to accommodate age, pain, and new information. In many cases, what one pitcher does is something only meant for that one pitcher to do. There are certain things we can glean from them, but complete imitation was never intended. That’s not to say you can’t learn a lot from one pitcher or another, or that some pitchers aren’t more similar to you than others, but none of them are you- nor you them.

Dirk talks about his philosophy on pitching mechanics. Take a look. Interesting stuff.

Courtesy of North of the Border:

• Anthopoulos has not received any indication about whether relievers Scott Downs, Jason Frasor, Kevin Gregg or catcher Miguel Olivo will accept arbitration. All four players have until Nov. 30 to decide whether to accept the offer and likely will take as much time as they can before making a final decision.
• The Blue Jays GM said that if he had to make a prediction he thinks all four will decline the offer. He cited the current market for middle relievers and the fact that teams being forced to part with draft picks to sign players likely isn't as big of a deal as previous offseasons. There is a possibility for 35 compensation picks between the first and second round of the Draft this year, which means a second round pick really has third round value. That limits the risk for teams who may already be signing a higher-ranked Type-A free agent to also be interested in another arm like Downs or Frasor.
• That being said, Anthopoulos stated he would love to have all four players with the Blue Jays next season.

I`m gonna go out on a limb here and say that he would really love to have the 6 picks more.....

Courtesy of Jeremy Sandler:

Can Adam Lind play [first base] at the major league level?
I thought his hands were good. If you don’t have good hands at first, you’re in big trouble. I think where he may lack is in range and footwork, and I think those things can get better. But until you run him out there every day for six months, you don’t know that.
Does [Lind] want be a position player?
He said, “As long as I’m in the lineup, I’m happy, I’m fine with it.”

I wrote this basically out of frustration with about 10 games to go in the season. I have said it many times before and I will say it again: Thank fuck Cito is gone.

Courtesy of Shi Davidi:

While that came off as a nod to Arencibia, he also seemed to somewhat open the door to Lind, who logged 76 innings at first base after not playing there since college. Anthopoulos praised Lind’s hands while adding that his footwork needed to improve, and conceded that he’s more willing to take a chance on a permanent move.
“If you would have done something like that last off-season, it would have been a total guess. Even though it’s a small sample size, you’ve (now) seen something to grab hold of,” said Anthopoulos. “I don’t think anyone can definitively say Adam Lind can play first base over the course of a full season, there’s an unknown there.
“And maybe there is a component where you say we’re going to take that chance, we’re going to roll him out there and see what we have. We haven’t made that determination, but I wouldn’t rule it out.”

I'm starting to wonder if Lind goes down to the islands and plays a little winterball?

Courtesy of Pete Kerzel:

Anthopoulos, part of the new breed of young, sabermetrics-savvy front office bosses, is aggressive and unpredictable. He’s willing to take chances, part of a think-outside-the-box philosophy that’s so far served him well. There are times you wonder if he’s not some stockbroker managing his own Rotisserie roster.

He has a willingness to turn the Blue Jays into a contender, an attitude that doesn’t accept anything short of success, and a workaholic streak endearing him to players, fans and media alike. He’s willing to talk to anyone, anywhere. Last week, during the general managers’ meeting in Orlando, he reportedly broke off trade discussions to keep a radio talk show commitment, then told listeners he would get back to negotiations as soon as he’d finished talking baseball.

Uh oh, people are starting to notice what we got going on up here. 

What I'm Thinking In 140 Characters Or MORE

Twitter is just silly sometimes. I think its time for me to take a break.

I had the nerve to say your Toronto Blue Jays need a big money closer. That's right, I fucking said it.

We blew 16 save opportunities in 2010 and we finished 10 games out of the wildcard.

Now, obviously it's not that simple. In fact - statistically speaking - it doesn't even really look like it needs addressing.

I should mention that I had just finally got around to watching the series in Minny that I had taped on PVR. And what I saw was Kevin Gregg blow yet another lead. Perhaps a bit of a knee jerk reaction.....

Let's take a look at what Boy Wonder thinks:

--Asked what areas needed improvement, Anthopoulos pointed to the poor bullpen ERA and the club's subpar on-base percentage. He believes both areas need to be improved.

That's a "poor bullpen ERA" WITH free agents Scott Downs and his 2.64 as well as Jason Frasor and his 3.68, they are both as good as gone.

