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John Thomson (and his good buddy at the Sun, John Thompson) wasn't the only one to sign recently.

Mulder re-signs with the Cards and the SS Loogy signs with the Mets. Apparently Schoeneweis isn't worried about Paul LoDuca.



Why do I bring this up? The draft picture gets a little clearer now:
#16 (from the Rangers - locked in now)
#21 (own 1st round pick)
#42 (for Speier - locked in now)
#55 (for Cat - pick will be no worse than #56)
#61 (for Lilly - pick will be no worse than #62)
#85 (own 2nd round pick - pick will be no worse than #89)
#88 (from the Angels - pick will be no worse than #92)
Ron Villone, David Wells, Chan Ho Park and Max Scherzer are the only players that can change things now. Wells is likely to sign with the Padres or retire and Scherzer is expected to sign before the draft. That should leave the Jays no worse than #90 with the Angels picks. That gives the Jays 7 of the top 90 picks in the 07 draft.
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Jim - Wednesday, January 10 2007 @ 09:08 PM EST (#161787) #
Now all that is left is going out and having a draft like the Red Sox had in 2006. 
John Northey - Wednesday, January 10 2007 @ 09:20 PM EST (#161788) #

SS getting 10.8 over 3 years from the Mets?  Wow.  His highest pay ever on a per year average (hasn't made over 3 mil yet in one season).  He gets this at age 33/34/35 and has had only 2 seasons with an ERA+ above average.  4.33 is the lowest his ERA has ever been for a season.  14 1/3 innings where he got amazingly lucky (8 walks 11 K's and an ERA of 0.63) and the Mets go nuts.

Weird days indeed.  No wonder JP couldn't trade for pitching.  Makes the Thomson signing all the more amazing.

ayjackson - Thursday, January 11 2007 @ 12:09 AM EST (#161796) #

If SS is worth that much, there must be a trade market for Brian Tallet.  I'd be comfortable with three lefties in the pen (Ryan, Downs and Romero).  I mean, the only person who had a more stunned look on his face than me whenever Brian Tallet threw a strike was Brian Tallet.

I'd trade him for a developing minor league bat.  I like'd what I saw from Davis Romero last year, but don't care for four lefties in the pen.

ayjackson - Thursday, January 11 2007 @ 12:11 AM EST (#161797) #

I heard somewhere that Ricciardi has had 14 top 100 selections in his tenure as GM.  Next year alone he has another seven.

danjulien - Thursday, January 11 2007 @ 07:59 AM EST (#161801) #
Pistol - Thursday, January 11 2007 @ 09:13 AM EST (#161802) #
I heard somewhere that Ricciardi has had 14 top 100 selections in his tenure as GM.  Next year alone he has another seven.

The link to the list is here.

ayjackson - Thursday, January 11 2007 @ 09:46 AM EST (#161805) #

The link to the list is here

That's not a bad job of drafting.  For a couple on that list, this is going to be a huge year.  In particular, for Purcey, Adams and Romero.

Purcey will probably have to play his way back to AAA by July as a starter, or get moved to the pen.  I think he should be able to make it as a reliever though.  There may be a lot of prospect starting pitchers pining for a role in New Hampshire.

It is obvious that this is a big year for Adams.  If he can settle as 2B in Syracuse this year and put up AAAA numbers again, he should have a future in MLB with someone, if not the Jays.

Romero was our #6 overall pick.  It is crucial that he continues to develop - perhaps reaching AAA in August - to solidify his standing as a top prospect.

VBF - Thursday, January 11 2007 @ 09:46 PM EST (#161835) #

Congratulations to Robbie Alomar who will be inducted into the Blue Jays Level of Excellence in the upcoming 2007 season! (According to Bastian's blog).

John Northey - Friday, January 12 2007 @ 03:42 PM EST (#161877) #
Figure for misc stuff this is the best spot.

Something I've been curious about is if we could take someone from 1977 and get to today.  Playing around I noticed Jesse Barfield was drafted in 1987, traded for Al Leiter who left via free agency.  Sadly it looks like the Jays didn't even get a draft pick from that though as the Mets kept their 1st and 2nd round picks.

Jim Clancy was an original Jay, left as a free agent to Houston.  Looks like the Jays got a sandwich pick after the 2nd round for him and used it on Brent Bowers but lost him as a minor league free agent (or released him).

Ernie Whitt didn't produce anything (Rick Trlicek who was a waiver claim loss - 18 transactions on the B-R site but just played in the majors in 5 seasons)

Bob Bailor was traded for Roy Lee Jackson, but he was released in '85

Hrm.  Not getting anywhere.  Figure this is a bigger project than I have time for right now.  Anyone else able to put a big line together?  I figure Free Agent draft picks will be needed to make it work.

Perhaps going backwards...
Ted Lilly (who'll give us more draft picks) - Kielty - Stewart is the trade part, Stewart was a draft pick gained by Tom Candiotti going to LA, but Candi came here in exchange for 3 home grown guys - Hill (drafted '83 9th round), Whiten (drafted 86 5th round), and Boucher (amateur free agent).  Not bad though, back to the '83 draft and still producing with any luck.
Justin Speier (who'll give us more draft picks) - Mark Hendrickson - nope, dies there (20th round 1997)
Frasor - Werth - John Bale (1996 5th round pick)
Lyle Overbay/Ty Taubenheim - Zach Jackson - via Escobar as a Free agent - came here as an amateur free agent in 92

Hrm.  I suspect the furthest back anyone on the roster today can be traced back is Overbay/Taubenheim to 1992 and Escobar, at least until someone from this years draft makes it pushing the date back as far as 1983 and Hill.
John Northey - Friday, January 12 2007 @ 03:47 PM EST (#161878) #
Just pushed it back further...
Dustin McGowan - drafted thanks to Shawn Green leaving, drafted thanks to George Bell leaving, taken in the Rule V draft of 1980 from Philadelphia. 

Cool.  McGowan is a link back to the good old days when Pat Gillick would steal great players in the Rule V draft before anyone paid attention to it.  Also a link to Epy Guerrero who found Bell rehabbing as I recall.  Not to mention a link to the only MVP in Jays history (deserved or not).

John Northey - Friday, January 12 2007 @ 03:57 PM EST (#161880) #
Dang, made a mistake.  But it works good for this purpose as it gives me my goal of linking someone to 1977

Dustin McGowan...
Drafted thanks to Shawn Green going to LA...
Drafted thanks to John Cerutti going to Detroit...
Drafted thanks to Roy Howell going to Milwaukee...
Acquired in a trade for Steve Hargen and Jim Mason and $200k
Hargen was the 39th pick in the expansion draft, Jim Mason was the 30th pick of that draft as well

Thus Dustin McGowan would not be a Blue Jay if it wasn't for that 1977 draft (and a lot of good drafts since then).
MatO - Friday, January 12 2007 @ 04:25 PM EST (#161883) #
Green was traded for Mondesi, he was not signed as a FA by LA thus I don't see a connection to McGowan.  Though McGowan was a sandwich pick it might have been for Graeme Lloyd signing with the Expos.  I could be wrong.  Lloyd came in the Clemens-Wells trade from the Yankees.  Al Leiter didn't sign with the Mets but with the Marlins so he could be closer to his Florida home.  I'm not sure what compensation the Jays got.  Didn't Devon White sign with Florida the same year to further muddy the compensation picture?
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