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First, we avoid name calling on Da Box.
Secondly, are you suggesting that AA is a nitwit? From Gregor Chisholm's summary this week of a conversation with AA:
Calling someone a short-sighted nitwit isn't name calling, it's the best I can accurately describe foolish ideas. (I could have used Effing Idiot or some such terminology if I was annoyed or angry.) Take two intelligent (intelligence is optional) people and put them together, the noise level increases and the intelligence drops. Put three together and it gets worse, but add four and it gets bad, village idiot bad. Fortunately the boxcast wasn't that bad, but it wasn't immune. So don't get so offended, it's not video.
A.A.'s remarks are sometimes parphrased unintentionally and it's hard to know if and when it happens. The Bullpen really isn't that good with only Happ, Loup and Cecil as LHP and only Happ and Cecil as Long Relief/Spot Start pitchers. Does A.A. know something we don't, an Acquisition maybe? Happ has an option?!?!?! REALLY!?!?!? Like Romero!?!?!? I think he asks for a trade first. I think putting Happ in the Minors is stupid.
You want discussion, put a Bullpen post, it should keep us going for weeks.
AA did speak those words about Happ. I find the workings of AA's mind very fascinating. I spend time guessing at possible meanings. He has spoken words that seem odd to various people. Some examples that I found/find odd:
1) KJ to LF.
2) Happ to the minors.
3) Bonifacio, bench most likely. I think he said that.
4) Others.
For KJ I thought it was to encourage him to reject Arb. But LF turned out to be a position where all the candidates Thames & Snider did badly. So KJ maybe was a LF candidate but then strained something.Speaking of KJ, is he in a better position now or a year ago.
My opinion/guess on Happ & Bonifacio right now is some kind of Arb negotiating ploy. No matter what happens, I do not see how I can argue my opinion with any kind of facts.
When I went through the pen earlier I saw 7 guys I'd rather have than Frasor without much effort. Sergio Santos, Casey Janssen will fight it out for the closer slot. Esmil Rogers, Brad Lincoln, Steve Delabar, Aaron Loup are all in the battle for middle relief with J.A. Happ & Brett Cecil in the long man/mop up role. At least one of those guys is going to AAA. Also to factor in is Dustin McGowan (if by some miracle he is healthy), Tommy Hottovy, Chad Jenkins, Evan Crawford, Sam Dyson and probably a few others.
I guess RA Dickey is going to be so good we'll have to play 2 players behind the plate to catch his knuckleball? :-)
The non-roster invitees for now are Dave Bush, Justin Germano, Alex Hinshaw, Ramon Ortiz, Juan Perez, Rich Thompson, Claudio Vargas, and Neil Wagner. An NRI making the bullpen is probably not something you want to see.
We still don't know what the team is planning with Marcus Stroman, but I think even if he starts that we'll see him in the bullpen sometime in 2013.
If 64% (those who did not vote for Bond) of the voters refuse to vote for 'tainted' players, then the vote gets split. My guess is that some of those 64% were just lodging a "first-ballot" protest vote (which is absurd, as you guys mentioned), so the split might actually be closer to 50/50. Seventy-five percent is unattainable if voters have different criteria. And this will only get worse the more statistically deserving but steroid "tainted" candidates becomes eligible.
Sometimes I think A.A. makes waiver claims just to keep other G.M.s occupied, filling up their roster space. Not all of his DFAs are claimed so some useful piece are getting by. I can't figure out why he's doing this otherwise.
Since seasons end...
- Granted free agency (22): Scott Richmond, Robert Coello, Jim Hoey, Jesse Litsch, Aaron Laffey, Shawn Hill, Bobby Korecky, Kelly Johnson, Carlos Villanueva, Jason Frasor, Brandon Lyon, Brian Bocock, Willie Collazo, Jack Cust, Jerry Gil, Chris Jakubauskas, Bill Murphy, Sean O'Sullivan, Paul Phillips, Nate Robertson, Cory Wade, Bobby Wilson
- Signed free agents (19): Maicer Izturis, Justin Germano, Bobby Korecky, Neil Wagner, Willie Collazo, Melky Cabrera, Alex Hinshaw, Claudio Vargas, Rich Thompson, Juan Perez, Eugenio Velez, Luis Jimenez, Greg Smith, Buddy Carlyle, Ryan Langerhans, Ramon Ortiz, Lance Zawadzki, Dave Bush, Henry Blanco
- Taken off waivers (11): Scott Cousins, Cory Wade, Tyson Brummett, Bobby Wilson, David Herndon, Scott Maine, Eli Whiteside, Mickey Storey, Russ Canzler, Chad Beck, Tommy Hottovy
- Lost to waivers (6): Chad Beck, Scott Cousins, David Herndon, Scott Maine, Eli Whiteside, Russ Canzler
- Purchased (1): Jeremy Jeffress
- Traded away (14 + manager): David Carpenter, John Farrell, Mike Aviles, Yan Gomes, Anthony DeSclafani, Jake Marisnick, Justin Nicolino, Henderson Alvarez, Yunel Escobar, Adeiny Hechavarria, Jeff Mathis, Noah Syndergaard, Travis d'Arnaud, Wuilmer Becerra, John Buck
- Received in trades (10 + cash): Mike Aviles, Esmil Rogers, Emilio Bonifacio, John Buck, Mark Buehrle, Josh Johnson, Jose Reyes, cash, R.A. Dickey, Mike Nickeas, Josh Thole.