Needless to say, the brain trust has got a bit of work to do down in the pen.

So, back to the Twitter. Some unnamed people think that it's a good idea to roll with what we got. You know: Gregg, Purcey, Camp, Janssen and any 3 of the following names: Carlson, Accardo, Buchholz, Roenicke, Rzep, Hill, Litsch, Ray, Richmond, maybe McGowan.

My original point was if that was the case, then we need a "steady closer". A guy that inspires confidence. A hammer. Someone who can come in and clean up a mess or win a tight game. Generally, these guys are "big money" guys.

Knowing full well that even the Rivera's and the Soria's of the world eventually blow some games, it's not quite as simple that if we:

A: sign or trade for a top notch stopper

B: we win more games

A + B does not = playoffs.

People were quick to point out a big money guy is a waste. Relievers are hot and cold. No point in signing a guy like that if you can`t get him the save opportunities. A closer should be the last piece of the puzzle.

All of which is very true.

However:

Shaun Marcum had 20 quality starts
Ricky Romero had 20 quality starts
Brett Cecil had 18 quality starts
Brandon Morrow had 15 quality starts

It is not completely unrealistic to expect about 80 quality starts out of our top 4 guys next year. Throw in a number 5 guy that doesn`t suck and you got 90 - 95 quality starts. That`s 90 - 95 games that you are most likely winning and you PLAN on turning over to a bullpen that just lost some uber important high leverage guys, that some people think can merely be replaced from within the organization.

Go out and get a great closer and the game becomes 8 innings. Everyone on the team knows it. The other team knows it too.

So all you really have to do is squeeze another inning out of our starter then mix and match the 8th.

We win!

Conclusion:

I think a top shelf guy to anchor the pen is the way to go especially if you wanna roll with what we got. And yeah I do remember the name BJ Ryan. I also remember some dude named Randy Myers.

I can completely understand why I got shit on for saying what I said considering BJ`s contract just came off the books. But what I also said was giving out 5 year deals is insane. To ANY arm. That includes Ricky.....

All great teams have a rock in the back end of the pen. We need one.

Sign Rafael Soriano for 3 years at $30 mil. It will cost you a 1st round pick, which totally bites and won`t happen.

OR

Trade for a stud and pay the price, which won`t happen either.

Is it the number 1 priority for the offseason? No, of course not.

Is it even on the list? If it is, it's pretty far down said list.

But in my humble opinion it is the quickest, simplest way to improving this team and closing the gap on the big boys.

It won't happen, which is fine.

And we will continue to blow leads - perhaps at a much higher rate - which is not fine.

I guess I'll just try to keep my opinions to myself because clearly, I'm a fucking hack that knows dick all about the game.

Weekly Round Up: Aug. 9 - Aug. 15

Consider this your required reading for the week.  A look at "The Plan"

Consider this your required listening for the week.  Skip ahead to 17:23 for the Jays stuff.

Courtesy of MLBTR:

Alex Anthopoulos took over as general manager of the Blue Jays on October 3rd, 2009.  Though he might make a few moves in August, most of his first year is in the books.  Let's review his major moves.

A very close second on the required reading list.  A great recap of Boy Wonder's work since taking over the GM job.

Courtesy of The Canadian Press:

"In my mind, it's pretty final for me, I'm going to leave," said Gaston. "I've said it a few times, I think it's best for the ball club to get someone in here who's going to be here for a few years.
"If I was a little bit younger and going to be around for two or three more years, which I think that would be OK, then I'd probably be kicking and screaming trying to stay here. That's not the case for me. If I do come back, it would only be for one year, so what's that going to do for anybody? …
"I'm ready to go. No problem."

The Cito is leaving for sure.  Thank God.

Courtesy of The Globe and Mail:

According to the Elias Sports Bureau, the keeper of the stats for Major League Baseball, Toronto’s task this season is formidable.
Elias reports that since 1969, teams to make the postseason after being at least 8 1/2 games out of a playoff spot some time in August number four: the 1969 New York Mets (10 games out); the 1973 Mets (11 1/2); the 1978 New York Yankees (nine); and the 1992 Atlanta Braves (9 1/2).
But imagine if you will – and this is where those glasses will come in handy – that the Rays continue their recent downhill slide and are effectively taken out of the wild-card playoff race equation.
Granted, that’s a pretty big if.

A rude intro to life in the AL East for all the bandwagon jumpers.  Love to have you guys on board but you need to understand that we probably won't make the playoffs this year. 

Courtesy of MLBTR:

Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos told Stark that he’s looking for high-impact players, because the club is geared towards reaching 95 wins.

I wrote this at the end of May.  That right there is what is known as being ahead of the curve.  

Courtesy of Baseball Insiders:

I had the chance to talk to Las Vegas 51s pitcher, Jeremy Accardo, yesterday discussing his career at Illinois State University, making it to the big leagues, and trying his best to stay there.  He's spent most of this season with the Toronto Blue Jays Triple-A Affiliate compiling 22 saves.  Jeremy isn't afraid to hold back his opinions on the Blue Jays handling of him over the past year, making this an interview that you don't want to miss.

I made a new internet friend this week!  Kevin from Baseball Insiders sent me this interview and asked if I could post it for him.  Jeremy Accardo = Man On Fire 

Courtesy of The Star:

This may be alarmist, but with Rogers Sportsnet One set to launch Saturday the new channel that will carry 25 Blue Jays games this season — including four in the upcoming week — is available only to Rogers subscribers. It’s possible that may change by the end of Friday or within the next week, but there’s no assurance of that.
“At this point, we know that it will be on Rogers,” said Rogers Communications spokesperson Jan Innes. “We are still in discussions with other carriers.”
It’s also possible that Sportsnet could get itself into the same battle with the likes of Bell TV and Cogeco that TSN2 did with Rogers two years ago. It was a fight that resulted in thousands of disgruntled Raptors fans not being able to watch their favourite team.

The cheap bastards at Rogers decided to alienated their baseball viewing audience even further by taking 25 Blue Jays games and putting them on this new station that is only available to their subscribers.  Make sure to check out the comments on the article.  I will attempt to sum up the reaction of your fellow fans in one word: RAGE      

Courtesy of  Fan Graphs:

This drop in BABIP isn’t completely unexplainable. Hill’s LD% is all the way down to 10.2% from 18.8%, and those missing line drives have all turned into fly balls. Some around the Jays have noted that Hill has had more loft to his swing, which would explain this change. Given that LDs are the most likely to fall in for hits (.722 BABIP) and FBs are the least likely (.140 BABIP), that explains a lot. That’s roughly 27 line drives turned into fly balls, or 15 fewer hits. In 296 balls in play, those 15 hits account for 50 points of BABIP. Still, that would leave Hill’s BABIP at .249, in the bottom ten of the league.

A detailed look at Aaron Hill's struggles this season.  There is some good news at the end of the article.....

Courtesy of Post City:

MUSHROOM MISHAP

Bishop and the Belcher, 175 Bloor St. E.
Beef and chicken — don’t they clash? “Meats don’t clash,” states Snider. Still, double protein and A-plus cheesiness can’t make up for the presence of mushrooms (not a fan). Price: $10.95

Ian found this little piece of gold early on in the week and turned it into a brilliant t-shirt idea.

Courtesy of Sports And The City:

The Toronto Blue Jays believe in Ricky Romero. So much so that they rewarded him with the largest contract in history -- five years, $30.1 million -- for a pitcher with less than two years of Major League service time to his name. And you know what? I'm totally fine with that. Actually: I'm more than fine with it; I love the decision. Because like the braintrust, I too believe in Ricky Romero.

Here's the breakdown of the deal, courtesy of the always reliable MLB Trade Rumours:

2010: $1.25 million bonus

2011: $750,000

2012: $5 million

2013 - 2015: $7.5 million

2016: $13 million club option ($600,000 buyout) 

Navin breaks down the Ricky Romero extension in detail.  I have my reservations about signing young pitchers to long term deals. 

Courtesy of MLBTR:

But again, the problem is free agent compensation. Will a team be willing to sacrifice a high draft pick for a middle reliever? Downs does have some closing experience, mostly coming last season, so perhaps there's a club out there that values him in that capacity and is willing to pay the price. If not, it's not impossible that he could be stuck looking for a job come February since everyone wants to keep their first round pick in this age where young players have become more important than ever* 
* It's worth noting that next year's draft class is considered to be one of the deepest and best ever, which could lead to teams being even more reluctant to surrender draft picks as part of the free agent signing process.