And that is all he's done so far this winter. Not much eh? Just losing 42 players + 1 manager while bringing in 41 + cash. Net loss of 1 player, 1 manager while getting some cash (going just by headcount)
Phew. Just crazy how much has gone on. Many guys I don't recognize the names of or had any clue were involved with the Jays. All names are listed in the order of the transaction.
Your last post would make more of a Site Post than a personal site post. Beck and that LHP are the latest to hit waivers again and might take another 7-9 days to clear. It all depends on who has room left.
Tyson Brummett (RHP - not on 40 man anymore), Mickey Storey (RHP - not on 40 man anymore), Chad Beck (RHP), Tommy Hottovy (LHP)
Now Beck and Hottovy are available to others but haven't been claimed yet afaik (BR still has them as Jays). Weird that a few were claimed then lost as free agents. One wonders if AA is doing this to drive people nuts at times. Still, he did gain 2 guys for AAA depth out of it so far at no real cost to the team. I'm sure he'll keep at it right up to opening day too.
Tyson Brummett (28) is a AAAA-ish pitcher. Good for the minors but unknown MLB qualities.
Russ Canzer was a loss.
I don't get it.
The team was probably hoping to work out a minor league contract with the player during that time. There's some value in being the only team that can negotiate with the player, even if it's only for a short period of time.
I doubt that's true. Winners are followed with attention, winners have their strategies copied. That's simply the ways things are. So far Anthopoulos has been the GM for one - count 'em, one - team that was actually able to win more games than they lost. And that team, with their 75-77 record, finished fourth. The immortal words of Winston Wolf come to mind, as they often do - rather than repeat them let's just say no one will be asking Anhopoulos to model for his Cooperstown plaque any time soon.
Still, it would be nice if that was what the other GMs were doing. Beats them paying attention to their own clubs.
Ah yes, non-tendered basically. Prob wanted to try to work out a deal and coudlnt and didn't want to get arbitration involved in the process.
He's now a leader in acquiring extra monies to sign top picks, and he's not quite the only one.
He sets a record in waiver claims (and still counting) and had teams swarming like bees over his DFAs.
Teams watched his offseason dealing and marvel at his boldness.
To this point, he hasn't needed to win anything to be the one everyone watches. After this forthcoming season, it'll only get worse.
Only 1 winning season for AA. That is not great. A negative statement would be that his best winning season was his 1st, 2010 @ 85 wins. For 2010 he made the fewest moves and got the best results. The Jays then got worse in 2011,81 wins & still worse in 2012, with 73 wins. We all have opinions of why this happened.
BUT, his top priority was to develop a strong farm. The experts think he succeeded by ranking the Jay's farm near the top.
He also added young, controllable, talented players to the ML team. Lawrie, Rasmus, Escobar, JPA, Morrow. They have not made us a contender on paper, the 2 trades have made us a contender on paper.
AA's team has to win something for him to be considered a smart GM, IMO.
If the Jay's win the WS in 2013 then he should be considered a smart GM. BUT he increased payroll, so he sort of bought his success. If Baltimore or some other team adds payroll to the same degree (%) then I should consider them smart as well. OK, it should be a trade or you do not give equivalent credit.
How about luck. IMO Bautista getting this good was luck. EE had a history so luck & more so patience. Lind also had a history, patience & luck.
Mike McCoy off waivers (useful part), dumped Roy Halladay for a key piece in the Dickey trade plus got Drabek & Taylor-->Wallace-->Gose, Morrow for League (2 decent years, one All-Star with 37 saves), plus a whole batch of free agent / waiver claims. Fairly quiet, lost some top talent but also gained some - net positive.
http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2013/01/blue-jays-sign-denis-villatoro.html
That would have made a dent in Ontario's deficit, if Castro had shown the public-spiritedness to insist that it be donated :)
With all this Anthoplous discussion, I don't think this has been posted. Peter Mansbridge did a (22 minute) interview with him, put up online yesterday I think.
On the CBC site here. And also, in three parts on YouTube (to let you skip the ads).
There's a trade that hasn't worked out as well for Toronto as it did for the other guys. But it was still a good idea, and Rasmus is still young enough to accomplish something.