A look at free agent to be Scott Downs unique situation and why he may end up being our closer in 2011.

Team Balco Officially Fucked

Can't say I disagree with this move at all but my AL only fantasy team just took a major hit.  Jason Frasor was my only closer. 

Analysis:

Frasor has fell in love with the change up, lost a significant amount of velocity off his fastball and looks absolutely scared shitless out there.  Watching him nibble at the corners has been very depressing.  We would be 8 - 0 if not for his two blown saves.

Any and all trade value he had to your Toronto Blue Jays just left the building.  Hope he can get it going in some low stress situations but.....

Kevin Gregg is now the guy.  I trust the Marlins and the Cubs were both wrong about him.

Game 1 - All Swedish, No Finnish

Hey kids, its the Rain Delay, and after a couple of hours of "me time" away from any baseball news at all, I bring you the 1BlueJaysWay recap of game one. I watched this game, in my living room and was thinking about how this team may just surprise everyone and make the Playoffs!!! But we just couldn't close the deal. It's gonna be a quick one, because I missed the first episode of 24, i had no idea it was a 2 episode night, and I'm catching the time shifted episode. The Good: Shawn Marcum. How good was North of Steeles today?? He carried a no hitter into the seventh inning and pitched his 88mph fastball wheeling ass off today. He walked 1 (one) struck out 6 and allowed 3 runs on 2 hits, he kept the Rangers off balance all day long. The change was working and was getting ahead of guys in the count which is clutch for a control guy. Adam Lind. The DH, had 3 hits, two that were rockets including the big fly in the 3rd inning, and a big two out single in the first to keep the inning alive, and he was also intentionally walked in the 8th. Vernon Wells. Yes, that Vernon Wells, I can't believe I'm typing this either!!?! But, V-Dub was solid in this one picking up 3 hits in 4 at-bats and knocking in 3 runs, including a big 2 run bomb in the first inning to get 2010 off right. The Bad: Travis Snider. I own an alternate Blue Jays Snider #45 jersey, I pulled it over my head as if I was gonna jersey myself when he looked absolutely over-matched in every at bat. I pray to God/Jesus/Allah/Jewish God/Superman/Tom Cruise that he finds what ever it is he needs to be productive. Strike outs I get, big swingers do that. But he just looked bad. Jason Fraser. Not because he blew the save, because when all is said and done, that Texas Lineup will get a lot of pitchers into a lot of situations. It was just that he left a couple of pitches up in the strike zone to proven hitters like Young and Cruz, and intentionally walked the walking strikeout Chris Davis. Cito Fucking Gaston. Now, I dislike Cito, I don't have the downright hate that is displayed by Golden Arm, but I do believe this fossil has done his job and should fade away like a fart in the wind. Now every one will get on me about this, because I know its the "stats" thing to do, but how to you walk Chris Davis intentionally in the 9th??? This dude strikes out at an eye-popping clip. He swung and missed 150 times last year. In a spot where you need a strike out, and you have you're closer in, why not pitch to this K machine??? Instead you walk Davis, and pitch to Salthamatchcksoeiueia or whatever the fuck his name is, load the bases bringing the infield in, and a hard ground ball ends the game. If you pitch to Davis and he strikes out, you have two down and the infield is at standard depth. I know its the "stats" thing to do, but don't good managers sometimes play with their gut? I don't get it. Let the speculation begin. The closer situation is now, maybe, foggy. As today Jason Frasor did his best Kevin Gregg impression. When the smoke clears and all is said and done I must say is this was an entertaining ball game. It was actually fun to watch, until the 9th. This team looks like that scrappy boxer who's reach is about 2 feet shorter than his opponent yet still goes up looking for the knock out punch. Remember, the Yanks lost to the fucking Red Sucks in the late innings as well. Now imagine what we can do if we had a manager who could manage these guys?

Boy Wonder Adds Reliever To Already Crowded Bullpen

Apparently he will not be missed in Chicago
Check out this site

It has been reported that  your Toronto Blue Jays added another arm to the bullpen.  RHP Kevin Gregg, 31, was drafted in the 15th round, 435 overall by Oakland in 1996.  He has 6.002 years of service time.  Last year he was 5 - 6 with a 4.72 ERA for the Cubs in the super weak NL central where five games over .500 is good for second place.  He lost the closers job on August 17th to Carlos Marmol after blowing his 6th save of the season.  According to Jon Heyman, Gregg will be guaranteed $2.75 million this season but he could make as much as $8 million over two years or $12 million over three.  He would fill the final spot on the 40 man roster.  From what I can see he throws a low to mid 90's fastball with sink.  His slider clocks in at about 87 MPH and it looks like he throws a slower curveball as well. 

This move is a bit of a head scratcher for me.  It would appear we have a few guys who can do the closer job for us already.     

Player	Seasons	ERA	WHIP	H/9	BB/9	SO/9	SO	SvOpp	SV	SV%
Frasor	6	3.78	1.29	7.7	3.9	8.2	324	42	32	76%
Downs	8	3.92	1.40	9.2	3.4	7.0	398	30	16	53%
Gregg	7	4.10	1.32	8.2	3.6	8.3	437	107	85	79%

It would also appear we have a bona fide logjam of arms in the bullpen.

Gregg did qualify as a Type A free agent this year but the Cubs declined to offer him arbitration.  It is very likely he will retain that status though this season and into next year's off season.  This means that if he were a free agent, we offered arbitration and he declined we would get a first round and a sandwich pick as compensation for him signing with another team for 2011.  

I am going to go ahead and post this without all the details because the only way this moves makes any sense is if there is a corresponding move coming very shortly.

Is Boy Wonder at it again?

State of Franchise Notes

First off thanks to Jordan Bastian and other season ticket holders for tweeting through out the event.

I've collected some tweets and I'll post my comments on them.

Cito, on new front office: "I see the same work habits as the people who were here when we won."
- Umm, great...thanks for the quote Cito...the front office feels the same as in the 90's. This has got to mean we'll win the division. This makes me feel muuuuch better about the 2010 Jays!

AA: If Jays hadn't made commitment to John Buck, they would've looked more seriously at bringing back Rod Barajas, who is still a FA.
- I bet that makes John feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

Damon News: The 2nd biggest story of the nite:

Anthopoulos: "I dont want to get your hopes up." But Jays have talked internally about Damon, esp with need at leadoff.
Jays have talked to Johnny Damon's agent. Will there be a second call to Boras on Damon? Anthopoulos: "It's very hard to say right now."
AA on saying Jays have talked about Damon: "I saw Jordan using his phone. I knew he was tweeting it. Let's see how many calls I missed." AA got phone out, had seven messages. "Hey, not my fault."
AA, on telling fans about Damon talks: "You guys will go on mlbtraderumors.com tonight and it'll be everywhere. I'll get hammered on it."
AA: "We've got Lyle Overbay at 1B and our priority would be to have Adam Lind as more of a DH. That's why a guy like Damon has come up."
That quote from AA was in relation to the Jays discussing Delgado. He'd have to be a DH -- the spot AA would prefer Lind to remain in.
- This tells me that the Boy Wonder checks 1 Blue Jays Way.  Boy Wonder make this happen! I'm all over this, I'd love to see this happen as I've posted in the past.

Anthopoulos: Marcum has no restrictions; McGowan moves to mound tomorrow. Trainers say McGowan "looks outstanding."
- This makes me excited. But now I read this again, how can he look "outstanding" if he isn't even throwing from the mound yet? Either way, like to see Chops back in the rotation.

Cito: "Closer is kind of up in the air. We have two or three guys down there that can do it."
- Annnnnd one or two guys might not be here by the start of the season.

Buck: "You werent supposed to notice that," when fan asked about new turf being installed in stadium.
- That's cool, we had Astroturf for 15 years and after 5 years of Fieldturf we're upgrading again. We looking to find something to slow the ball down a bit to help our defenders?


Cito was pretty much lobbying for a Delgado return to Toronto all night. AA has said in the past Delgado wasn't a fit. Kept neutral tonight.
Cito, on Delgado: "If there's some way to bring Carlos back here, I'd love to see him back here."
- Can't say I'm shocked by this one, Cito trying to get an old school Cito player. Plus it says, hey, I want Carlos and if you're upset we didn't get him, it's not MY fault.

But the truly biggest news to come out of the night is...

Fan asks Beeston why he's wearing socks - straying from his reputation. Lots of laughs.
- Beeston was wearing socks? Well what the hell does this mean for the season?

I kid of course about the Beeston thing, glad to see the event seemed light hearted and fun.

But you're a strange animal, I got to follow

So what the fuck are we going to do with Dustin Michael McGowan?

He was drafted by us in the first round, 33rd overall, in the 2000 Amateur Draft.  He will be 28 when the 2010 season starts.  For his career, he is 20 - 22 with a 4.71 ERA.  In 2007, his last full season of play he made 27 starts and held batters to a .230 batting average good for 4th best in AL.  He possess 4 above average pitches: a mid 90's fastball with good sink, a change up, a curveball and a slider.  He has 3.113 years of Major League Service Time and will not become eligible for free agency until 2013.

He was unable to throw a pitch for us in 2009 and has battled various injuries over the course of his career.

July 9, 2009: Surgery to repair damaged cartilage in his left knee
July 31, 2008: Surgery to repair fraying of the labrum in his shoulder - Debridement surgery
May 13, 2004: Surgery to replace the ulnar collateral ligament - Tommy John surgery

He also has Type 1 diabetes.  Type 1 diabetes is the worst form of the illness, which has no known cure. McGowan receives a daily shot of insulin to regulate his blood sugar levels, and he will do so for the rest of his life unless it happens to get worse. If the disease progressed, McGowan could be forced to wear an insulin pump 24 hours per day.

Earlier this month some positive news came out.  It was reported that he was feeling good and was ready to resume pitching off a mound.  He indicated that he was looking forward to spring training and has hopes of being in the starting rotation.

“I feel good. My shoulder feels great. I’m throwing again and looking forward to getting back on the mound,” McGowan said.  On a scale of one to 100 percent, McGowan rated his fitness high. “Oh, I would say I’m somewhere around 85 percent.”

Great news! 

There is only one major problem that I can see, he is out of options.  So he had better be ready to go this spring.  He will be throwing off a mound tomorrow and needs to pass this major test if there is any chance of him making the opening day roster.  I doubt the brain trust would risk exposing him on waivers because someone would surely claim him.  He has to much potential not to take a chance on him.  So what do we do with him?  Does this mean he breaks camp with the team?  If so, where does he fit in? 

His arm stamina must be at an all time low.  He will need some time to build it up, especially if he is a starter.  I'm not sure if he will have time this spring to get it where it needs to be.  Perhaps he will is better suited for the bullpen to begin the 2010 season, which would only further complicate things there.

Now try to avoid the knee jerk reaction that I guarantee you are about to have.....at some point this season, Dustin McGowan should be our next closer.  I know, it sounds crazy.  But hear me out on this.  The more I think about it the more it works.  He would be able to reduce his inning totals significantly out of the pen.  He could drop one maybe even two of his pitches out of the arsenal, preferably his least effective and/or the one that causes him the most pain in his wing, and still have the stuff to do it.  We are going to need a long term solution in the back end of the pen and I don't see either Frasor or Downs as it.  I wonder if either of them are even going to be on the roster after the July 31st trade deadline due to their looming free agent eligibility.  Why not ease him back in by putting him on mop up duty for a couple of months and then give him a shot?

That being said I would love to see his power arm in the starting rotation along with Brandon Morrow.  You could split them up with a little Shawn Marcum action and follow with a funky lefty like Romero.  That type of mix from power to finesse back to power at the top of your rotation would certainly throw off the opposing hitters timing for a three game series.  Mix in a few southpaws and you might have a little something right there.

I guess it really boils down to how many innings can he pitch without hurting himself and if he has the balls needed to close.  We won't know the answer to those questions for a while.

In the mean time with respect to the waivers situation, fear not, there is a way around having to risk losing him that way.  Many teams attempt to do it with their players that are out of options.  I think it is very interesting to see all the guys who are in that situation suddenly get injured the week before the 25 man roster needs to be set.  The players don't really mind because they still collect their service time as if they were playing.      

So, McGowan starts 2010 on the 15 day disabled list similar to last season.  Then he would stay behind in Dunedin for an extended spring training followed by a trip to the minors on a "rehab assignment".  This might buy the brain trust the few weeks they need before having to make a decision.  In that time, hopefully, all the other major league teams finalize their rosters and our chances of sneaking him through waivers improve if we go that route.  As a nice side bonus, this may be the extra time he needs to build up his arm strength if we intend on keeping him on the major league roster.

Damn this spring is going to be interesting on the mound!  Pitchers and catchers report on February 18th.